Tyrone Rush, a native of Philadelphia, Miss., finished his career with 4,421 yards to become UNA?s and the GSC's all-time leading rusher. In four years he had 791 carries, scored 36 touchdowns rushing and had a 5.4-yard per carry average in his career. He set the UNA all-purpose yardage career mark as well with 6,020 yards, almost 2,000 more than the Troy Nelson in second place. His 37 career TDs scored tied the school record and his career rushes and TDs rushing were school records.
His 4,421 career total yards ranks second at UNA and his 21 career 100-yard rushing games set a school mark. He was named to the Gulf South Conference "Team of the Quarter Century" for 1971-95. A native of Philadelphia, Miss., Rush was selected for the 50th Anniversary UNA Football Team for 1949-98 and the Gulf South Conference Team of the 1990s. In 1993 he was selected first-team All-American by the Associated Press, Kodak, the Football Gazette and the NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors. He was also selected as the runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II Player of the Year after helping the Lions go 14-0 and win the Gulf South Conference and NCAA Division II National Championships. Rush was first-team All-GSC and was the GSC Offensive Player of the Year in 1992 and 1993 - after leading the league in rushing and scoring.
He set a UNA single season mark with 1,466 yards, scoring 17 touchdowns on 237 attempts asa senior. He was named first-team All-South Region in 1993 and was selected to play in the inaugural Snow Bowl NCAA Division II All-Star Game in Fargo, N.D. He was named National Player of the Week against Delta State in 1993 after rushing for a school-record 248 yards on 22 carries against the Statesmen. Other school and GSC marks set in 1993 included points scored in a season (116), rushing touchdowns in a season (19) and touchdowns scored in a season (19). Rush was selected first-team All-American by the Football Gazette in 1992, following his junior season in which he rushed for 1,364 yards and six touchdowns. He led the Gulf South Conference in rushing and was selected first-team All-GSC for the second time in his career. He finished sixth in the voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Player of the Year in 1992 and was the top finisher among underclassmen. He averaged 113.7 yards per game and 6.2 yards per carry in helping UNA to lead the GSC in rushing offense and advance to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Selected GSC Offensive Player of the Year. Rush set school records by rushing for 100 yards or more in eight games in 1992 and in five consecutive games. He was just the fourth Lion to ever rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season and he broke UNA's single-season rushing mark with his 1,364 yards. He also broke the regular-season mark with 1,136 yards. Following his playing career at UNA, Rush was a member of the Washington Redskins for two seasons before suffering a serious neck injury. He came back in 1996 to play for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, and was later drafted by Barcelona of the NFL-Europe. He then signed with the Bergamo (Italy) Lions where he played four seasons in the European League.
He was named MVP four straight years and was twice the Super Bowl MVP in 1999 and 2000. He set numerous records in the league before retiring in 2001. At the time of his induction he was a Day Treatment Intensity Counselor for emotionally disturbed children at the San Gabriel Children's Center. He resides in Covina, Calif., and has a daughter, Maya.
