David Tyree

David Mikel Tyree (born January 3, 1980) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Syracuse University. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Tyree has also played for the Baltimore Ravens. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2005 as a special teams player.

He is best known for the famous "helmet catch" in 2008 on the Giants' final drive of Super Bowl XLII in the waning moments of the game. The catch came at a crucial moment, and was instrumental in continuing the drive that eventually resulted in the Giants scoring a last-minute touchdown and a 17–14 victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

Early years
Born in Livingston, New Jersey, Tyree grew up in a one-bedroom house in Montclair, New Jersey with his mother and two older sisters after his parents divorced. He played high school football and was a three year varsity letterman at Montclair High School, where he was selected as a Blue Chip Illustrated All-American.

College career
Over Tyree's career at Syracuse, he ranked 13th on the career receiving record list with 1,214 yards, including 229 yards against Virginia Tech in 2002. He also developed a reputation for being an excellent special teams player, amassing six blocked punts.

New York Giants
Tyree was primarily a backup for the Giants, never catching more than 19 passes in a single season. However, he was known as an exceptional special teamer, and he earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2005 as a special teams player.

During the 2007 season, Tyree had 4 receptions for 35 yards with no touchdowns; however, his utilization in Super Bowl XLII was perhaps his most relevant contribution.

Tyree made two key plays in Super Bowl XLII. First he caught a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Eli Manning, Tyree's first of the season, that gave the Giants a 10-7 lead late in the game. Later, on a 3rd-and-5 with 1:15 remaining and trailing 14-10, Manning eluded a sack and threw 32 yards downfield toward Tyree. In Manning's words, the ball "floated" high. Tyree leaped and caught the ball fully extended, bringing it down against his helmet with his right hand, while the New England Patriots' Rodney Harrison pulled violently downward on that arm, simultaneously wrenching Tyree arching backwards towards the turf. Tyree, who managed to get a second hand on the ball during the descent, seemingly kept the ball only inches from the turf, thereafter struggling successfully for possession while Harrison tried to steal the ball away from him on the ground.The play was known as "the catch". "I told you. He's a gamer", Eli commented to his brother, Peyton, regarding Tyree, after the game. ESPN Sportscenter designated it the greatest play in Super Bowl history the following day. It was later voted for the 2008 ESPY award for Play of the Year. The pass moved the Giants to the Patriots' 24-yard line. Four plays and 24 seconds later, Manning threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress for the winning touchdown. The final score of Super Bowl XLII was Giants 17, Patriots 14. Tyree dedicated this catch, which remains the last catch he has made in an NFL game, to his mother, Thelma, who died of a heart attack that year.

In 2008, Tyree was placed on injured reserve for a knee injury suffered during training camp after being on the physically-unable-to-perform list most of the season. Tyree was released during the final cuts on September 5, 2009.

Baltimore Ravens
Tyree was signed by the Baltimore Ravens on October 13, 2009 after working out with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He appeared in ten games with the Ravens, but had no receptions.

Retirement
Tyree signed a 1-day contract with the New York Giants to announce his retirement from the NFL as a Giant on July 29, 2010. On February 5, 2012, Tyree watched from the Giants sideline as his former team beat the Patriots again in Super Bowl XLVI with the final score being 21-17.

Personal
Tyree is married to Leilah, and they have four children: two sons— Teyon and Josiah, and twin daughters— Sophia and Hannah. They reside in Wayne, New Jersey.

Tyree battled with alcohol addiction beginning in middle school, and in March 2004 was arrested by the Fort Lee Police Department for possession of marijuana. Leilah told him she was pregnant with their second child the day he was released from jail. Later that month, Leilah "presented Tyree with an ultimatum — her lifestyle or his." He began reading a Bible on her bed, and "for the first time, the words on the page made sense" to him. Tyree said from that day he never drank again. He and Leilah were married in June 2004.

He is a born-again Christian and has made appearances at the 2008 and 2009 Christian concert "BattleCry". In 2006, he and his wife started Next In Line, a project that counsels teenagers in his hometown.

In 2011, Tyree became an advocate against legalization of same-sex marriage in New York with the National Organization for Marriage.

Tyree said in an interview that the passage of the Marriage Equality Act would "be the beginning of our country sliding toward...anarchy". He said he would trade his famous catch and the team's Super Bowl title to keep marriage between a man and a woman.