Toussaint L'Ouverture Tyler (first name pronounced "Too-San",[1] born March 19, 1959) is a former running back in the National Football League (NFL).
Born in Barstow, California, Tyler moved to Oceanside where he starred as halfback at El Camino High School.
Early in Tyler's senior season in 1980, injuries to the Huskies' halfbacks prompted head coach Don James to move him there from fullback.
Washington finished 9–2 in the regular season and won the Pac-10 title, earning them a trip to the Rose Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines.
[3] His mother was a seamstress and his father, Walter, was a boxing trainer who handled, among others, heavyweight champion Mike Weaver.
[4] Rushing for 1,732 yards with an eight yards-per-carry average in his senior season, the halfback drew comparisons to fellow El Camino back C. R.
In his first collegiate contest, Tyler rushed for 70 yards on seven carries in a victory against San Jose State University.
[21] To conclude the season, Washington, then number 13, upset the Texas Longhorns 14–7 with Tyler rushing 19 times for 70 yards.
[1] After a 24–10 loss to Navy in which head coach Don James said Washington was "embarrassed", the Huskies were 5–2 (2–1 in the Pacific-10 Conference) and still top contenders for a Rose Bowl appearance.
[26] The next week, despite not having Tyler due to injury, Washington beat USC 20–10; this clinched a spot in Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.
He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds, on the low end for a halfback, but Mal Florence of the Los Angeles Times said he was "much faster in game situations".
[1] On the second day (April 29) of the 1981 NFL draft, the New Orleans Saints selected Tyler with the first pick of the ninth round, 222nd overall.
The Saints also possessed the draft's first-overall pick, which they used on Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, a halfback from the University of South Carolina.
[41] After a short stint with the Oakland Invaders of the United States Football League,[42] Tyler attempted to earn a spot on the Minnesota Vikings but was waived during training camp.