Bob Tyler

Bob Tyler coached in the SEC for ten years from 1968-1978, including a six-year reign as head coach at Mississippi State. He began his college coaching career as an assistant coach at Ole Miss, and also worked as an assistant at Alabama and MSU before earning his first head coaching job with the Bulldogs. Tyler posted four winning seasons with Mississippi State, winning his only bowl appearance as a head coach in 1974.

The NCAA would later force MSU to forfeit most of its games from 1975-1977 due to alleged illegal benefits to student-athletes, costing Tyler two of his four winning seasons as a coach. The Bulldogs dropped from 6-4-1 to 2-9 in 1975 and from 9-3 to 0-11 in 1976, and Tyler’s career record as a head coach was dropped from 39-25-1 to 21-44-2 as a result. He stepped down as head coach following the 1978 season, but came out of retirement to coach North Texas in 1981 and again to coach Millsaps College from 2000-2002.