Tyler Driscoll

1. Tyler Driscoll Central Dewitt Hall of Fame Induction Class 2015

2. Inducted for Outstanding Contributions as an individual of Central High School

3. Biography 2004 graduate Tyler Driscoll was an outstanding student-athlete, Yearbook Editor, member of NHS and Student Council. He was a 2X Letterman/Captain of the 2003-04 WaMaC Champion basketball team and 4X Letterman/Captain and 5X Drake/State medalist in track. In football, he was 3X Letterman, 2X Captain, 2X First-team All-District, First-team All-State and Captain of the Eastern Iowa team. He holds 14 top 5 rushing/scoring records. He was a 4X football Letterman, All-Conference player and NAIA All-American for St. Ambrose University. He is employed by the Department of Homeland Security: US Customs and Border Protection.

4. Article from the Observer As Central DeWitt Community High School’s football program celebrates its 100th anniversary, Kurt Kreiter reflects on the many great athletes who have graced its field. He knows without a doubt, 2004 graduate Tyler Driscoll was among the very best. The activity director and former biology teacher, head varsity wrestling and football coach has done the research – and a century’s worth of data and statistics says it all. In 2003, during Driscoll’s senior football season, the Sabers made it to the second round of the state playoffs before losing to Mt. Vernon. In the end, he was awarded first team all-state honors, was named Eastern Iowa Player of the Year, Captain of the Quad City Times All Eastern Iowa team, The DeWitt Observer Player of the Year and was selected to play in the Iowa Shrine Bowl. In 2003, Driscoll held the single season rushing record of 1,718 yards and touchdown record of 28 touchdowns. Football was not the only sport in which he was a standout. Driscoll also ran track, for which he was a three-time state medal winner. He won first place for the 4x100 in 2004, second place in the 1600-meter medley relay in 2003 and took fourth in the 4x400 that same year.

5. The Observer (cont.) Driscoll’s involvement in football continued after high school when he played at the collegiate level at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. He earned All-American honors his senior year and set the single season touchdown record for tight ends. Kreiter says watching Driscoll play was a true pleasure and that he was everything a coach could hope for in an athlete. “Tyler was quite a leader, but he had a great focus and was ‘all in’ once he committed himself to something,” he relates. “He had a real toughness about him along with having exceptional skills. He was a humble young person and had a sense of gratitude for his opportunities. He was extremely coachable and was about as big of a competitor as we have had as an athlete. It was fun to watch him run and the records he still holds are a testament to how good he was. We struggled during 2002 and there was interest, attitudes and efforts by some that started to wane as the season went on. Tyler and a core group of his teammates decided they were going to fight to the bitter end. That foundation was the key to what transpired in 2003. Without his ‘never-give-up’ attitude, that would not have been possible. I am fortunate to have gotten the chance to coach him and see him first-hand in action. He and his teammates were a big part of the success we had and the traditions we helped continue.”

6. The Observer (cont.) Friend and teammate Kale Petersen of DeWitt says Driscoll had a tremendous amount of natural athletic ability, but it didn’t stop him from working as hard off the field as he did when he was on it. “He was definitely always the biggest, fastest, strongest kid growing up,” Petersen recalls. “His talent became explosive by the time we got into high school. He put in a lot of time training and practicing. He was quiet, laid back and not very outspoken most of the time, but he was definitely a leader of the team and he led by example. The younger players definitely looked up to him. He holds a lot of records and has received a lot of accolades, but he was always willing to do whatever it took to help our team succeed. He really represented Central in the best way.” Athletics wasn’t the only area in which Driscoll excelled. In addition to being his football coach, Kreiter also was Driscoll’s biology teacher. He says not only was Driscoll a great player, but he was also an excellent student. Driscoll was a member of Central’s National Honor Society and made the honor roll every semester. At Ambrose, he studied criminal justice

7. The Observer (cont.) and psychology and after completing an internship with the DeWitt Police Department, in 2010 he joined the United States Border Patrol and currently resides in Las Cruces, N.M. Some of Driscoll’s favorite memories include being on the winning 4x100 team at the state track meet his senior year, his senior football season as a whole and in particular, making it to the state playoffs. All of the achievements he made, however, don’t mean anything without the people who made all the hard work and effort worthwhile. “The way the fans and community showed up to sporting events and supported Saber athletics is what I look back on and am grateful for the most,” Driscoll shares. “Great coaches, great teammates, great friends and great teachers are the most distinct memories I am left with from my time at Central.”

8. Induction speech Inducted for Outstanding Contributions as an Individual One of the great multi-sport athletes in Saber history is 2004 graduate Tyler Driscoll. He participated in football, basketball and track earning 9 Varsity Letters. He was a quite leader and outstanding student. He made Honor Roll every semester and made All-Academic teams in all sports he participated in. He was voted to receive the Bernie Saggau award by his coaches as a senior and served as the Yearbook Editor, was a member of NHS and Student Council. Tyler was a 2X Letterman and team Captain of the 2003-04 WaMaC East Championship basketball team. He contributed 5 pts. and 3.2 rebounds/game. In track he was a 4X Letterman and also a team Captain. He was a 2X Drake Relay medalist and qualified for State Track events 11 times, medaling 3 times including a 4th place in the 4 x 400 and 2nd place in the 1600 meter relay in 2003 while earning a State Championship in the 4 x 100 relay as a senior in 2004. Relay teams he was a part of still hold 6 top 10 and 3 top 5-school records. He was an assistant track coach one year for the Sabers. That team was Runner-up at the State meet. He excelled in all sports, but he made his mark in football. He was a 2X Captain and 3X Letterman. He was a key component to the team’s 2003 Quarterfinal finish. As a Running Back, he was a 2X first-team All-District selection, Captain of the Eastern Iowa football team, and INA & Des Moines

9. Speech (cont.) & video Register First-team All-State in 2003. Tyler still holds top 5 single Game records for Points-30, Rushes-26, Rushing Yards-257, TD Runs-5, Total TD’s-5. He holds Season records for Points-168, Rushes-202, Rushing Yards-1718, TD Runs-28 and 25+ Yards Scoring Plays-12. He holds Career Records for Points-258, Rushes-394, Rushing Yards-3010 and Rushing TD’s-42. The 2003 team also hold top 5 Team records for Pts. In A Season-357, Rushes-524, Rushing Yards-3524, Rushing TD’s-48 and Total TD’s-50. He was The Observer Player of the Year in 2003 and played in the 2004 Shrine game. He earned a degree from St. Ambrose University in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology. He was a 4X football Letterman on 4 winning teams and helped the Bees win League Titles his junior and senior years. He had over 40 career starts at St. Ambrose. He was the leading rusher as a sophomore and set the single season TD record for TE’s for the Fighting Bees while earning All-Conference and NAIA All-American honors his junior and senior years. He has earned various other athletic and academic awards. In 2010 he completed an internship with the DeWitt Police Department and is currently employed by the Department of Homeland Security: US Customs and Border Protection. He was awarded the El Paso, TX Sector Border Patrol Agent of the Month award and currently lives in Las Cruces, NM.Please help me welcome the newest member of the Central DeWitt High School Hall of Fame, 2015 inductee… Tyler Driscoll.