David Tyree's 2007 Giants season a roller coaster of emotions

This story originally ran in The Record January 30, 2008

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Thelma Tyree's oldest daughter was visiting friends in Florida when the Giants upset the Cowboys for their second step on this continuing postseason journey. But Tara Williams learned much more that magical January night than the fact that her brother David had just reached the Super Bowl.

That night, Williams learned yet again about the depth of her mother's belief in David Tyree and the Giants for whom he plays football. "Miss Thelma," as she was known, had been staying with those same Florida friends back in December when she got her hands on the DVR remote. 

"She had an "R" [for record] next to every Giants game," Williams recalled. "This was Dec. 15. She had it set until February."

Miss Thelma saw this Super Bowl coming, saw her youngest child reaching the pinnacle of his chosen career, saw herself preserving the memory for eternity. She saw it before any of us did, only she won't see it the way any of us will. Thelma Tyree passed away from a heart attack Dec. 15, at the age of 59.

"That's my angel up in heaven," Tyree said Tuesday, his seat in the stands of University of Phoenix Stadium offering escape from the madness of the annual Super Bowl media day. "She was a big sports fan and she's knocking on God's door and saying, 'God you've got to give my son his heart's desire.' That's something that gives me great comfort."

David found his true path to comfort in 2004, when a night in jail for marijuana possession led to a religious awakening, setting a foundation for a faith in Christianity that now guides Tyree through every day of an alcohol- and drug-free life. He never needed it more than at the time of his mother's death; he never questioned it less than in the ensuing tear-filled weeks.

"I say 'Lord, I'm not going to pretend I understand this, but I'm excited about it because I know how happy she was when she saw me play,' " David said. "It wasn't about me and what I wanted to do for her, but the feeling she got in being proud of her son. I know my mom right now would be overjoyous."

Since Miss Thelma died, an already close family has drawn tighter. A single mom who raised her family in East Orange and Montclair, she worked for nearly 30 years as a technical adviser for Verizon. Through the overtime nights and the extra-long days, Miss Thelma made sure to instill a great love and bond among her three children, Tara (37 years old), Jessica (30) and David (28). The bulk of responsibility for planning a memorial service in Florida followed by transport for a wake and funeral in New Jersey fell to Williams, who lives in Alabama.

"I'm the one who left [to pursue a career in the Marine Corps] so I've been the one to really make sure now to stay in touch," Williams said. "This whole experience has made us look more intently at each other. My motherwas a die-hard football fan and it was her greatest desire to see her son in the Super Bowl. When they won in Green Bay, we just got so emotional. All we could say was, 'I wish mommy was here.' This was her dream."

David missed the Giants' home loss Dec. 16 versus Washington, and the next week's game in Buffalo, when a 38-21 victory qualified the team for the playoffs. He returned for the season finale against the Patriots, the rematch of which will be played Sunday, and has been a vital contributor both for his special teams work (he was a Pro Bowler in 2005) and an occasional catch at wide receiver.

"I think about that time when [my mother passed] and we had that tough game against Washington," David said. "And since then the team has been on fire. It's uncanny. She's always with me. She was a woman of distinct grace. She's up there."

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Down here, Tyree was comforted by the support of the Giants, particularly coach Tom Coughlin, who met David's wife Leilah at the team hotel before pulling David from a team meeting to give him the news. Leilah, motherof two and expectant mother of two more with twins coming in March, struggled to find the words she needed. She finally blurted out "your mother died" when she saw David's fear rising.

"At first there's that eerie feeling of 'are you serious' and then it's just a shock value," Tyree said. "For a good three minutes I stood around in awe and then it began to sink in. Then the emotion and tears began to flow."

David fell into someone's arms, believing it must have been the team chaplain by his side.

"But it was coach Coughlin," he said. "That meant a lot to me to see the person in him. He obviously understood the situation and the need for me to go home to my family."

"There was just such shock because there was no advance notice. She wasn't sick," Coughlin recalled. "We were all devastated, all very, very shaken. He dealt with it as best he could. It's a terrible, terrible blow to lose your mother; I don't care how old you are. Dave has done the best he can. He's as strong as a rock."

With faith as solid as a stone.

E-mail: sullivan@northjersey.com