Tyler McDuffie was the older brother of NFL star, Trent McDuffie. He died in 2015 when Trent was in the 8th grade of middle school. So far though, we know that Tyler McDuffie died of a heart attack but the immediate cause of the heart attack is not known.
Tyler’s death caused a lot of heartache for his family members including his younger brother, Trent. They however had to learn to forge on with life. Trent now plays in the NFL as a cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs. He wears the No. 22 jersey in honor of his beloved late brother.
Tyler McDuffie’s Bio
- AGE: 34 Years Old
- BIRTHDAY: Late 1990s
- DIED: 2015
- BIRTHPLACE: Westminster, California, United States
- ETHNICITY: Mixed
- FATHER: James McDuffie
- MOTHER: Michelle McDuffie
- SIBLINGS: 1 – Trent McDuffie (brother)
Tyler McDuffie Was Born in the 1990s
Other than the fact that he was Trent McDuffie’s younger brother, there’s not much information available on the aspects of Tyler McDuffie’s birth. Close sources to the McDuffies have insinuated that he was born in the late 1990s, and these insinuations have been based on the fact that his younger brother Trent was born on September 13, 2000, and that he was reportedly not that much older than the NFL star.
Further aspects of Tyler McDuffie’s birth history that have been derived from his familial relationship with Trent McDuffie suggest that he was also born in Westminster, California, United States. It is also a piece of information that ensured his credentials as an American citizen.
Tyler’s ethnic identity was multi-racial as his father, James McDuffie is an African American while his mother Michelle McDuffie is indisputably Caucasian, a fact reinforced by her classic Caucasian physical features.
Tyler and his younger brother, Trent were not the only children his parents ever had. According to several reliable sources, the NFL star is the second youngest of five children born to their parents but it is yet unclear whether Tyler was Trent’s immediate older brother as there is almost no information about their other siblings at present.
It’s also no surprise that his brother has decided to pursue a career in sports given the sporting background in his family. His father played amateur football while his mother, who now runs a business, was a track and field athlete in school.
He Had a Good Relationship with his Younger Brother Trent
Being children of the same parents, it is almost inconceivable to assume that Tyler and his younger brother Trent had a flawless relationship. Surely at one point or another, while growing up, one would assume that they got into it quite a bit in terms of the good old-fashioned sibling rivalry.
However, Trent’s demeanor whenever he talks about his late brother indicates that the good times they had as siblings far outweighed the skirmishes they must have gotten into as siblings.
A vivid description of Tyler’s relationship with his younger brother is often emphasized whenever the NFL star reviews his reaction to seeing his number 22 jersey number on the first day he walked into the Washington Huskies’ dressing room after committing to play for them in 2019.
According to the 2021 third-team All-American, the number 22 was Tyler’s favorite, and seeing that number on the back of his first professional jersey not only reminded him of the beautiful times he had spent with his late brother, it also confirmed his feelings that choosing to play for the University of Washington football team was the right career move.
Furthermore, and despite the coincidental circumstances surrounding Trent being handed the number 22 jersey at U-Dub and subsequently at the Chiefs, donning the number 22 jersey has become a means for Tyler’s younger brother to honor his memory whenever he takes to the field of play to strut his stuff as a football player.
Tyler McDuffie Grew Up In California
The logical summary of Tyler McDuffie’s early life is that he must have spent some time up in his birthplace of Winchester, California. However, given the unavailability of information on the late celebrity sibling, it is almost impossible to write or talk about the details of his formal educational background.
In this regard too, one would have to examine his brother Trent’s formal educational history of attending St. John Bosco High School, in Bellflower, California, to get an unconfirmed clue regarding his academic background.
Tyler McDuffie, in all likelihood, never got to have the college experience his younger brother had because of his sudden and unexpected demise, an event that continues to confound other surviving members of his birth family, especially his parents, and brother Trent.
Tyler McDuffie Died of a Heart Attack When Trent Was in the 8th Grade
As previously stated, Tyler McDuffie may have been unable to attend college like his younger brother because he died of a heart attack during the last year of Trent’s middle school years.
Given that the average middle schooler in the United States is between ages 13 and 14, it would be fair to assume that Trent McDuffie was around that age when his older brother Tyler died. Nevertheless, an aspect of Tyler’s death that has yet to become public knowledge is the exact cause of the heart attack that led to his death.
The surviving members of the deceased celebrity sibling’s birth family including his NFL star brother have maintained complete silence on the issue, a decision that has left many wondering what happened given how young Tyler was at the time of death.
Tyler’s Death Reinforced Trent’s Family Values
Not that he didn’t know the importance of family before losing his older brother but suffice it to say that Tyler’s death reinforced the importance of having strong family values in the heart and mind of Trent McDuffie.
The NFL star, while speaking to Pac-12 Networks’ Yogi Roth at the 2021 Pac-12 Football Media Day presented by 76® on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Hollywood, California, revealed that brotherhood was an essential part of his upbringing and that he hoped to bring those values to the U-Dub football team.
Given all he accomplished during his time in college, one would easily support the argument that the Kansas Chiefs cornerback managed to achieve that before foregoing his senior year to enter the 2022 NFL draft where he became the 21st pick in the first round of the draft.
It’s also worth pointing out that the strong sense of brotherhood is a characteristic that pervades the dressing room of the NFL franchise, and there may be few who understand what that means like Tyler McDuffie’s brother, Trent.
