By: CrimsNkentucky

Tyrone Prothro had an uncanny ability to make electrifying catches as well as motivate the team and the fans with his leadership and positive attitude. Prothro will go down in the record books as one of the most prolific game breakers in Alabama history and will forever be a fan favorite, but the question still remains, will he return? In this article we will examine his career and hear from his good friend and former Bama and Tennessee Titian DE Todd Bates, on Prothro's status and plans to return.

Tyrone Prothro entered the University of Alabama in the spring of 2003 with little fan fare despite being ranked 3rd all time on the Alabama High School record books with 8,099 career all purpose yards while playing QB, WR, HB and DB at Cleburne County high school. Recruited by Coach Mike Price, many fans questioned if Prothro was worthy of a scholarship, pointing to his size and how many stars the so called experts had awarded him, two stars by Scout and three by Rivals, to be exact. He was ranked the 22nd best player in the state of Alabama. The fact of the matter was, very few schools offered one of the most amazing athletes ever to play the game a scholarship. Prothro wasted no time proving the nay-sayers wrong. From the moment he stepped foot on campus he wowed everyone and left players and coaches alike in awe. Word soon leaked out of spring camps to watch out for a new kid called Tyrone Prothro. Prothro did not disappoint. Originally recruited as a cornerback it soon became evident that his future was on the offensive side of the ball. New coach Mike Shula was in desperate need of wide receivers when he arrived, and tried moving some players with athletic ability to the position, and when asked early on during the first weeks of spring practice. 'Who was making an impression?', stated that if the season were to start that day, Tyrone Prothro and Matt Cadell, both true freshmen, would be playing.

Mike Shula put the true freshman into the lineup mid-season 2003 against Arkansas. He played in nine games that year, getting 197 snaps as a receiver and return specialist. In 2004, his receiving stats were held down by the fact that starting quarterback, Brodie Croyle, suffered a knee injury early in the season. With the loss of Croyle, the offense turned one dimentional and focused on the run. Despite this fact, and only having 347 yards receiving, he was named a 2nd team All-SEC wide receiver at the close of the season.

In 2005, Tyrone was on his way to a break out season before suffering a season-ending broken leg in Alabama’s game against Florida. Prior to his injury, Prothro had recorded three touchdowns, 691 all-purpose yards (325 receiving, 193 kick return, 81 punt return, 41 rushing) and was Brodie Croyle's go to receiver. Despite missing the last six games for Alabama, he still ranked third on the team in total offense. Prothro rolled up 279 all-purpose yards against Southern Mississippi including a career high 134 receiving yards on seven catches. The highlight of the game came late in the first half with the Tide trailing 21-10. On 4th and 12, Croyle rocketed a pass downfield to Prothro who caught the ball over the head and on the back of the Southern Miss defender putting the ball at the one-yard line setting up a Bama touchdown, and giving the momentum back to Alabama propelling the team to victory. That catch won him the EPSY award given by ESPN as the best game changing performance of 2005. Prothro had another big day against Florida hauling in five catches for 134 yards, tying his career high and two touchdowns, also a career high. In addition he had a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown that was nullified by a block in the back. It was in that game that Prothro suffered his broken leg. It was one of the worst injuries in football history. Acting like the true warrior he is, he raised his hands and tried pumping the crowd up as he was carted off the field.

Click the play button below to listen to an exerpt form our Talk of Champions show with former Bama players Rudy Griffin and Todd Bates as they discuss Tyrone Prothro's status and plans to return. A link to the entire show can be found in our forums.

PROTHRO'S STATS

Receiving
Year     G   Rec   Yds   Avg  TD  Lng
2003     9    16   191  11.9   1   44
2004    12    25   347  13.9   1   35
2005     5    17   325  19.1   3   87
Totals  26    58   863  14.9   5   87

Kickoff Returns
Year     G   KOR   Yds   Avg  TD  Lng
2003     9     5   129  25.8   0   42
2004    12    17   452  26.6   1  100
2005     5     7   193  27.6   0   66
Totals  26    29   774  26.7   1  100

All-Purpose Yards
Year     G  Rush  Rec  PR   KOR   Yds    Avg.
2003     9     8  191   0   129   328    36.4
2004    12    66  347  98   452   963    80.3
2005     5    92  325  81   193   138.2 138.2
Totals  26   166  863 179   774  1982    76.2