Tyrone Crawford and his athletic talents were well known in the Windsor area long before he was an NFL draft selection of the vaunted Dallas Cowboys.

As a three-sport star at Catholic Central Secondary School, Crawford was always in beast mode whether the sport was basketball, football or track and field.

Playing running back, quarterback and linebacker, he was a first-team football all-star all four years of high school. He won gold in discus and shot put at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championships and added an OFSAA gold and silver with the Comets’ senior basketball team.

He joined a select club as a repeat winner of the prestigious Royal Arcanum Award as the Windsor Essex County Secondary Schools Association’s best male athlete.

Once Crawford graduated, he turned his full attention to football, first at Bakersfield Junior College and then Boise State.

As a defensive end, Crawford was a first-team All-American after his second season at Bakersfield. In his final season at Boise State, Crawford had 44 tackles and led the team in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (13.5)

His selection as a third-round pick in the 2012 draft marked the beginning of an impressive nine-year NFL career with the Cowboys.

By 2016, he was a starter on the defensive line for Dallas, having recently signed a $45-million five-year contract that made him the highest paid Canadian player in the NFL..

Injuries to his ankle, shoulder and both hips started to take their toll in the ensuing years so Crawford officially retired in 2021. He played in 112 NFL games, recording 194 tackles and 25 sacks.

Crawford now joins the 2024 starting lineup of the Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame in the athlete’s category.