Bob Tyler, who’s coaching career spanned across 45 years and included stops at Mississippi State and Ole Miss, died Sunday, a Mississippi State spokesperson confirmed to The Clarion-Ledger. He was 91.

Tyler’s coaching career started in 1957 when he was hired by Water Valley High in his hometown. The first part of his high school coaching career featured stops at Okolona, Corinth, Senatobia and Meridian.

He made the jump to the collegiate ranks when he was hired onto Johnny Vaught’s staff at Ole Miss (1968-70).

Tyler spent the 1971 season working under Bear Bryant at Alabama before arriving at Mississippi State the following year as an offensive coordinator under Charles Shira.

In 1973, Tyler became the coach of the Bulldogs. Across six seasons, he had a 21–44–2 record. That’s an adjusted record from his actual 39-25-3 mark. Mississippi State forfeited four wins and a tie in 1975 along with the 1976 and 1977 seasons due to alleged improper benefits to student-athletes − though that decision has long been debated.

The NCAA tried putting the Bulldogs on probation for the 1975 campaign, but MSU sought and won approval from the court − which delivered an adverse opinion to the ruling − to play.

BOB TYLER: Bob Tyler a man of many talents. Here are a few

In 1974, Tyler led Mississippi State to only its second nine-win season ever. It’s a feat that has only been reached 10 times in program history. The Bulldogs ended that campaign with a Sun Bowl victory.

Tyler spent time as Mississippi State’s athletics director (1976–79) before moving to North Texas. He was the football coach in 1981 and served as the school’s AD from 1981-82.

He returned as the coach of Northwest Community College from 1984-85. In 1986 he surfaced as the high school in Oxford before finishing his career at Millsaps College (2000-02).

Tyler was inducted into the Mississippi State Hall of Fame in 2020 and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

• Just because a retail location sells these items doesn’t mean they are safe. 

If you’ve recently been inside a convenience store in our state to buy a soda or snack, you may have noticed a plethora of items behind the counter, or a locked cabinet, that have colorful packaging and with names such as “Delta 8,” “THC-P,” “HHC,” and “THC-O,” among many others. Unbeknownst to most customers, these products contain what’s known as “Intoxicating Hemp-Derived Cannabinoids.” But just because a retail location sells these items doesn’t mean they are safe. 

In 2020, Dr. Bill Gurley, a principal scientist in the National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) at the University of Mississippi (UM), along with his colleagues, published a study that analyzed some of these products being sold in our state. At the time, most of the available products being sold were touted as “CBD (cannabidiol),” a non-intoxicating compound found in cannabis. Undercover law enforcement agents purchased twenty-five of these products, which were sent to UM researchers for analysis. The results were alarming: only three products that claimed to contain CBD were within 20% of what the label claimed was in the product; three products contained delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (d-9 THC), a predominant, intoxicating compound found in cannabis; and three products contained no cannabinoid material whatsoever. 

In another study published by UM in 2023, Dr. Mohamed Radwan and his colleagues looked at products containing delta-8 THC, an intoxicating compound found in trace amounts in cannabis. Since there are only trace amounts of delta-8 THC found in cannabis naturally, the manufactures chemically alter CBD to make delta-8 THC for the active ingredient in the products. This process of adding chemicals to create synthetic products such as the ones mentioned earlier (delta-8, THC-P, HHC, etc.) results in many byproducts that could be harmful when ingested. Furthermore, the manufacturers of these products often do not disclose what these byproducts are, nor the amount you are potentially ingesting. This study found several impurities in these products and great variability of their contents. 

Some of the side effects of these products are anxiety, vomiting, dizziness, loss of consciousness, tremors, hallucinations, and rapid heart rate. The Center for Disease Control found that since these products have become widely available to the public, hospitalizations of children under 10 years old have skyrocketed as the result of accidental ingestions of cannabis edibles (gummies, cookies, etc.). The Mississippi Poison Control Center has seen similar instances of Emergency Room visits and hospitalizations, mainly due to children having access to these products a parent or guardian purchased and them thinking it was candy or a snack, then having a horrible side effect. 

A reasonable question to ask is, “why are these products allowed to be sold in the first place?” In 2018, US legislators passed the Agricultural Improvement Act, commonly known as “The 2018 Farm Bill.” As we discussed earlier regarding the CBD study from 2020, when those products were obtained, most of the products were CBD-based. However, as businesses looked closely at the Farm Bill, a loophole was noticed that stated “derivatives” were also allowed to be sold. This may have been an unintended consequence of the bill’s language, but, nevertheless, companies started making these highly intoxicating products such as the ones we’ve discussed (delta-8, THC-P, HHC, etc.). These products fall outside the governance of the FDA and DEA, hence they are unregulated and able to be sold in gas stations, convenience stores, vape shops, etc. 

This issue is not unique to Mississippi and the federal government realizes it must act to address it, but until then, states must take action to protect their citizens. Thankfully, Mississippi now has one of the most comprehensive solutions in the nation on the table. Representative Lee Yancey (District 74) has sponsored House Bill 1676, which addresses this issue, the main goal being consumer safety. By removing these products from the shelves of gas stations and vape shops and placing them under strict rules and parameters of the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Program dispensaries, we can be sure of the products’ purity, correct dosage/labeling, and consistency, which is currently not the case with the products being sold in retail outlets today.

I commend Representative Yancey and his colleagues who have supported this bill, as Mississippi can lead the way on how to deal with this issue and other states can follow our example. 

The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and three Mississippi State football players had their names called. Cornerback Decamerion Richardson went in the 4th Round to the Las Vegas Raiders. Defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy went in the 6th Round to the Carolina Panthers. And linebacker Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson went in the 6th Round to the Cleveland Browns.

Though State didn’t have any early round selections, it was a successful draft for MSU. Their three selections were their most since having five players drafted in 2020.

Now that the draft has come to a close, NFL teams are beginning to sign undrafted free agents, and Mississippi State football has several players who could end up signing UDFA deals.

Last season, four former undrafted Bulldogs played in the NFL, headlined by DL Denico Autry and Safey/Special Teamer JT Gray, both of whom have put together great careers in the league.

Which Bulldogs have signed UDFA deals in 2024?

Bulldog defensive back Marcus Banks became the first Mississippi State player to sign a UDFA deal, signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Banks played multiple spots in the secondary during his Mississippi State career. The former Alabama-transfer came to MSU as a corner before moving to safety for his final season, though in MSU’s scheme, he was often playing nickel.

Banks’ biggest highlight of his career by far came in the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl when he ran a fumble back for a TD as the clock expired to secure a 19-10 win over Illinois as State honored the late Mike Leach.

Many expected WR and kick returner Tulu Griffin to be taken in the draft. Instead, he’s signing a UDFA deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Griffin was an electrifying player during his Bulldog career. An explosive play-maker, he was great at taking quick passes long distances. Over his final two seasons, he caught 90 passes for 1160 yards and eight TDs. He was even better as a kick returner, with a pair of KR TDs at State.

Tulu gets to remain teammates with former Bulldog CB Decamerion Richardson in Vegas, and he has a great chance to make it in the league as special teams superstar.

MSU safety Shawn Preston is getting a NFL opportunity as well. The hard-hitting DB has been invited to the New Orleans Saints’ rookie minicamp.

It doesn’t appear that Preston is officially signing a deal yet with the Saints, but he will get the opportunity to earn a deal at the minicamp.