Five years after hanging up his cleats, former Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Jim Tyrer was picked as a first-ballot finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980, a more than justified nomination given the legendary career he enjoyed. At the time none could dispute Tyrer - a Super Bowl champion, six-time All-Pro and three-time AFL winner - being duly rewarded for his success on the field after 13 seasons with the Chiefs and one closing chapter in Washington.
![[That was until he shot and killed wife Martha (left) and turned the gun on himself on Sep. 15]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/11/21/93010863-14178847-image-a-14_1733953180813.jpg)
Yet the harrowing and tragic events which occurred shortly after left a disturbing asterisk on his legacy forever. In the early hours of September 15, Tyrer shot and killed his wife Martha before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide which sent shockwaves rippling through America.
![[Tyrer, pictured with Martha and their three children, had been dealing with depression and severe headaches in the lead-up to that tragic day]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/11/21/93010865-14178847-image-a-15_1733953188071.jpg)
The 41-year-old inevitably failed to make it into the Hall of Fame that year and, as the mystery over what caused his devastating actions has been dissected by many, it has stayed that way in the 44 which have followed. However, in an astonishingly late U-turn, that could change next year after Tyrer was controversially named on the ballot as a 2025 finalist.
![[The offensive tackle (right) was renowned for blocking with his head throughout his career]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/11/21/93010867-14178847-image-a-16_1733953197245.jpg)
Former Kansas City Chiefs defender Jim Tyrer was a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame in 1980. That was until he shot and killed wife Martha (left) and turned the gun on himself on Sep. 15. Nominated in the Seniors category for players whose careers ended before 1999, Jim could finally break into the Hall almost half a century since his infamous murder-suicide.
![[His bust remains in the Kansas City Chiefs' Hall of Honor at Arrowhead (second from top right)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/11/21/93010871-14178847-image-a-17_1733953201459.jpg)
His nomination has of course sparked major contention; with a large majority left bewildered that a man who murdered his wife could potentially receive such a prestigious honor, but others are adamant that he deserves to be included on football achievements alone, while insisting that his fatal outburst on September 15, 1980 was a heartbreaking effect of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
![[Tyrer's son Brad is one of many who believe his dad had CTE at the time of the murder-suicide]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/11/21/93010227-14178847-image-m-19_1733953218235.jpg)
