A native of Water Valley, Mississippi, Tyler was a star athlete at Water Valley High School before entering military service. Following his term of duty at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, Tyler achieved his college degrees at the University of Mississippi. He began coaching in 1955 at Water Valley High and has coached football at Okolona, Senatobia and Meridian. His high school teams played in 119 games and achieved a record of 94–19–6.