At Home with retired Dallas Cowboy, Tyrone Crawford & Family By Steve Nussbaum | Photos by Erika Carter
Tyrone Crawford at lake home with his wife, Kelsey and daughters – Mia 4, and Kali, 2
Not too long ago, Tyrone Crawford played defensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys. These days, though, he and his family love the Possum Kingdom Lake life.
Crawford grew up in Windsor Ontario, Canada, where he played Canadian rules football in high school before being recruited to Bakersfield (California) Junior College. From there, he continued his successful college career at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho, playing two years for Broncos head coach Chris Peterson. Boise State lost just two games during his time there.
Crawford was drafted in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Cowboys and played for the team for nine years. He spent seven years playing for Dallas head coach Jason Garret before finishing his NFL career after the 2020 season under head coach Mike McCarthy. His career highlights include being elected a team captain for the Cowboys in 2016 and 2017.
Crawford doesn’t brag about various game balls he may have been awarded while playing in the NFL, but he does recall a 2018 matchup against the Saints where the Cowboys made four goal-line stops to preserve the win. For Crawford, that game was memorable not just for how he and his teammates battled to get the victory, but also for the euphoria after the game.
“Once a Cowboy, always a Cowboy,†Crawford said, adding that he was proud to represent “The Star†during his playing career and continues to do so in retirement.
He said he misses his teammates, and added that he considers them all his lifelong brothers.
Crawford and his wife, Kelsey, who’s originally from Houston, have been married since 2016. They met when both were living in Bakersfield – he as a football player, and Kelsey as a volleyball player for Cal State Bakersfield.
The couple has two adorable daughters – Mia, 4, and Kali, 2 – and Kelsey is pregnant with their third child. The soon-to-be family of five spends the summertime at PK while living in Frisco during the school year.
Crawford and his wife were looking for a lake house around the Dallas area when a friend told them about PK. One visit to Possum Kingdom and they knew exactly where they wanted to be, he said.
Crawford said he spent many summers in his youth going to Lake Erie, and to him PK felt like home. The couple purchased property in The Ranch and built a beautiful 6,500-square-foot cliffside home. The view, the incredible deck and the infinity pool are the home’s focal points.
The Crawfords said they love to have family and friends visit them at their lakeside home. Crawford’s mother spends much of the winter in Texas with them, and he said she loves the lake. His wife’s family lives closer and travels to “Hotel Crawford†quite often.
The two of them have hosted many current and former Dallas Cowboy players and their families at their home, but Crawford says the Dak Prescott sightings are false. As far as he knows, the current Dallas Cowboys quarterback has never been to PK.
Crawford and his family don’t just spend a weekend here or there at their beautiful lake home, but spend most of the summer at PK. This year, the only visits back to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex have been for his wife’s appointments with her doctor. The family loves the lake life, and the couple’s goal is to create incredible lake memories for their children.
For the Crawfords, most mornings start with a workout in their home gym – and many times it’s a family affair. Their setup can best be described as an upscale garage gym, with garage doors at each end to let in the breeze.
“The gym has air conditioning, but they rarely turn it on,†Kelsey Crawford said. “They like working out in the heat.â€
For her husband, every good day starts with a good workout.
“For me, working out is like my coffee,†he said. “I need it to start my day.â€
After their morning workouts, the Crawfords enjoy their sauna and pool. The girls enjoy spending time in the pool and the lake, which they call “the fishy pool.†All of them love going boating, hiking and four-wheeling on their property in The Ranch.
Possum Kingdom is where the Crawfords are creating family memories that will last a lifetime. The couple loves the lake life and letting their children learn to enjoy the great outdoors, just like Tyrone Crawford did back in Canada.
