FANNIN COUNTY SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2022
By Mike Harper
Charles Tyger Vollrath entered Fannin County High School as a sophomore in the autumn of 1986. His father, Dr. Richard Vollrath, a medical doctor and surgeon in Boca Raton, Florida, had visited Fannin County in the early 1980s, liked what he saw, and moved his family to the North Georgia Mountains.
Both Tyger and Dr. Vollrath are high energy, intelligent men, and they both hit the ground running when they arrived. Tyger landed a spot with the Fannin high football team as a wide receiver/defensive back and excelled at the sport until he was sidelined by an injury early in his senior year. He was awarded the Most Improved Offensive Player Award after his junior season in 1987. He was a major contributor as the 1987 Rebels posted a 7-3 record, contending for the Region 8AA North title. Along the way he also earned two varsity letters in track and field, two in golf, one in baseball and one in basketball. He says that his primary athletic interest was for the game of football and he participated in other sports to stay busy and in condition. Overall, he earned nine varsity letters during his high school career.
Never a fan of idly sitting and playing video games, Tyger filled his down time from school and summers getting involved in helping out with one of his father’s passions, the Fannin County Fire and EMT Department, and serving as a guide leading three rafting groups a day down the Ocoee River in nearby Polk County. Expertise gained in both of these activities would serve him well as his life unfolded.
After graduating from Fannin, Tyger was invited to join the University of Georgia football squad as a Preferred Walk-On in the fall of 1989. He suffered a broken wrist and was red-shirted in 1989 but came into his own in the spring of 1991 when he was selected as the outstanding walk-on player following spring practice. He continued his success by becoming a valuable member of the Bulldog special teams, winning varsity letters in 1991 and 1992. He also won the Olin-Huff award for excellence in academics by a student-athlete in 1992. Tyger graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Engineering/Physics in 1993.
In 1994, Tyger moved a few miles southwest to continue his education at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. He had a two-year stay at Tech earning a B.S. in Electrical/Computer Engineering in 1996. In addition to his studies, Tyger again stayed busy as a strength coach and coach of the cheerleading squad at Tech. The Yellow Jacket cheerleaders had two top 10 finishes in national competitions with Tyger at the helm.
Tyger had developed a number of friendships and associations with nationally ranked competitors in canoe and kayak events during his time as a guide at the on the Ocoee River. He began to compete in one and two man canoe and kayak events himself and joined the USA Canoe/Kayak Team in 1995. He has qualified for and competed in six US Olympic team trials and has competed in numerous World Cup and Pan-American competitions around the world. His top finishes include 12th at the Pan-American championships in Costa Rica in 2017 and second at the World Games in Aukland, New Zealand in 2017. He continues to compete as time allows in 2022.
Tyger’s experience with the Fannin County Fire/Rescue from 1987 through 1993, served him well September 11, 2001. He was in New York on a business trip and was en route to the airport when the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center occurred. When traffic out of the city came to a standstill, he had occasion to talk with New York firemen headed toward Manhattan and volunteered his services as a first responder. The events of the next five days would change his life forever.
The experience of Tyger Vollrath during the second week of September, 2001 is best described by his own words spoken at various times over the last 20 plus years:
“The entire area was covered in a cloud of cement dust smoke that made visibility less than one city block and provided all of us with a nasty cough and swollen, irritated eyes. The debris itself consisted of only steel and paper with cement dust in between. No cement blocks or other items could be moved by hand ... This itself made searching for survivors almost impossible without the assistance of cranes to move the massive beams or welding torches to cut through the smaller ones .… I befriended a group of firefighters from FDNY Engine 318/Ladder 166 Company. Little did I know that they would soon become my close friends as we worked together to put out the remaining fires and search for potential survivors. I became a member of this team by working side by side with them. All these men and women lost close friends and/or relatives in the collapse, yet they worked diligently to locate their fallen comrades. There have been various descriptions of heroes over the past week but I have my own definition. Heroes are men or women who risk their lives to help others without regard to their own safety.”
Tyger continues “I was breathless while looking over the massive pile of debris. The descriptions of ‘Movie-like set’ or ‘surreal’ are very accurate, but I would have to add one more feeling: AWE. The sheer size and vastness of the destruction literally takes your breath away. However, the memories I will always have of this event are the friendships, public support and patriotism … On my drive home from New York to Atlanta on Friday night, I couldn’t go 10 miles without seeing a U.S. flag proudly hanging on bridges, buildings, road signs or vehicles. This alone stirs deep pride and emotion in me. In light of this nation’s worst tragedy, it might be one of our finest hours.”
Back in Atlanta, Tyger returned to his rapid-pace, busy life, starting his own business and courting Suzi Hovastak, also a UGA grad. His company, PS WebSolution, has proven to be a successful venture and Tyger continues at the helm today. Tyger and Suzi were married in 2004. Their family became a threesome with the addition of Elizabeth Grace, their only child who is now 11 years old.
Suzi Vollrath lost her long battle with cancer in January of 2022. She lived for a little more than 53 years. Eighteen of those years were filled with love and, in Suzi’s words, “amazing adventures’ with Tyger Vollrath. Her life epitomizes one of Tyger’s favorite quotes: “Everyone dies, but not everyone lives.”