Sheehan was born on November 17, 1987 in Cincinnati, Ohio to parents Dale and Rosalyn Sheehan. His father played football at Wooster. Tyler Sheehan attended La SalleHigh School, where he was a three-year letterwinner on the football team. As a senior in 2005, he was named the team's most valuable player and the conference Quarterback of the Year. He was also named an all-conference, honorable mention all-city, all-district, and All-Southwest Ohio player. Sheehan also played baseball for two seasons. A Scout.com two-star prospect, he was not highly recruited and received a scholarship offer only from Bowling Green. Sheehan committed to Bowling Green State University on November 29, 2005.
College career
Sheehan enrolled at Bowling Green State University and played on the football team as a true freshman. He saw action in four games and completed 23 passes on 43 attempts for 192 yards. He threw for no touchdowns, but four interceptions and was sacked six times. Against Toledo, he passed for 33 yards including a season-long of 21 yards to receiver Corey Partridge. Prior to the 2007 season, he competed in fall camp with starter Anthony Turner for the number-one position. Sheehan narrowly won the starting job just five days before the season-opener against Minnesota. He started all 13 games of the season and recorded 303 completions on 476 attempts for 3,264 yards and 23 touchdowns, to become the fourth quarterback in school history to throw for 3,000 single-season yards. He threw for 11 interceptions and was sacked 28 times. Sheehan was named the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week three times. In his first career start against Minnesota, he threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns and caught a 24-yard touchdown pass. In overtime, Bowling Green elected to attempt a two-point conversion, rather than tie the score with a kick. Sheehan connected with receiver Freddie Barnes for the game-winning conversion in what The New York Times called "perhaps one of the most exciting of the college football season". That season, he was the nation's only quarterback to record two receiving touchdowns. In the 2008 GMAC Bowl loss to Tulsa, he injured his left ankle late in the first half. Late in the season, USA Today wrote that "Tyler Sheehan directs one of the MAC's most diverse offenses." That season, he was the only 3,000-yard quarterback in the East Division of the MAC. ESPN compared Sheehan with other top passers in the conference, noting that he threw for fewer interceptions than Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan, and had a higher completion percentage than Nate Davis of Ball State. Sheehan himself said:
Dan can do more things with his feet than I can, but I think I can make some different throws that he can't make. Nate Davis has a great arm. I think, ability-wise, there's not much difference between us, but we each bring something different to the table to help our team win. And I think our different abilities showed when you look at the stats from last year.
In 2008, he started in all 12 games and completed 267 of 400 passes for 2,610 passing yards and 20 touchdowns, and rushed for 237 yards and seven touchdowns. He threw nine interceptions and was sacked 22 times. Against Ohio, he caught a pass for a 22-yard touchdown. His completion rate of 66.8% was the second-highest in Bowling Green history. Sheehan twice received MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Against Wyoming, he threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns, and against Akron, he threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns. Sheehan said that he had adjusted to running the spread offense compared with the previous season. He said, "I don't feel like every mistake I make could cost me my job and things like that. I'm just back there having fun. As practice goes on it keeps getting easier and easier." In 2009, Sheehan set numerous school records in helping Bowling Green advance to its first bowl game since the 2007 season. His 4,051 yards, 375 completions, and 575 attempts all broke university marks. During a 36-35 win against Kent State, Sheehan passed for a school-record 505 yards, including the game-winning score with five seconds left. After the season, he was named Third Team All-MAC and the team's co-Most Valuable Player, along with receiver Freddie Barnes.
He played for the Cincinnati Commandos of the CIFL from 2011 to 2012. In his first game, he was named starting quarterback, and was 11 of 20 for 135 yards and two touchdowns, in only one half of play before giving way in the 2nd half to quarterback Ben Mauk. On March 19, 2011, Sheehan threw for a Commandos record 8 touchdown passes against the Indianapolis Enforcers; Passing the mark of 7, set my Mauk, twice, in 2010. Sheehan went on to lead the Commandos to a 10-0 regular season record, earning himself the MVP of the regular season and Offensive Player of the Year, throwing 37 touchdowns, and running in another 7 more. Sheehan continued his dominance in the playoffs, by winning both games, clinching a 2nd consecutive CIFL Championship for the Commandos. Sheehan went on to win the CIFL Championship Game MVP award by throwing for 3 touchdowns and running in another, during the Commandos 44-29 victory.
Arizona Rattlers
On July 13, 2011, it was announced that Sheehan had reached an agreement to join the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League.
