Ross Tucker

Ross Finch Tucker (born March 2, 1979) is a former American football offensive lineman and current sports broadcaster. Tucker was an All-Ivy League offensive lineman at Princeton University, then played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Tucker retired as a player after suffering a neck injury during the 2007 season. He has worked for NBC Sports Network, Westwood One, Sirius XM NFL Radio and the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network. He currently hosts the Ross Tucker Football Podcast distributed through PodcastOne.

Ross Tucker
Tucker in 2016
No. 65, 68, 69
Position:Guard / Center
Personal information
Born: (1979-03-02) March 2, 1979
Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:316 lb (143 kg)
Career information
High school:Wyomissing Area
(Wyomissing, Pennsylvania)
College:Princeton
Undrafted:2001
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:42
Games started:28
Fumble recoveries:1
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early years

Tucker attended Wyomissing Area High School, where he earned three varsity letters each in football and basketball. He was All-league at both offensive tackle and defensive end while earning All-county honors at offensive tackle.[1]

As a senior basketball player, he averaged 16.1 points and 9.8 rebounds while making 24 three-pointers. He also received the school's US Army Reserve Scholar-Athlete award.[1]

College career

Tucker accepted a scholarship from Princeton University. He was a four-year starter on the Tigers Ivy League football squad. He started against Colgate University as a freshman at defensive end.[2]

As a sophomore, he moved to right guard.[3] He was named All-Ivy in 2000 and was a two-time Academic All-American selection.[4] In 2019, he was named to the University's 150th Anniversary team.

Professional career

Tucker played in 42 games in his 7-year NFL career, starting 28.

Washington Redskins
See also: 2001 Washington Redskins season

Tucker signed with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent after the 2001 NFL Draft. He surprised observers by making the team, even though he suffered a broken hand and a partially torn MCL.[5] The next year, he started 7 games at right guard. He was waived on October 22, 2002.

Dallas Cowboys
See also: 2002 Dallas Cowboys season

The Dallas Cowboys claimed Tucker off waivers on October 23, 2002.[6] He started at left guard during the last 7 games of the season in place of an injured Larry Allen.[7] On June 5, 2003, he was released after minicamp.[8]

Buffalo Bills
See also: 2003 Buffalo Bills season

Tucker was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills on June 16, 2003, and appeared in 12 games, with five starts at right guard.[9] In 2004, he started nine games at left guard and four at center.[10] After missing minicamps because of offseason back surgery and being limited with injuries, he was cut on September 3, 2005.

New England Patriots
See also: 2005 New England Patriots season

Tucker signed with the New England Patriots on December 13, 2005. He played in one game and was declared inactive in three contests.

Cleveland Browns

On August 8, 2006, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a conditional 2007 draft choice (not exercised).[11] On August 8, 2006, after LeCharles Bentley tore his patella tendon, Tucker was acquired from the Patriots for a conditional 7th round draft pick. He was released on September 2 after starting the final three preseason games.[12]

Redskins and retirement
See also: 2007 Washington Redskins season

For the second time on March 8, 2007, Tucker signed with the Redskins again as a free agent. He suffered a career-ending neck injury that bruised his spinal cord during the preseason. On August 28, he was placed on the injured reserve list.[13]

He officially announced his retirement in March 2008. In 2003, he was named to the USA Today All-Joe team.[14]

Sports journalism

Tucker joined Sports Illustrated in 2008, writing on the NFL for SI's website.[15] Starting with the beginning of the 2010 NFL season, Tucker became the host of The Morning Kickoff with Ross Tucker on Sirius XM NFL Radio.[16] In July 2013, Tucker was named the lead NFL columnist for The Sporting News.[17][18] Tucker has also written NFL columns for Sports on Earth,[19] and has occasionally filled-in for hosting duties on The Dan Patrick Show.[20] Currently, Tucker serves as a commentator for NFL games on Westwood One[21] and is the Philadelphia Eagles preseason game television analyst. He also calls college games on CBS Sports Network.[22] Tucker currently writes an NFL column for the Athletic and is an NFL insider for Radio.com Sports. He also hosts many podcasts on his network including the Ross Tucker Football Podcast.[23]

References
  1. "Honorary President – Ross Tucker". Colchester Gladiators. May 27, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  2. "Tigers Open Princeton Stadium with Win". Princeton Tigers. August 16, 1999. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  3. "1999 Football Outlook". Princeton Tigers. September 15, 1999. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  4. "Cheatham, Norman Named First-team All-Ivy". Princeton Tigers. November 21, 2000. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  5. "Tucker Guardedly Optimistic". Reading Eagle. September 7, 2002. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  6. "Tucker Finds Another Job With Cowboys". Reading Eagle. October 24, 2002. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  7. "Ross Tucker Stays Realistic In Dream World". Reading Eagle. March 12, 2003. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  8. "Ross Tucker Surprised By Release From Dallas". Reading Eagle. June 2, 2003. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  9. "Tucker Gets Fresh Start in Buffalo". Reading Eagle. June 17, 2003. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  10. "Tucker Playing Waiting Game". Reading Eagle. September 5, 2005. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  11. "Tucker Traded To Browns". Reading Eagle. August 9, 2006. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  12. "Tucker 'shocked after Browns let him go". Reading Eagle. September 3, 2006. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  13. "Tucker on IR". Reading Eagle. August 29, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  14. "Ross Tucker Earns Spot On All-Joe Team". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  15. "Ross Tucker". SI.com.
  16. "Ross Tucker - Host". SiriusXM.
  17. Sporting News Media (July 16, 2013). "Sporting News Media Hires NFL Host, Analyst and Former NFL Player Ross Tucker as its Lead Pro Football Columnist and Video Analyst". PR Newswire (Press release). PR Newswire Association LLC / Cision.
  18. "Secret to NFL success: Chuck the numbers, sweat the small stuff". Sporting News. July 16, 2013.
  19. "Ross Tucker, Writer". www.sportsonearth.com.
  20. "Ross Tucker Archives - DanPatrick.com". www.danpatrick.com.
  21. "Ross Tucker Westwood One SportsWestwood One Sports". westwoodonesports.com.
  22. "Ross Tucker signs multi-year deal to continue Eagles preseason broadcasts". Reading Eagle. March 3, 2020.
  23. Tucker, Ross (January 25, 2018). "Ross Tucker Football Podcast". PodcastOne.com (Podcast). Event occurs at 00:05. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
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