Ross Finch Tucker (born March 2, 1979) is an American former professional 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 works for CBS Sports,[1] the Philadelphia Eagles,[2] Westwood One,[3] Audacy,[4] and hosts the Ross Tucker Football Podcast on the DraftKings Network.
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| Position: | Guard / Center | ||||||||
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| Born: | March 2, 1979 Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Wyomissing Area (Wyomissing, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||
| College: | Princeton | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2001 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Early life
editTucker 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.[5]
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.[5]
College career
editTucker attended 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.[6]
As a sophomore, he moved to right guard.[7] He was named All-Ivy in 2000 and was a two-time Academic All-American selection.[8] In 2019, he was named to the university's 150th Anniversary team.
Professional career
editTucker played in 42 games in his 7-year NFL career, starting 28.
Washington Redskins
editTucker 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.[9] The next year, he started 7 games at right guard. He was waived on October 22, 2002.
Dallas Cowboys
editThe Dallas Cowboys claimed Tucker off waivers on October 23, 2002.[10] He started at left guard during the last 7 games of the season in place of an injured Larry Allen.[11] On June 5, 2003, he was released after minicamp.[12]
Buffalo Bills
editTucker was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills on June 16, 2003, and appeared in 12 games, with five starts at right guard.[13] In 2004, he started nine games at left guard and four at center.[14] In 2003, he was named to the USA Today All-Joe team.[15] After missing minicamps because of offseason back surgery and being limited with injuries, he was cut on September 3, 2005.
New England Patriots
editTucker signed with the New England Patriots on December 13, 2005. He played in one game and was declared inactive in three contests.
Cleveland Browns
editOn August 8, 2006, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a conditional 2007 draft choice (not exercised).[16] 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.[17]
Redskins and retirement
editFor 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.[18]
He officially announced his retirement in March 2008.
Sports journalism
editTucker joined Sports Illustrated upon his retirement from football in 2008, writing an NFL column. Tucker also has previously written for The Athletic and now writes regularly for The 33rd Team. He hosted The Morning Kickoff with Ross Tucker on Sirius XM NFL Radio for over a decade and is a frequent fill-in host on The Dan Patrick Show.[19]
As of 2018 Tucker serves as an analyst for both NFL and College Football games on CBS and Westwood One.[20] Tucker is an NFL insider for Audacy, a contributor to 94.1 WIP in Philadelphia and is the Philadelphia Eagles preseason television analyst. He also hosts podcasts as part of the Ross Tucker Football Podcast network distributed via DraftKings.[21]
References
edit- ^ "Ross Tucker: 'Surreal to Wear CBS Blazer, Really Looking Forward to It'". CBS News. September 20, 2018.
- ^ "'It's a dream come true' for Ross Tucker".
- ^ "Ross Tucker".
- ^ "Ross Tucker | Former NFL Offensive Lineman & Host of the Ross Tucker Podcast".
- ^ a b "Honorary President – Ross Tucker". Colchester Gladiators. May 27, 2016. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Tigers Open Princeton Stadium with Win". Princeton Tigers. August 16, 1999. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "1999 Football Outlook". Princeton Tigers. September 15, 1999. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Cheatham, Norman Named First-team All-Ivy". Princeton Tigers. November 21, 2000. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Tucker Guardedly Optimistic". Reading Eagle. September 7, 2002. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Tucker Finds Another Job With Cowboys". Reading Eagle. October 24, 2002. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Ross Tucker Stays Realistic In Dream World". Reading Eagle. March 12, 2003. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Ross Tucker Surprised By Release From Dallas". Reading Eagle. June 2, 2003. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Tucker Gets Fresh Start in Buffalo". Reading Eagle. June 17, 2003. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Tucker Playing Waiting Game". Reading Eagle. September 5, 2005. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Ross Tucker Earns Spot On All-Joe Team". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Tucker Traded To Browns". Reading Eagle. August 9, 2006. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Tucker 'shocked after Browns let him go". Reading Eagle. September 3, 2006. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Tucker on IR". Reading Eagle. August 29, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Ross Tucker - Host". SiriusXM.
- ^ "Ross Tucker Westwood One SportsWestwood One Sports". westwoodonesports.com.
- ^ "DraftKings and Meadowlark Boost Content Portfolio with the Debut of Four New Shows".
