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Wyomissing native Ross Tucker has built a prominent career in sports media since retiring from the NFL in 2007 after a seven-year run in the league.
Coming from a small town in Berks County to earning All-Ivy League honors as an offensive lineman, and then going undrafted but still carving out a successful NFL career, Tucker’s journey is nothing short of remarkable.
On Thursday, June 19, Tucker and fellow Wyomissing native and Steelers rookie Max Hurleman were honored before the Reading Fightin Phils game, throwing out the first pitch as part of the Wyomissing Night festivities.
Tucker was a two-sport athlete for the Spartans, excelling in football and basketball, and earned All-League honors as an offensive tackle and defensive end.
A part of the Wyomissing class of 1997, Tucker is still in tune with not only Wyomissing football but high school football in general.
“When you’re a broadcaster like me, you can’t really be a fan anymore of the levels that you’re broadcasting. So for me, that’s college and the NFL,” Tucker said on Thursday. “By far the thing I follow the most, I’m the biggest fan of Wyomissing High School football. So if I’m in a hotel room on a Friday night, like I was watching Max (Hurleman). It was awesome to see what those guys were able to do, winning the district championship in 2019.”
After graduating from Wyomissing, Tucker played at Princeton, where he was a four-year starter. He began his college career at defensive end before switching to right guard, earning All-Ivy League honors in 2000.
Like Hurleman, who went undrafted this past spring but earned a spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster through a rookie minicamp tryout, Tucker also went undrafted in 2001.
However, the way Tucker found out he made the Washington Redskins roster was a bit more stressful rather than hearing it from the team’s general manager.
“One thing I remember is when I made the Redskins as a rookie. Nobody calls you to tell you that you made the team. They only call you to tell you if you’re cut. So (head coach) Marty Schottenheimer said we had to be in the hotel from 9 a.m. to noon. Around 11, my phone rings, I answer it on my hotel room phone, and they were looking for another guy. I said, ‘Do you have anything to say to me?’ ”
Tucker was then told the call was actually meant for another player who was being released. After a stressful couple of hours, he was informed he had made the final roster.
That moment marked the beginning of Tucker’s seven-year journey in the NFL, during which he played for the Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and Cleveland Browns.
Tucker, who has known Hurleman for some time, has served as a mentor of sorts, as their early career paths share a similar beginning.
“Incredibly proud,” Tucker said of Hurleman. “Not that he’s my son, but I could just sit here and watch him answer questions from you guys (reporters) the whole time. I’m just here thinking how cool it is that he’s catching passes from Aaron Rodgers, and Aaron Rodgers is giving him pointers like that is just bananas.”
The Steelers were the only team to invite Hurleman to their rookie minicamp tryout, held May 9-11, giving him a shot to earn a spot on their 90-man roster ahead of training camp.
Over those three days, Hurleman impressed the entire coaching staff and front office with his versatility, showcasing his ability to contribute from multiple positions.
“I’m thrilled he’s getting this opportunity,” Tucker said. “He’s done everything the right way. I think I can speak to this, it’s really hard, especially from the FCS level, to even get a chance in the NFL. It’s unbelievably impressive and difficult to go from being a tryout player to getting signed, and with everything he’s done so far, it seems like he’s in a really good position to make some money playing pro football, which is awesome. Can’t wait to watch the preseason games and kind of living vicariously through him, again.”
During his playing days, Tucker appeared in 42 games, starting 24 of them, before his NFL career came to an end in 2007 due to a neck injury suffered during his second stint with the Redskins. The following March, he officially hung up his helmet and shoulder pads.
Though it was a somber way to end a football career he had loved since childhood, Tucker soon found a new passion: sports media.
Tucker has experience across every facet of the sports media world, from column writing and broadcasting to serving as an NFL insider, television analyst, and podcast host. If it involves sports media, he’s done it.
Even with as busy as he is during the NFL season, Tucker doesn’t view what he does as a job.
“I love it, but like any other job, there are pros and cons, and the cons are the travel,” he said. “But anytime I’m gonna about to complain even a little bit, I just think, like your eighth grade self would kick your butt right now. I’ve never called it my job. I’ve never said I have to go to work, like I always say I have to do a show, or I have to do a game. To me, it would be like insulting people to say that what I do is work or a job. I’m 46 years old. I haven’t had to get a real job yet. I’m not planning on getting one. It’s pretty cool.”
Tucker was an Emmy-nominated broadcaster for the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2019 preseason games, working as on-air talent for Eagles Entertainment.
He also appears regularly on the radio as an NFL insider for 94.1 WIP in Philadelphia, along with hosting his own podcast, the Ross Tucker Football Podcast.
“Very different off-season than in-season,” he said. “The way I describe it to people is that once the first Eagles preseason game is on Thursday night, Aug. 7, I will be away from my family every weekend through the Super Bowl in some way, shape, or form. I’ll call over 30 games on television and radio.”
Fortunately for Tucker, the NFL offseason gives him a chance to recharge and spend quality time with his loved ones.
“This time of year, for me, I’m just doing all the podcast stuff, and then I get a chance to enjoy my family more at night, on the weekends.”
Mark Twain’s quote, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” perfectly describes Tucker’s situation today.
The former Spartan also stays busy running several small businesses, including Go Big Recruiting, a website that helps high school student-athletes get recruited by colleges.
Ross Tucker has found his calling in life and approaches it with as much enthusiasm as anyone in the sports industry.
Continue reading...
Coming from a small town in Berks County to earning All-Ivy League honors as an offensive lineman, and then going undrafted but still carving out a successful NFL career, Tucker’s journey is nothing short of remarkable.
On Thursday, June 19, Tucker and fellow Wyomissing native and Steelers rookie Max Hurleman were honored before the Reading Fightin Phils game, throwing out the first pitch as part of the Wyomissing Night festivities.
Tucker was a two-sport athlete for the Spartans, excelling in football and basketball, and earned All-League honors as an offensive tackle and defensive end.
A part of the Wyomissing class of 1997, Tucker is still in tune with not only Wyomissing football but high school football in general.
“When you’re a broadcaster like me, you can’t really be a fan anymore of the levels that you’re broadcasting. So for me, that’s college and the NFL,” Tucker said on Thursday. “By far the thing I follow the most, I’m the biggest fan of Wyomissing High School football. So if I’m in a hotel room on a Friday night, like I was watching Max (Hurleman). It was awesome to see what those guys were able to do, winning the district championship in 2019.”
After graduating from Wyomissing, Tucker played at Princeton, where he was a four-year starter. He began his college career at defensive end before switching to right guard, earning All-Ivy League honors in 2000.
Like Hurleman, who went undrafted this past spring but earned a spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster through a rookie minicamp tryout, Tucker also went undrafted in 2001.
However, the way Tucker found out he made the Washington Redskins roster was a bit more stressful rather than hearing it from the team’s general manager.
“One thing I remember is when I made the Redskins as a rookie. Nobody calls you to tell you that you made the team. They only call you to tell you if you’re cut. So (head coach) Marty Schottenheimer said we had to be in the hotel from 9 a.m. to noon. Around 11, my phone rings, I answer it on my hotel room phone, and they were looking for another guy. I said, ‘Do you have anything to say to me?’ ”
Tucker was then told the call was actually meant for another player who was being released. After a stressful couple of hours, he was informed he had made the final roster.
That moment marked the beginning of Tucker’s seven-year journey in the NFL, during which he played for the Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and Cleveland Browns.
Tucker, who has known Hurleman for some time, has served as a mentor of sorts, as their early career paths share a similar beginning.
“Incredibly proud,” Tucker said of Hurleman. “Not that he’s my son, but I could just sit here and watch him answer questions from you guys (reporters) the whole time. I’m just here thinking how cool it is that he’s catching passes from Aaron Rodgers, and Aaron Rodgers is giving him pointers like that is just bananas.”
The Steelers were the only team to invite Hurleman to their rookie minicamp tryout, held May 9-11, giving him a shot to earn a spot on their 90-man roster ahead of training camp.
Over those three days, Hurleman impressed the entire coaching staff and front office with his versatility, showcasing his ability to contribute from multiple positions.
“I’m thrilled he’s getting this opportunity,” Tucker said. “He’s done everything the right way. I think I can speak to this, it’s really hard, especially from the FCS level, to even get a chance in the NFL. It’s unbelievably impressive and difficult to go from being a tryout player to getting signed, and with everything he’s done so far, it seems like he’s in a really good position to make some money playing pro football, which is awesome. Can’t wait to watch the preseason games and kind of living vicariously through him, again.”
During his playing days, Tucker appeared in 42 games, starting 24 of them, before his NFL career came to an end in 2007 due to a neck injury suffered during his second stint with the Redskins. The following March, he officially hung up his helmet and shoulder pads.
Though it was a somber way to end a football career he had loved since childhood, Tucker soon found a new passion: sports media.
Tucker has experience across every facet of the sports media world, from column writing and broadcasting to serving as an NFL insider, television analyst, and podcast host. If it involves sports media, he’s done it.
Even with as busy as he is during the NFL season, Tucker doesn’t view what he does as a job.
“I love it, but like any other job, there are pros and cons, and the cons are the travel,” he said. “But anytime I’m gonna about to complain even a little bit, I just think, like your eighth grade self would kick your butt right now. I’ve never called it my job. I’ve never said I have to go to work, like I always say I have to do a show, or I have to do a game. To me, it would be like insulting people to say that what I do is work or a job. I’m 46 years old. I haven’t had to get a real job yet. I’m not planning on getting one. It’s pretty cool.”
Tucker was an Emmy-nominated broadcaster for the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2019 preseason games, working as on-air talent for Eagles Entertainment.
He also appears regularly on the radio as an NFL insider for 94.1 WIP in Philadelphia, along with hosting his own podcast, the Ross Tucker Football Podcast.
“Very different off-season than in-season,” he said. “The way I describe it to people is that once the first Eagles preseason game is on Thursday night, Aug. 7, I will be away from my family every weekend through the Super Bowl in some way, shape, or form. I’ll call over 30 games on television and radio.”
Fortunately for Tucker, the NFL offseason gives him a chance to recharge and spend quality time with his loved ones.
“This time of year, for me, I’m just doing all the podcast stuff, and then I get a chance to enjoy my family more at night, on the weekends.”
Mark Twain’s quote, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” perfectly describes Tucker’s situation today.
The former Spartan also stays busy running several small businesses, including Go Big Recruiting, a website that helps high school student-athletes get recruited by colleges.
Ross Tucker has found his calling in life and approaches it with as much enthusiasm as anyone in the sports industry.
Continue reading...
