Ross Tucker


Ross Finch Tucker 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. 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.

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.
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.

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

National Football League

Tucker played in 42 games in his 7-year NFL career, starting 28.
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. The next year, he started 7 games at right guard. He was waived on October 22, 2002.
Claimed off waivers on October 23, 2002. He started at left guard during the last 7 games of the season in place of an injured Larry Allen. On June 5, 2003, he was released after minicamp.
Claimed off waivers on June 16, 2003, and appeared in 12 games, with 5 starts at right guard. In 2004, he started 9 games at left guard and 4 at center. After missing minicamps because of offseason back surgery and being limited with injuries, he was cut on September 3, 2005.
Signed on December 13, 2005. He played in one game and was declared inactive in 3 contests. On August 8, 2006, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a conditional 2007 draft choice.
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.
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. He officially announced his retirement in March 2008.
In 2003, he was named to the USA Today All-Joe team.

Sports journalism

Tucker joined Sports Illustrated in 2008, writing on the NFL for SI's website. 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. In July 2013, Tucker was named the lead NFL columnist for The Sporting News. Tucker has also written NFL columns for Sports on Earth, and has occasionally filled-in for hosting duties on The Dan Patrick Show. Currently, Tucker serves as a commentator for NFL games on Westwood One and is the Philadelphia Eagles preseason game television analyst. He also calls college games on CBS Sports Network. 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.