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 (Photo courtesy of Princeton's Office of Athletic Communications) caption:
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Tucker's Fire on the Field Has Princeton Grad Headed to a Fourth Campaign in Pro Football
By Bill Alden
Ross Tucker's motor was always running during his Princeton University football career, no matter what the situation.
In fact, one of Tucker's most vivid memories of his time with the Tigers centers around the effort the star offensive lineman put forth as Princeton got mauled by Colgate in his senior year.
"I was so frustrated and mad," said Tucker, a 2001 Princeton graduate, recalling the Tigers' 34-6 loss that day. "I've never played harder. I picked up pancakes all over the field in the fourth quarter."
Tucker's propensity to deliver "pancakes," blocks in which an opponent is knocked off his feet and flattened into the turf, helped the Wyomissing, Pa. native earn second-team All-Ivy honors and then catch on with the Washington Redskins in 2001.
This fall, Tucker is again utilizing his trademark intensity as he starts his second season with the Buffalo Bills, looking to not only cement his spot on the team but to break into the starting lineup at left guard or center.
"It is vital to be mentally tough and go hard every play," said the 6'4, 316-pound Tucker, who is currently listed at second on the Bills' depth chart at center. "The coaches are analyzing every play. I do things from effort and hustle. I don't make mental mistakes."
Tucker's acuity on the field has given him the versatility to play just about anywhere on the offensive line. "Being able to play more positions has been a big help," said Tucker, who has seen time at guard and center with the Bills during the preseason this summer.
"It's a huge advantage if you're going to stay in the league. I take pride in my ability to play other positions.²
Tucker credits his Princeton football experience with helping him gain the mental toughness necessary to succeed in the NFL.
"Football was a huge priority in college, it was a huge part of our lives," said Tucker, who has remained close to his former Princeton teammates and coaches.
"We spent a great deal of time on football. I spent two summers at Princeton and I ran up every step of that stadium in the heat to beat Harvard and Yale. Coach [Stan] Clayton focused on getting us to play to the whistle and pound our opponents."
When Tucker arrived at Princeton, though, playing in the NFL was the farthest thing from his mind. "I went to Princeton mainly for the academics," said Tucker, a politics major in college. "I was 255-260 pounds as a freshman and I played on the defensive line. The NFL wasn't a thought when I came to Princeton."
But a switch to the offensive line and a growth spurt soon had Tucker headed to the next level. "I kept growing,² said Tucker, who was shifted to guard as a sophomore. "I got to be 6'4 and 290 pounds. Then I saw guys in the Ivy League like Matt Birk [of Harvard] going to the NFL and I thought I'd like to take a shot. In my junior year, I started getting calls from agents so I knew it was realistic."
Despite Tucker¹s emergence onto the pro football radar screen, he wasn't chosen in the 2001 NFL draft.
Undaunted, Tucker signed with the Washington Redskins as a free agent and quickly caught the eye of head coach Marty Schottenheimer.
"Coach Schottenheimer treated everybody equally, the free agents were treated the same as the veterans," recalled Tucker, who made the team and got into three games that season.
"I was happy to get that opportunity. In other camps, I've seen free agents get ignored. I was thankful to get that shot. It's my dream job, it's terrific to get to play football for a living."
After Schottenheimer was fired, Tucker's days as a Redskin were numbered and he was released by Steve Spurrier.
Tucker then caught on with the Dallas Cowboys in 2002 where he played 10 games, starting in seven. But after Bill Parcells was brought in to lead the Cowboys, Tucker was sent packing again.
He landed on his feet in Buffalo where got into 12 games last season, starting in five of them. The Bills brought in a new head coach Mike Mularkey for 2004 but Tucker survived that regime change.
Currently, Tucker is working hard to impress his new line coach, Jim McNally. "Going into the fourth year, you feel like you know everything," said Tucker, who has utilized his Princeton degree in the off-season working for Merrill Lynch in Buffalo and with Roger Staubach's commercial real estate company in Dallas during his days with the Cowboys.
"Coach McNally has taught me new techniques. He has taught me some different footwork in the running game and different ways to use my hands on pass blocking."
But Tucker will tell you it's his fire on the field, not his mastery of technique, that has led him to survive in the NFL.
"I've always had a mean streak on the field," said Tucker, who said he plans to play in the NFL as long as somebody will let him on their team. "I was like that in high school. I don't understand any lineman who doesn't play that way."
With that no-nonsense attitude, it is no wonder that Tucker has played his way to the top of the football ladder.
