Jason Tucker (born June 24, 1976) is the wide receivers coach for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is formerly a gridiron football wide receiver where he played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL and the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. He played college football at Texas Christian University.
High school career
Tucker attended Robinson High School, where he practiced football, basketball and track. He played on the freshman football team but made the varsity basketball and track team as a freshman.
In football, he was a two-way player as a wide receiver and defensive back. As a senior in 1993, he scored 2 touchdowns in the span of 30 seconds against the Troy Trojans. He was a two-time All-state selection, finishing with 81 receptions for 1,771 yards and 25 touchdowns.
In track, his best event was the long jump, in which he was a state finalist his junior and senior years. He competed in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the state finals in his senior year.
College career
Tucker accepted a football scholarship from Texas Christian University. As a freshman, he was a backup wide receiver, tallying 8 receptions for 72 yards. As a sophomore, he was named a starter and played in 9 games, ranking second on the team with 31 receptions for 433 yards and one touchdown.
As a junior, he registered 39 receptions (tied for second on the team), 692 yards (led the team), a 17.7-yard average and 4 receiving touchdowns (led the team).
Better stats were expected for his senior year; however, he did not play after being suspended for unspecified off-field violations. He finished his college career with 78 receptions for 1,197 yards, a 15.3-yard average, and 5 touchdowns.
Professional career
Cincinnati Bengals
Tucker was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round (167th overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft. Despite missing the entire 1997 college season, Tucker continued to train on his own, as evidenced by his clocking a 4.48 second, 40 yard dash, and finishing in the top five in agility drills at the NFL Combine.
He played in the preseason opener against the New York Giants, catching one pass for six yards. After pulling his left hamstring in training camp, and reaching an injury settlement, he was placed on waivers on August 19.
Green Bay Packers
On October 28, 1998, he was signed to the Green Bay Packers' practice squad. He was released on December 16.
Dallas Cowboys
On January 7, 1999, he was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Cowboys. He was allocated to the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe, where he ranked second on the team behind Dialleo Burks, with 26 receptions for 454 yards and 3 touchdowns. He returned to the Cowboys and made the roster as the team's sixth wide receiver, one more than the usual number.
His first catch was a six-yarder, in week five against the Philadelphia Eagles, after Michael Irvin suffered his career-ending injury. By November he had moved up to third-string, after Wane McGarity suffered a dislocated shoulder. On December 5 against the New England Patriots, he was named a starter to replace Ernie Mills who had pulled a muscle while warming up.
Mills was supposed to return for the December 21st game against New Orleans Saints, but instead, Tucker got his fourth straight start and had his best game, becoming part of Cowboys lore. Playing at both wide receiver and kickoff returner, he produced one of the standout performances in team history, with a franchise record 331 combined net yards. His 203 kickoff return yards (six kicks for 22, 32, 34, 50, 35 and 30 yards) also set a franchise record, even though he had an apparent 97-yard return for a touchdown called back for a holding penalty. He also added 128 receiving yards and a touchdown on 7 catches.
The next week against the New York Giants, the Cowboys clinched a playoff spot behind 122 receiving yards from Tucker, including a 90-yard touchdown, a 79-yard opening kickoff return (plus a facemask penalty) and his 205 kickoff return yards (which broke his franchise record). His production earned him the NFC special teams player of the month for December.
He finished the season with 23 receptions for 439 yards, 2 touchdowns, 10 special teams tackles (tied for sixth on the team) and a 27.9-yard kickoff average, which ranked second in the NFL and fifth in team history.