Ryan Tucker
Encyclopedia
Ryan Tucker is a retired offensive tackle who played for the Cleveland Browns
in the National Football League
. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams
in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Texas Christian
.
Tucker is the older brother of former NFL offensive lineman Rex Tucker
and Kyle Tucker.
for Texas Christian University
. He was twice awarded All-SWC honors for the 1995 and 1996 seasons. In March 1998, Tucker pleaded no contest to aggravated assault in connection with his role in the beating of TCU student Bryan Boyd on May 11, 1996, and was given a 180 day suspended sentence, placed on probation for five years and fined $5,000.00. As a result of the attack, Boyd suffered paralysis, memory loss and permanent brain damage.
in the fourth round (121st overall) in the 1997 NFL Draft
. In his rookie season he played in seven games and made his NFL debut at the Green Bay Packers
on November 2. The 1998 season was masked by a neck injury that made him inactive for nine games. In 1999 he played in all 16 regular season games and three post season games including Super Bowl XXXIV
. He scored his first NFL touchdown at the Detroit Lions
on November 7. In 2000 he started in all 16 games for the first time in his career. He helped the Rams offense to 7,075 total yards for the season which is an NFL record. The 2001 season saw him play in 16 games with 15 starts, he was again part of a rampant offense and he also played in Super Bowl XXXVI
.
on August 31, 2009. On March 6, 2010, Tucker was suspended for the first eight games of the regular season. The news broke a day after he announced his retirement.
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft
1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Texas Christian
TCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
.
Tucker is the older brother of former NFL offensive lineman Rex Tucker
Rex Tucker (American football)
Rex T. Tucker is a former professional American football offensive guard. He was selected 66th overall in the 1999 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears for whom he played six seasons . He also played a season with the St...
and Kyle Tucker.
Early years
Tucker attended Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas.College career
Tucker played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
. He was twice awarded All-SWC honors for the 1995 and 1996 seasons. In March 1998, Tucker pleaded no contest to aggravated assault in connection with his role in the beating of TCU student Bryan Boyd on May 11, 1996, and was given a 180 day suspended sentence, placed on probation for five years and fined $5,000.00. As a result of the attack, Boyd suffered paralysis, memory loss and permanent brain damage.
St. Louis Rams
He was selected by the St. Louis RamsSt. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
in the fourth round (121st overall) in the 1997 NFL Draft
1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...
. In his rookie season he played in seven games and made his NFL debut at the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
on November 2. The 1998 season was masked by a neck injury that made him inactive for nine games. In 1999 he played in all 16 regular season games and three post season games including Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV featured the National Football Conference champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference champion Tennessee Titans in an American football game to decide the National Football League champion for the 1999 regular season...
. He scored his first NFL touchdown at the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
on November 7. In 2000 he started in all 16 games for the first time in his career. He helped the Rams offense to 7,075 total yards for the season which is an NFL record. The 2001 season saw him play in 16 games with 15 starts, he was again part of a rampant offense and he also played in Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
.
Cleveland Browns
Tucker signed with the Browns as an unrestricted free agent on March 7, 2002. In his first season with the Browns he started 14 games. In his second season with the Browns, Tucker started in all 16 games and was the only offensive player to take part in every snap. He started in seven games in the 2004 season but a knee injury forced him to miss the remainder of the campaign. In 2005, Tucker again started in all 16 games. In 2006 he started 9 games before being placed on the non-football injury reserve list. On August 3, 2007, it was announced that Tucker tested positive for a banned substance. He was suspended for the first four games of the regular season. Upon his reinstatement, he started 8 of the team's final 12 games at the right guard position. The Browns placed Tucker on injured reserveInjured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
on August 31, 2009. On March 6, 2010, Tucker was suspended for the first eight games of the regular season. The news broke a day after he announced his retirement.