Tucker makes most of a bad break
Ex-player now coaches new talent
REGINA — Jason Tucker doesn’t have any regrets.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ receivers coach isn’t bitter that his CFL playing career with the Edmonton Eskimos ended prematurely after he suffered a broken neck. Tucker broke the C6-C7 vertebra after a helmet-to-helmet collision with Jykine Bradley of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on July 26, 2008 at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Fortunately, Tucker’s spinal cord wasn’t damaged.
“It’s just the nature of the business,’’ Tucker said before Sunday’s 17-1 win over the Eskimos at Mosaic Stadium. “Accidents happen all of the time and I’m in a different spot in my career. You have to move forward because life moves on. Now I’m working at making everyone else better.’’
Tucker was among the league’s elite receivers before that fateful hit in Hamilton. In seven seasons with the Eskimos, Tucker shared in Grey Cup victories in 2003 and 2005. He was named the most valuable player in the 2003 Grey Cup game, played on Taylor Field, after recording seven receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Tucker was a four-time CFL all-star and earned the respect of players around the CFL.
“I watched a lot of him and I don’t think there was anyone who ran a better corner route than Jason,’’ said Roughriders slotback Chris Getzlaf. “It was a real shock when that happened to him. Now that he has recovered, it just turns into an uplifting story. The fact he’s coaching us and making us better football players makes it even more uplifting.’’
Tucker suffered the collision after a two-yard reception. The ball fell down the ground, but he quickly recovered it. Tucker was then carried off the field on a backboard and underwent a four-hour surgery to fuse his spinal column. Four days later, he walked out of the hospital.
“I really didn’t know what to expect,’’ said Tucker, who was 32 when he was forced into retirement. “I was just glad that I was able to walk. I wanted to be healthy enough to play with the kids and that kind of thing.’’
Tucker and his wife, Giesla, have four daughters — Jaelyn, Kendhal, London and Micah. He also operates a 1,300-acre ranch in Burleson, Texas, during the off-season, which also increased the importance of his mobility.
“The doctors told me that most people in those cases end up paralyzed,’’ said Tucker, a 36-year-old native of San Francisco. “The fact I was fit and a professional athlete helped me out.’’
Tucker was Edmonton’s receivers coach in 2009 and 2010. Corey Chamblin, the Riders’ first-year head coach, added Tucker to his coaching staff during the off-season. Chamblin saw the replays of the hit that led to Tucker’s broken neck and has been impressed with how he has rebounded.
“It shows me that he’s a fighter,’’ Chamblin said. “He’s not a yeller and screamer like me and I know he’s tough. That’s what I wanted in a coaching staff.
“He has a very calm demeanour and I tell him that’s good because I don’t have one. He’s doing a good job with the young guys because he’s really well prepared and he’s a good talker.’’
Getzlaf feels that Tucker’s recent playing experience increases his credibility as a coach.
“He’s fresh out of the game so he has a lot of tips that really apply to today’s game,’’ Getzlaf said. “Sometimes you get older coaches who rely on things that might have worked at that time. The game has changed a lot so anytime you get a younger coach like Jason who has been as successful as he was, it really helps.’’
Tucker maintained a positive attitude while dealing with the ramifications of a broken neck. He pondered a return as a player, but the seriousness of the injury ended that dream. The many accomplishments in Tucker’s career helped him move on to another stage of his life.
“I didn’t have anything left to prove,’’ said Tucker, who had 388 receptions for 7,046 yards (fourth on Edmonton’s all-time list) and 59 touchdowns. “I won championships. I also had records that someone else was going to come along and break them anyway. So it was no biggie for me.’’