Justin Tuck

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Justin Tuck

Justin Tuck at the New York Giants Super Bowl championship rally at Giants Stadium
New York Giants — No. 91
Defensive end
Date of birth: March 29, 1983 (1983-03-29) (age 25)
Place of birth: Coosa County, Alabama
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Weight: 274 lb (124 kg)
National Football League debut
2005 for the New York Giants
Career history
College: Notre Dame
NFL Draft: 2005 / Round: 3 / Pick: 74
 Teams:
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NFL.com

Justin Lee Tuck was born on March 29, 1983[1] in Coosa County, Alabama[2] to Jimmy Lee and Elaine Tuck[3] and is married to Lauran Williamson of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

A former standout defensive end for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Tuck currently plays in the National Football League for the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants. His cousin Adalius Thomas also plays professional football for the New England Patriots.[2][3][4] On January 17, 2008 Tuck was rewarded with a contract extension with the Giants.[2][5][6]

In his personal life, Justin has engaged in various philanthropic causes. Tuck and Giants teammate Michael Strahan teamed up with Nike to design their own exclusive pair of sneakers for ID studio in New York City. All proceeds of the sneakers were donated to Nike’s Let Me Play global campaign.[7]

Contents

[edit] Football Career

[edit] Central Coosa County High

Growing up, Tuck's favorite football teams were the San Francisco 49ers[8] & Dallas Cowboys[9] but his favorite sport was basketball.[10] Although he began playing football in the seventh grade, Justin only began to take it seriously in his freshman year of high school where he originally started out as quarterback before changing positions to tight end and defensive end.[10] His accolades include earning Alabama Class 4A Player of the Year as a senior in 2000,[4] as well as lettering in football as both linebacker and tight end.[4] For his career at Central Coosa, Tuck recorded 492 tackles with 37 sacks, 26 forced fumbles, and 17 fumble recoveries.[4] As a tight end, Tuck had 115 catches for 2,106 yards and 17 touchdowns.[4] Subsequently, Tuck also won two state championships as a member of the high school basketball team.[10]

[edit] Notre Dame Fighting Irish

See also: Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football

After redshirting his 2001 freshman year at the University of Notre Dame,[11] Tuck played sparingly in his sophomore season. Playing only 180 minutes for the season, Tuck recorded his first collegiate sack against MSU. And despite his limited playing time and solo start (vs. Rutgers), Tuck was named a third-team freshman All-American by The Sporting News.[1] Tuck increased his production in his final two season at Notre Dame. In 2003, he finished the season with 13.5 sacks, 19 tackles for a loss and three forced fumble before suffering a knee injury against Syracuse.[11] Tuck frequently encountered double-team coverage in 2004. Despite a lingering knee problem from the previous season and not playing in Notre Dame's Insight.com Bowl loss to Oregon State, Tuck still finished the season will 47 tackles, six sacks and 14 stops for losses.[4]

Nicknamed The Freak by his teammates for his raw athleticism,[9] Tuck holds several defensive records at Notre Dame. Topping the previous record mark of 22.5 sacks by Kory Minor, Justin finished his Notre Dame career with 24.5 sacks. His career 43 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks in a single season are also school records.[12]

[edit] New York Giants

"Every defensive end who is going to be picked in the first round is going to be a good pick for whoever they're chosen by, but if I had to tell you what sets me apart, that would be my desire and determination to get better. I know what I need to work on, I know my weaknesses, but I have that work ethic to improve every day. I have that want to be the best player at my position, and I have the belief in myself that one day that will come true."[9]
Justin Tuck, 2005

[edit] 2005–2006

See also: 2005 New York Giants season and 2006 New York Giants season

During the 2005 NFL draft, Tuck was selected with the 10th pick of the third round by the New York Giants.[12] His rookie season in the NFL found him behind Pro Bowl defensive ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora on the New York Giants depth chart, reducing his role to special teams and the first backup at each defensive end position. In total, Tuck played in 14 regular season games with one start and the NFC Wild Card Game.[13] His first career sack came against the Giants NFC East rival, the Dallas Cowboys.[13]

Tuck finished the 2005 season with 15 solo tackles, four assisted tackles, one sack, two passes defended, one forced fumble and 18 special teams tackles.[13]

During his sophomore season in 2006, Tuck was limited to just six games due to injury suffered on October 23, 2006 in a New York Giants Monday night victory over the Dallas Cowboys.[14] On November 17, Tuck underwent successful surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury.[14] The procedure included inserting screws into Tuck’s foot.[14] For the season, Tuck only recorded two solo tackles.[15]

[edit] 2007

See also: 2007 New York Giants season

Despite starting only two games in 2007 and playing behind two perennial Pro Bowl players in Umenyiora and Strahan, Tuck enjoyed his best season to date. Recording 65 tackles, 10 sacks, and forced two fumbles during the regular season,[2][16] Tuck received a lucrative contract extension from the Giants.[5] The five year deal is worth an estimated $30 million, 16 million of which is guaranteed.[5]

"I just wanted it more. This was my time to shine, and I was going to do everything I could to make the most of it. In a game like this, you have to leave it all on the field - and that's exactly what I did."[17]
Tuck on his Super Bowl performance

[edit] Super Bowl XLII
See also: Super Bowl XLII

In front of a record setting American television audience,[18] Tuck had a spectacular game in Super Bowl XLII by repeatedly pressuring New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and recording two sacks and a forced fumble.[17] According to Tuck, he and Brady exchanged insults during especially physical plays.[19] Due to the game's low score, opinions were heavily waged that Tuck better deserved the MVP award over Eli Manning.[17][20][21][22][23]

Tuck (right) visiting the White House on April 30, 2008.
Tuck (right) visiting the White House on April 30, 2008.[24]

[edit] 2008

See also: 2008 New York Giants season

On March 31, 2008, Tuck reported to voluntary off-season conditioning programs administered by the Giants.[25] Prior to the start of Giants mini-camp in May, Justin and the Giants were invited by President Bush to the White House to honor their victory in Super Bowl XLII.[24]

Due to Michael Strahan's retirement, Tuck was promoted to starting defensive end. When asked about the pressure of replacing a legendary player, Tuck replied "Pressure? No, I'm smart enough to realize there's only one Strahan and there will always only be one Strahan. I'm not trying to replace Michael Strahan."[26]

[edit] Personal life

Jimmy Lee Tuck, Justin's father, built the home that has housed his eight children and spouse by hand in 1973.[3][10] During his childhood, Justin was nicknamed "He-Man" due to his large stature.[3] He would run through his home yelling catch phrases from Masters of the Universe such as "By the power of Grayskull!" or "I have the power!".[3] Much of Tuck's youth was also spent attending Elam II Missionary Baptist Church in his native Kellyton.[3] This resulted in Justin becoming the congregation's youngest Sunday School instructor.[3]

After the Giants Super Bowl victory, Tuck achieved a new level of celebrity in his native Alabama. "It was interesting when I went home (to Alabama)," Tuck said. "You couldn't go anywhere without people asking for your autograph or telling you congratulations or how proud they were of you and things like that."[25] The newfound celebrity also extended to New York where Tuck and Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer were honored by Congressman Charles Rangel at the ball field at Harlem River Park on February 20, 2008.[27] The community celebration was in honor of the Giants Super Bowl XLII victory.[28] Three days later, he and several Giants players were honored as "special guests" during a historic title unification bout in Madison Square Garden between heavyweight boxers Wladimir Klitschko and Sultan Ibragimov.[29] The following month, Tuck was again honored for his Super Bowl heroics. He exchanged a game-worn football jersey for a game-used hockey stick with New York Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr. After only his second ice hockey game, Tuck quipped "I am hooked. It's football on ice."[30]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Justin Tuck profile. Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Official Athletic Site (2008-01-18). Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
  2. ^ a b c d Donnelly, Mike (February 1, 2008). Justin Tuck - Dealing With Family Ties. NFLPlayers.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Manahan, Kevin (2008-01-30). NY Giants' Justin Tuck has roots in Alabama. NJ.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Justin Tuck, DE, Notre Dame. USA Today (2005-05-18). Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
  5. ^ a b c Garafolo, Mike (2008-01-18). Giants, Tuck agree on five-year extension. The Star-Ledger. Retrieved on 2008-01-17.
  6. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (January 18, 2008). Giants agree with DE Tuck on $30 million extension. ESPN. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
  7. ^ Garafolo, Mike (2008-02-20). The Giants Get Their Design On. Complex Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
  8. ^ Chat with Justin Tuck. ESPN (2006). Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
  9. ^ a b c Robinson, Jon (March 29, 2005). Justin Tuck Interview: The Freak talks Notre Dame, the draft, and Madden.. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
  10. ^ a b c d Eisen, Michael. Did you Know?. Giants.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
  11. ^ a b Scout.com Justin Tuck profile. Scout.com (2008-01-18). Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
  12. ^ a b Justin Tuck's Career. Giants.com (2008-01-18). Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
  13. ^ a b c Player - Justin Tuck - Giants.com. Giants.com (January 30, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  14. ^ a b c Eisen, Michael (November 15, 2006). Giants Lose Tuck for Season. Giants.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
  15. ^ SI.com-NFL JUSTIN TUCK Player Page. SI.com (January 30, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
  16. ^ Justin Tuck DL New York Giants. USA Today. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
  17. ^ a b c Hubbuch, Bart (February 4, 2008). TUCK, SPAGS ENJOY PLENTY OF SACK-CESS. New York Post. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
  18. ^ Bauder, David. "Record 97.5 million watched Super Bowl", Los Angeles Daily News, 2008-02-04. Retrieved on 2008-04-07. 
  19. ^ Hollander, Dave (2008-02-07). Meet Brady's Worst Nightmare. AOL. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
  20. ^ Jackson, Tom, SportsCenter (post-game analysis) from ESPN, 3 Feb 2008.
  21. ^ Murphy, Dan "Who deserved to be MVP of Super Bowl XLII?: Justin Tuck" from The (Philadelphia) Bulletin, 5 Feb 2008.
  22. ^ Croley, Timothy "Super Bowl XLII MVP: Not Eli Manning" from Bleacher Report, 4 Feb 2008.
  23. ^ Vaccaro, Mike (2008-02-05). THE REASONS: 42 Ways to Super Stun-day. New York Post. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
  24. ^ a b Office of the Press Secretary (April 30, 2008). President Bush Welcomes Super Bowl XLII Champion New York Giants to White House. The White House. Retrieved on 2008-04-30.
  25. ^ a b Associated Press (2008-03-31). Giants begin offseason conditioning. SI.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-01.
  26. ^ Schwartz, Paul (June 10, 2008). Tuck in no rush to replace legend. New York Post. Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
  27. ^ Cannizzaro, Mark (2008-02-20). COUGHLIN, GIANTS EYE 4-YEAR DEAL. New York Post. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
  28. ^ Charles Rangel News Release. Press Release (2008-02-21). Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
  29. ^ Johnson, Richard (2008-02-28). We Hear.... New York Post. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
  30. ^ Tuck Meets Puck. New York Post (2008-03-30). Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
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New York Giants 2005 NFL Draft selections
Corey Webster • Justin Tuck • Brandon Jacobs • Eric Moore
v • d • e
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