Errol Tucker

Football
1

This goes way back to the 80s. He was fun to watch.

2

He was a magical player. Everyone got on their feet when the Utes forced a 4th down because it was “Tucker time!” I remember a few teams deciding not to punt the ball, just go for it on 4th, because their field position would be about the same, quite possibly worse, and they wouldn’t risk getting scored on by him.

Funny story: my mom went to the same HS as Errol - Lynnwood High near the South Central area of LA. (Actually, pretty close to Ron McBride’s HS in South Gate)

My 2 sisters were in school at the U, they ran into Tucker at a party, and told him our mom also went to Lynnwood, which he didn’t believe. (The neighborhood has changed a lot over the decades, multiple waves of ethnicities & immigrants)

For some reason my mom taught my sisters the school fight song when we were kids, so they sang it for Tucker… who was floored that two young ladies from Utah knew it.

He had a decent showing in the NFL with the Steelers as a CB & KR/PR.

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3

We used to yell ERRRROOOOLLLL!!! as the opposing team was lining up to punt or kickoff.

Certainly one of the most amazing players I’ve been privileged to watch live. Lost count of how many times he took an interception, punt or KO return to the house.

His last college game was in Provo and he ran back a kickoff for a TD then later ran back an incredible punt return to the end zone that sadly was negated by a penalty.

2 Likes
4

Yeah, I remember telling my dad to look out for him when he was drafted by the Steelers. I had just moved to SLC in October of '85 and got to watch him play. Wish he could have had more success in the NFL with the Steelers. Great player and a great Ute.

5

What an electrifying player he was… one of my earliest favorite Utes as a young fan. I believe his longest NFL tenure was with the Bills, then he went on to have some decent success in the CFL.

6

He was amazing at a time when Utah football was not. As a senior in '85 he became the first player in NCAA history to lead the country in both kickoff and punt return average. That year, he had two punt returns, two kickoff returns, and three interception returns for TDs. Plus, he had a kickoff return for a TD against Air Force and the aforementioned punt return for a TD against BYU called back. As a junior, he had a punt return for a TD (I believe against Washington State). He was one of my early favorite Ute players. Wonder what he is up to.

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Utah Kick/Punt Returners Ranked:

  1. Errol Tucker - he was explosive and dangerous as both PR and KR

  2. Stevonne Smith

  3. Reggie Dunn

  4. Shaky Smithson

  5. Kaelin Clay

  6. Steve Odom

  7. Karl Monroe

  8. Keith Williams

  9. Cal Beck

  10. Kevin Dyson

  11. Corey Butler-Byrd

  12. Patrick Dyson

  13. Daniel Jones

  14. Britain Covey

8

Pretty good list. Utah has had some great return specialists. I would move Keith Williams down and Covey up.

Interesting thing about Steve Smith, in JC he was more of a kick returner but at Utah was more of a punt returner. As a junior at Utah, Smith wasn’t the main punt returner until about game 4 or 5. The starting punt returner was Courtney Richins, who was among the nation’s leaders until he got hurt. Smith stepped in. The rest is history.

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Tucker, Smith, and Odom are the top 3. You could put them in any order and be correct.

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Stevonne was paired up in JC with Chad Johnson at the other WR position. What a nightmare for DCs.

When I was doing some practice reports, I got a chance to talk with him a few times, easy conversations. He had a tatoo which was a Chinese character - I asked him about that, he said it was to honor his grandmother.

One time I asked him who was faster, he or Cliff Russell. (Cliff was crazy fast & smooth, I remember being stunned that Kevin Dyson’s #1 got handed down to a guy who was visibly faster than Dyson.)

Stevonne confidently claimed he was the fastest on the team. About a week later he looked around, found me, and came up and looked me in the eye & said Cliff was faster. (Apparently they had a race). Who does that? Answer: Steve Smith, Sr.

Stevonne was a lot of things, really cocky, amazingly strong & determined, had a chip on his shoulder, great acceleration & great hands, all of which will put him in the NFL HOF. I remember a pass he caught at SDSU from Darnell Arceneax that he caught on the back end of the ball, then turned upfield and took it about 80 yards for a TD.

One of the best Utes, ever.

2 Likes
11

100% this… he is a surefire HOF’er and I can’t imagine it will be long before his name comes up.

12

The sole intention of my post was to troll Covey fans. But I’m too busy to continue as planned.

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13

I only remember a few of his runs (I was pretty young), but I have never forgotten that guy. He was a lot of fun to watch.

14

  1. He is the reason 2 has been my favorite number forever.

  2. At the BYU game we’re sitting in the middle of a ton of BYU fans. At the start of the game 4 or five of them are yelling “Don’t kick it to Tucker” before each kick or punt. It’s been about 4 of both and they’re getting cocky and start yelling “Kick it to Tucker”. They do kick it to him the first time they are yelling it and he takes it to the house. My brothers and I are all over them at that point. Good times. I still say the one they called back in that game was both a BS call and the best return I have ever seen.

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I remember this game well, about a foot of snow fell during the game. I began the season as a BYU fan but apostatized after BYU’s debacle against UTEP. Not only did I lose my faith in LaVell Edwards, I also stopped believing in God after seeing the most talented team in BYU history lose to the worst team in college football. My father still took me to the Utah game in Provo even though I was rooting against his team at that point.

At the time I hadn’t decided which team would be my new team. After seeing Errol Tucker play in this game, I committed to the U of U.

Vai Sikahemia of BYU also had a great game, and had a punt return for a TD. I remember his father jumping from the stands and dancing around in a trench coat just outside the endzone, after Vai’s TD.

Kurt Gouvea had a key interception and Lakei Heimuli had a 70 yard TD run to seal a 10 point win for the cougs. Too bad neither player showed up against the worst team in the nation, UTEP.