Sports

Vocal skills rival kicking talent for Ravens’ Tucker

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ask anyone close to Justin Tucker about the Ravens’ kicker’s personality and they’ll begin laughing before answering.

They struggle to explain him. They don’t always understand him. But they always enjoy being around him.

“He’s just always been the guy who’s known as a little crazy and funny and loud,” said Tucker’s 21-year-old sister, Samantha. “He’s just not afraid to be himself and he really embraces that, which is a great thing. He’s just very confident in who he is.”

Long snapper Morgan Cox had already thought Tucker was unique before he heard something he’d never heard in his life.

“We were in the shower and then all of a sudden you hear opera coming from the other end,” Cox said yesterday. “It was weird, but it was actually pretty good. … He’s young and he’s got a lot of energy. He adds a different dynamic. He keeps everything loose.”

Tucker has serenaded his teammates in Russian and Italian, having majored in music at the University of Texas before becoming one of the NFL’s elite kickers as a rookie.

Though he also does impressions, such as Longhorns coach Mack Brown and actor Christopher Walken, and is known as one of the better-dressed Ravens, Samantha pointed out, “if you’ve been around him for five minutes, you know he’s a singer,” dating back to his wooing of teachers as a fifth-grader, with a Ferris Bueller-style performance of “Danke Schoen” in a talent show.

Tucker always loved music, and when he went to college, he didn’t want to feel like he was going to class all the time.

“I kind of let that passion develop and got to meet some really cool people and enjoy a completely different world than most athletes really experience,” Tucker said. “Part of my degree requirements was that I had to take two years of voice lessons and I thought I was just going to suffer through it. I ended up really enjoying it. I found myself listening to opera in my car on the way to school.”

Tucker has hit 32-of-35 field-goal attempts, including the 47-yard game-winner in double-overtime at Denver in the Divisional playoffs, which helped alleviate the pain of Billy Cundiff’s missed kick that ended Baltimore’s playoff run last season.

Samantha was not surprised by her brother’s immediate success. If he could teach himself piano, guitar and the mandolin, kicking would be a cakewalk.

“He gets obsessed with something and he will not quit at that until he’s literally mastered it,” Samantha said. “He gets very focused on that one thing, and repetition, repetition until he’s great at it. It’s a good thing to have as a kicker.”

It fits just as well as Tucker in a Ravens locker room full of loud and large personalities.

“A big thing around here that [coach John Harbaugh] is always talking about is letting your individual light shine,” Tucker said. “The important part of that is letting your light shine within the framework of the team. We have a lot of big personalities and fun people to be around, but we all know the most important thing is winning games.”

Tucker is amazed how much has happened in one year and even more aware of how much can change in one game.

He’s already imagined a game-winning kick in the Super Bowl.

“It’s what we dream of as kids,” Tucker said. “If you don’t want those moments, you shouldn’t be playing this game. … I love my job. When I get those moments, I cherish them.”

The opportunity is approaching. He’s so excited he could sing about it.