James Tuck (born June 12, 1990) is a

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

fullback for the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He was drafted by the Alouettes in the fourth round of the

2014 CFL Draft The 2014 CFL Draft took place on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 at 7:00 PM ET on TSN. 65 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. A total of 19 trades ...

. He played

CIS football U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic confer ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. Tuck also played junior football for the Newmarket Storm of the Ontario Varsity Football League.

Early years

Tuck played hockey at Cardinal Carter Catholic High School in

Aurora, Ontario Aurora ( 2021 population: 62,057) is a town in central York Region in the Greater Toronto Area, within the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located north of the City of Richmond Hill and is partially situated on the Oak Ridges ...

. He played hockey in the Aurora Minor Hockey Association and York Simcoe Express triple-A programs growing up. He did not play football in high school as Cardinal Carter Catholic was a non-football school. Tuck first played football for the Newmarket Storm of the Ontario Varsity Football League, where he played for two seasons.

University career

Tuck played for the

York Lions The York Lions is the official name for the athletic varsity teams that represent York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of U Sports and, where applicable, ...

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

from 2010 to 2013. He was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

his first two seasons before switching to

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for his last two years. He played in seven games for the team during his freshman year in 2010, recording 24.5 tackles and one pass breakup. Tuck appeared in three games for the Lions in 2011, totaling 9.5 tackles and one forced fumble. He started eight games for the team in 2012, accumulating 33 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. He won the

Nobby Wirkowski Norbert "Nobby" Wirkowski (August 20, 1926 – October 15, 2014) was an American and Canadian football player and coach. He is best known as quarterback of the Toronto Argonauts. The touchdown he engineered in the 1952 Grey Cup turned out to be ...

Defensive MVP Trophy as the Lions' most valuable defensive player and played in the 2013 East West Bowl. Tuck started eight games his senior season in 2013, recording 41.5 tackles, 4.5 sacks, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He again earned the Nobby Wirkowski Defensive MVP Trophy in 2013. He was in the Business and Society program at York.

Professional career

Tuck earned an invite to the CFL’s National Combine after participating in the Toronto regional combine.

Montreal Alouettes

Tuck was selected by the

with the 31st pick in the

. He played in nine games for the Alouettes as a linebacker in 2014, totaling five special teams tackles. He also recorded four special teams tackles in two playoff games. Tuck played in five games for the team during the 2015 season, spending time at defensive end and fullback. He signed a one-year contract with the Alouettes on February 5, 2016. He was released by the Alouettes on July 2, 2016. He played in one game for the Alouettes in 2016.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Tuck was signed by the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...

on July 4, 2016. He was placed on the injured list on August 2 and was activated on August 25, 2016. He played in 14 games for the Blue Bombers in 2016.

Toronto Argonauts

In February 2017, he signed with the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

. He was demoted to the practice squad on July 22 and was released by the Argonauts on August 21, 2017. He played in four games for the Argonauts in 2017, recording four special teams tackles.

Edmonton Eskimos / Elks

Tuck signed with the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

on August 30, 2017. He was released by the Eskimos on September 8 and re-signed on September 12, 2017. In seven games with Edmonton, Tuck recorded an impressive 16 tackles on special teams, as well as one forced fumble. He added another forced fumble during the playoffs; his performance in 2017 lead to his contract being extended for 2018. However, during April minicamp, Tuck was lost for the season to a ruptured Achilles tendon. Tuck returned to form in 2019, making 15 special teams tackles and forcing a fumble. He also received his first professional touch, a carry for five yards in Edmonton's season finale, which was Tuck's 58th game. He signed a contract extension through the 2021 season on January 11, 2021. In the first game of the 2021 season, he recorded his first career reception on August 7, 2021, against the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) ( French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Startin ...

on the last play of the game where he fell one yard short of a game-winning touchdown. He played in all 14 regular season games in 2021 where he had one defensive tackle, four special teams tackles, and four receptions for 45 yards. However, he was released on December 28, 2021.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On January 7, 2022, it was announced that Tuck had signed with the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

. He played in 15 regular season games where he had four catches for 38 yards and three special teams tackles. He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 14, 2023.

Montreal Alouettes (II)

On February 14, 2023, it was announced that Tuck had signed with the

References

External links

Montreal Alouettes bioJust Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuck, James Living people 1990 births Canadian football fullbacks Canadian football defensive linemen Canadian football linebackers York Lions football players Montreal Alouettes players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Toronto Argonauts players Edmonton Elks players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Players of Canadian football from Ontario Sportspeople from Aurora, Ontario