Carson Tinker (born November 15, 1989) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

long snapper In gridiron football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a Center (gridiron football), center on American football positions#Special teams, special teams whose duty is to Snap (gridiron football), snap the football over a longer distance, ty ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...

, where was a member of their 2009 National Championship team and played as the starting long snapper for both the

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and 2012 national championship teams. He was signed by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

as an undrafted free agent in 2013.

College career

After he was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

for the 2008 season, Tinker saw his first action in Alabama's game against

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

during the 2009 season. For the 2010 season, Tinker was elevated as the starting

for the Crimson Tide and converted 121 of 123 snapping opportunities during the season. For the 2011 season, Tinker converted all 119 snapping opportunities en route to the 2011 national championship. Tinker was selected by his teammates to accept the 2011 Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award on December 8, 2011, on behalf of the entire team in recognition for their collective efforts in the rebuilding of Tuscaloosa after the tornado. For his first four years with the Crimson Tide, Tinker played as a member of the team as a walk-on. Prior to the start of his senior season, Tinker was awarded a full

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the U ...

for the year by

Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. ( ; born October 31, 1951) is an American sportscaster and former Professional gridiron football, professional and college football coach. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's ''College GameDay (football TV program), Colleg ...

in recognition of his accomplishments on and off the field. In

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, Tinker again served as the starting long snapper and converted 133 of 135 snapping opportunities during the season.

Professional career

Pre-draft

At the end of his senior season at Alabama, Tinker was ranked as the top available long snapper for the

2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

Jacksonville Jaguars (first stint)

After going undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft, Tinker signed with the

. In

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

, he competed for the starting long snapper position with veteran Jeremy Cain and rookie Luke Ingram. On August 25, Tinker won the starting job after Cain and Ingram were released. On August 3, 2017, during training camp, Tinker suffered a torn ACL and was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

. On October 11, 2018, Tinker was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed knee injury. On March 8, 2019, the Jaguars released Tinker due to salary cap space issues.

New York Giants

After sitting out the

2019 NFL season The 2019 NFL season was the 100th season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 54th of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 5, 2019, with the NFL Kickoff Game, in which the Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears. T ...

, Tinker was signed by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

on September 2, 2020. He was released on September 5, 2020, and signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 4, 2021. He was released on August 24, 2021.

Tampa Bay Buccanners

On September 13, 2021, Tinker was signed by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

. He was released on November 23.

Las Vegas Raiders

On December 1, 2021, Tinker was signed by the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

. He was released on December 9 after Trent Sieg returned to the active roster from the Reserve/COVID list.

Los Angeles Rams (first stint)

On December 18, 2021, Tinker was signed to the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

practice squad. Tinker won his first

Super Bowl ring The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl ring offers a collectible memento for the actual players and t ...

when the Rams defeated the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

Super Bowl LVI Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 NFL season, 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2021 Los Angeles Rams season, Los Angeles ...

Seattle Seahawks

On September 8, 2022, Tinker signed with the practice squad of the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

. He was signed to the active roster six days later.

Jacksonville Jaguars (second stint)

On August 14, 2023, Tinker signed with the Jaguars. He was released on August 20, 2023.

Los Angeles Rams (second stint)

On December 12, 2023, Tinker was signed by the Rams to their active roster.

Personal life

Tinker was born on November 15, 1989, in

Decatur, Alabama Decatur () is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County, Alabama, Morgan County (with a portion also in Limestone County, Alabama, Limestone County) in the U.S. state of Alabama. Nicknamed "The River City," it is located in North Alabam ...

. On April 27, 2011, Tinker suffered a personal tragedy when his girlfriend Ashley Harrison was killed during the 2011 Tuscaloosa – Birmingham tornado. In recognition for his efforts in helping the Tuscaloosa community rebuild in the aftermath of the tornado, Tinker was named as a finalist for the 2011

Sportsman of the Year Since its inception in 1954, ''Sports Illustrated'' has annually presented the Sportsman of the Year award to "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement." Both Americans and non-Ame ...

. On May 1, 2014, Tinker published his first book, ''A Season to Remember: Faith in the Midst of the Storm'' (B&H Publishing Group, Nashville TN), which details his experience in the 2011 Tuscaloosa tornado as well as the 2011–12 University of Alabama football championship season. He has also been focused on promoting his foundation, The Be A Blessing Foundation, a tax-exempt 501(c)-3 charitable foundation created to help those who have suffered any kind of loss or hardship, to stop living in their circumstance and begin living in their vision.

References

External links

Alabama Crimson Tide bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tinker, Carson 1989 births Living people Players of American football from Decatur, Alabama Players of American football from Murfreesboro, Tennessee American football long snappers Alabama Crimson Tide football players Jacksonville Jaguars players New York Giants players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Las Vegas Raiders players Los Angeles Rams players Seattle Seahawks players