By Samantha Liptrap
Baltimore Raven’s kicker Justin Tucker told Towson University students Thursday that they should work hard, work efficiently and never be afraid to fail as they pursue their chosen careers.
Speaking at the “Kickoff Your Career” event hosted by Towson’s Career Center, Tucker said it was not too long ago that he was a recent college graduate wondering whether he would reach his goal of kicking field goals in the NFL.
“I knew I would have to kick the door off the hinges if I really wanted to make an impact, if I really wanted to make it in the first place,” Tucker said.
After Tucker graduated from the University of Texas, he told the audience he was excited, anxious and totally unemployed.
“I wasn’t making any money, as in zero dinero,” Tucker said. “I was taking a bag of footballs to whatever empty field I could basically sneak onto, four times a week.”
Tucker said he continued to work hard even after he was not drafted by an NFL team.
“I knew deep down in the core of my being that I was meant to play football in the NFL,” Tucker said. “But I also knew that my path would be a little bit different. I knew that I couldn’t just get my foot in the door and tip toe my way into a starting job.”
Tucker remembers the day that the Baltimore Raven’s head coach, John Harbaugh, told him that he “got the job.”
Tucker said he had been competing with one other kicker for one position and could finally say that he worked his way onto the 53-man roster.
“Naturally, the first thing that I did was go to Chipotle,” Tucker said. “And for the first time in my life, I did not worry about spending the extra three dollars for the chips and guacamole.”
Tucker admitted that none of his accomplishments over the past three years would have been possible without the advice that his agent gave him going into his first practice with the Ravens: “Take it one kick at a time.”
Tucker said the field goal operation is a 1.3-second performance.
“In 1.3 seconds, I must be controlled and precise in the midst of total chaos,” he said. “Those 1.3 seconds represent everything I have ever worked for in my entire life.”
Tucker kept his focus, one kick at a time, 1.3 seconds at a time.
“What have we always been told by our parents, our coaches, by our teachers?” Tucker asked the audience. “That there is a formula that we just fit into. Go to high school, get good grades and you graduate. Go to college, get good grades and you graduate. And then you conveniently, magically get a job in the field that corresponds to what you studied in.”
Tucker said it rarely happens that way.
“You owe it to yourself to explore every avenue,” he said, “every lead, every way that you can get an edge.”
Tucker told students that they each have a leg up in the job market if they continue to take it one step at a time. He told them to continue to use resources like the University Recruiters and the Towson Career Center.
“I talk about sticking your foot in the door, but after that, it’s up to you,” he said. “You’re gonna kick it off the hinges, or just walk through. I like to kick it off the hinges.”
Every kick he has ever attempted has been a building block to his resume, Tucker said. Each kick that he has attempted in college and in the NFL has served as an interview in front of potential employers, he said.
“You’ve put in the leg work by earning a college degree,” Tucker said. “Now it’s time to give yourself the best chance at kicking off your life in the best possible way.”
“Forgive all of the kicking puns,” Tucker said. “I had to.”
Students who attended the event seemed to enjoy themselves.
“I came here to meet Justin,” Towson University junior Tom Martino said. “He was such a funny guy and I really enjoyed hearing him speak.”
Many students took advantage of the photo opportunity.
“I waited in the line for 45 minutes,” Martino said. “When I got up to the front, Justin thanked me for coming to the event. He thanked me! I thought that was pretty cool. Obviously I should’ve been the one thanking him. Just shows that he really is an awesome dude.”
Tucker left the audience with one last piece of advice: “Work hard, work efficiently. Don’t be afraid to fail, and don’t be afraid to succeed either. Be confident, be humble, be a friend and a competitor. Take it one kick at a time, and most importantly, always be the best version of you, because everyone else is taken anyway.”