Travis Tuck

Travis Tuck (born 9 July 1987) is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Hawks in the Australian Football League (AFL). Tuck was selected with a Father-Son selection (pick 38) in the 2005 AFL Draft.

Background

The son of Hawthorn legend and VFL/AFL games record holder Michael Tuck, brother of Richmond midfielder Shane Tuck, nephew of Geelong superstar Gary Ablett Sr and cousin of Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett Jr, Tuck possesses a remarkable football pedigree.

Career

Tuck debuted in round 17 of 2007 against North Melbourne and despite a serviceable performance on the day, he made way for a number of returning senior players the following week. This proved to be Tuck's only game for the season.

During the first month of 2008, it seemed that Tuck was enjoying a breakout year. After a string of strong pre-season performances, Tuck was selected in the senior side for Round 1 and remained there in the month that followed. A highlight was a 25 possession Round 2 against Fremantle, where Tuck was named in Hawthorn's best. Injury struck in Round 4, however and it proved to be 9 weeks until he was able to reclaim a place in the Hawks lineup. Tuck played Rounds 13 to 17, before again making way for other players. Tuck was listed as an emergency for the successful 2008 Grand Final side.

Travis Tuck (sculptor)

Travis Tuck was a Martha's Vineyard based metal sculptor known for his hand-crafted weather vanes of repoussé copper and bronze. His works turn in the wind above Steven Spielberg's East Hampton estate and 110 feet over Penn State's Beaver Stadium.

Youth

Born February 20, 1943 in Brooklyn, NY, Travis Tuck grew up with his family in a New Jersey suburb. His paternal grandmother, Natalie Tuck, was one of the original Ziegfeld dancers, his maternal grandmother, Hettie May Tucket, survived the Galveston flood as a child floating on a door. His mother, Margaret Cox, married Jay Nelson Tuck, a celebrated journalist who was the New York Post's first radio and television critic.

Military Service

After graduating from Pompton Lakes High School in 1960, Travis Tuck enlisted in the US Air Force. He was trained at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MI and assigned to Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod. He was stationed at Otis from 1961 to 1964, where he repaired airborne computers on Lockheed EC-121H radar planes.