Editor's note: In anticipation of the 121st college football season in Utah, DeseretNews.com writer Jay Yeomans is ranking the 50 greatest Division I college football players of all time from the state of Utah. We're counting down the 50 days until Sept. 1 when Southern Utah at Utah and Weber State at Utah State kick off at 6 p.m. Rankings are based on what the player did during his college career.
34. Erroll Tucker, Utah, defensive back/returner (1984-85)
Tucker was a huge part of the secondary and an elite return man during his two seasons on the field with the Utes. One of his most productive seasons on defense came in 1985 when he was first-team All-WAC after he had 70 tackles, nine pass break-ups, six interceptions and five tackles for loss.
As good as he was on defense, he might have been even better on special teams where he was a two-time first-team All-WAC performer and an All-American.
His best season as a returner came in 1985 when he was first-team all-conference and was a first-team All-American by three publications after leading the nation in punt return average (24.3) and kick return average (29.1). That year, he finished with 24 kick returns for 698 yards and two touchdowns to go long with 16 punt returns for 389 yards and two more scores.
For his Utah career, he totaled 118 tackles, 14 pass break-ups, eight interceptions and six tackles for loss. He also averaged 26.6 yards with two touchdowns on 41 kick returns as well as 17 yards and three scores on 38 punt returns.
Jay Yeomans is a sports writer for DeseretNews.com. Contact him at jyeomans@deseretdigital.com.