Glen Tuckett, the Hall of Fame college baseball coach and former BYU and Alabama athletic director, died at the age of 93 early Tuesday morning following complications from a stroke, according to former BYU sports information director Ralph Zobell.
Tuckett was a driving force in both national and Utah sports for most of his life, a significant figure in BYU sports for half a century.
Tuckett, who grew up in Murray, coached BYU’s baseball team from 1959 to 1976 after spending nine years in professional baseball. He was BYU’s athletic director from 1976 to 1994 and oversaw the expansion of LaVell Edwards Stadium and the glory days of Edwards’ storied football coaching career.
Glen Tuckett on #BYU hiring LaVell Edwards as an assistant coach to the football staff in 1962. pic.twitter.com/KPuoBUTSLa
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) October 26, 2021
Tuckett suffered a stroke last week while watching a baseball game on television, according to Zobell. Tuckett’s wife, Josephine Mary Whittaker Tuckett, died on June 25, 2020. They married on March 19, 1959, in the Salt Lake Latter-day Saint Temple and had four daughters after settling in Provo.
Known as an articulate speaker and leader, Tuckett’s baseball players included Major League stars Dane Iorg and Jack Morris and one of the best two-sport athletes in BYU history, Doug Howard.
In 17 seasons as a baseball coach, Tuckett’s record was 445-256-4 with 13 divisional titles, three conference championships, two NCAA district crowns and trips to the College World Series in 1968 and 1971.
Tuckett, president of the American Baseball Coaches Association in 1977, was the ninth winningest baseball coach in NCAA history at the time of his retirement.
As an athletic director, Tuckett was instrumental in reaching out to programs from all over the country to engage BYU athletics. His connections on NCAA committees were extensive.
He took over as BYU’s athletic director in 1976, replacing Stan Watts. He served on a variety of committees, including the NCAA Committee on Committees, NCAA Television Committee, College Football Association Executive Committee, and College Football Association Television Committee. He served as chairman of the ABCA Board of Directors from 2004-10,
BYU football made 16 bowl appearances and one trip to Japan during Tuckett’s 17 years as the athletic director. He was the driving force in the expansion of the football stadium in 1982.
I’m happy that Glen Tuckett lived long enough to see BYU get the invitation to the @Big12Conference. He spearheaded the move to expand what’s now LES to well over 60K. He always spoke of establishing strong, trustful external relationships with other athletic departments as key. https://t.co/mBQ7XepiG9
— David C. Moore (@CougarCentreSLC) October 26, 2021
In 1985, Tuckett was inducted into the Utah Old Time Athletes Association Hall of Fame and into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995. He also was inducted into the Murray High School Hall of Fame and the Utah Summer Games Hall of Fame.
Tuckett was also the recipient of the 2007 BYU Distinguished Service Award and was inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame in 1982.
He is survived by daughters Shannon Tuckett, Kendall Tuckett, Erin Mooring (Jeremy), son-in-law Gene Shawcroft (Janeen); 10 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Services will be Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. at the Edgemont 6th Ward, 4056 Timpview Drive in Provo.