Tucker Frederickson

Bio

Tucker Frederickson may have among the last of the great two-way football stars. In a time when most players were assigned offensive or defensive chores, he went both ways. On offense his best year was 1964, when he averaged 4.4 yards rushing. On defense he was a safety but sometimes made tackles at the line of scrimmage. In 1963, he led his team in interceptions (4). In both 1963 and 1964 he won the Jacobs Award as the best blocking back in the Southeastern Conference. Coach Shug Jordan called him "the most complete football player I've ever seen." He was the leading vote-getter in the poll to pick Auburn's all-century team (1892-1992). Tucker was a consensus All-America and the conference Most Valuable Player in 1964. He played professionally with the New York Giants 1965-71; his career was ended by a knee injury. He graduated in 1965 with a degree in science but became a serious student of finance and joined Allen & Co., an investment firm, while playing in the NFL. He became the firm's vice-president for investment banking. His given name was Ivan Charles Frederickson, but all the record books carry his name as Tucker Frederickson. He was so modest that Birmingham sports editor, Benny Marshall, wrote: "The well-mannered All-America who is totally fearless on a football field....is modest to the point of shyness. A football player's football player."

Career Highlights

• 1964 All-Conference
• 1964 Conference MVP
• 1964 Consensus All-America
• 1964 Heisman - Sixth