Entering his second season with the Rattlers in 2019, Gary Tucker is no stranger to the pitch as he has been coaching soccer at various levels for 25 years and he assists head coach Johnny Clifford at St. Mary’s with tactical situations and formational set ups.
 
The 2018 Rattlers went 10-5-3, which is the highest winning percentage of any men’s team since 1997.
 
A native of Wichita, Kansas, Tucker began his collegiate career at Southern Illinois before transferring to Newman, where he earned First-Team All-Conference honors three times. In his 82 games he scored 52 goals and recorded 30 assists, both of which are still records at the school. The 1996 team went 19-3-1, advancing to the NAIA National Tournament and was inducted into the Newman Athletic Hall of Fame.
 
After college, Tucker played for the Wichita Blue Pro Team in the USISL Conference for four years and one year for the Huntsville Fire of the EISL Indoor Pro League.
 
He graduated from Newman with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology and earned a master’s degree in criminal justice from Ashworth University.