1927 ~ 2021
Glen Cameron Tuckett, 93, passed away peacefully at home in Provo last week after a brief hospital stay after a stroke last week on the early morning of October 26, 2021.
He was husband, father, grandfather, coach and many other titles in between.
He was just as proud of the BYU baseball’s coveted Cameron Tuckett Award, named in honor of his late father, as he was of the Homer Rice Award (1994) and the NACDA / NIT Outstanding Athletic Director Award (1997) as the nation’s most outstanding award Head of athletics.
Glen was born on December 11, 1927 in Salt Lake City to Cameron and Bessie Tuckett. The hard work ethic of God, family, and baseball that they taught Glen is proven throughout his life. An eloquent speaker who could keep up with a referee, he took great pride in his roots in Murray, Utah, where he graduated from Murray High School. He joined the army in 1946, where he served in Japan. He played nine seasons in the small professional baseball leagues.
Tuckett earned his BS degree from the University of Utah in 1953. He later earned an MS degree from BYU in 1962 and received his EdD from BYU in 1975. He began his teaching and coaching career at West High School in Salt Lake City. At West, Tuckett trained football, basketball and baseball for six years before he accepted the duties at BYU in the fall of 1959.
He married Josephine Whittaker on March 19, 1959 in the Salt Lake Temple. Later that year, he was hired by Brigham Young University as a baseball coach and assistant soccer coach. Glen and Jo are the proud parents of four daughters and although he never had birth sons, he considered many of his baseball players to be his loyal sons.
One of the highlights of his baseball career was in 1974 as coach of the US team that won the World Amateur Baseball Tournament for the second time in the 27-year history of the tournament. He was President of the American Baseball Coaches Association in 1977, inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 1979, received the Lefty Gomez Award in 1990, Chairman of the ABCA Board of Directors (2004-10), and was the ninth-best baseball coach of the NCAA with a 445-256- 4 record (0.634) when he was named sports director of BYU. Tuckett’s BYU baseball teams played in the College World Series in Omaha in 1968 and 1971 and qualified for an appearance in 1961, but did not participate as the games were scheduled for Sunday.
Out of respect, BYU baseball never reassigned the # 20 jersey it wore as a Cougar coach. In the 1966-75 off-season he was a color analyst for KSL Radio with Paul James for BYU soccer and basketball games. He was inducted into seven Halls of Fame.
Tuckett’s honors during BYU’s glory days included the prestigious Dale Rex Award (1983) when he teamed up with BYU soccer coach LaVell Edwards to bring the national limelight with 17 bowl appearances. No sport or few athletes felt they fell short under Tuckett’s guidance, which brought NCAA championship basketball and athletics events to the Provo campus. He was one of the founders and primary movers in establishing the Utah Chapter of the National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame.
He was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served faithfully in many callings, including patriarch, stake presidencies, and dioceses. Glen and Jo served as family history missionaries.
“My Camelot” was what Glen reflected on his service at BYU, ranging from 17 years as a baseball coach and health professor at the College of Physical Education (1959-1976) to a corresponding 17 years as a director the athletics ranged for the cougars (1976-1993). His retirement from BYU was short-lived when the University of Alabama appointed Tuckett as interim director of athletics for 18 months (1995-96).
Glen leaves daughters Shannon Tuckett, Kendall Tuckett, Erin Mooring (Jeremy), son-in-law Gene Shawcroft (Janeen); 10 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in 2020 by his wife Josephine Whittaker, parents, younger brother Larry, and daughter Alison Shawcroft in death.
One viewing will be on Friday evening, November 5, 2021, 6-8 p.m. at Nelson Family Mortuary, 4780 N. University Ave, Provo, UT, and one pre-burial tour at 9-9: 45 a.m. at the chapel. The funeral will take place on Saturday morning, November 6, 2021 at 10 a.m. at Edgemont 6th Ward, 4056 Timpview Drive, Provo, followed by the funeral at Eastlawn Cemetery, Provo.
Published by Deseret News from October 28 to October 29, 2021.
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