Las Cruces teacher, coach is on Team USA football team; raising money for July trip to Finland

A Las Cruces middle-school teacher will lead the women’s national tackle football team as it defends its world title in Finland this July.

Tori Tucker teaches physical education at Camino Real Middle School in Las Cruces, where she is also the boys’ football coach and the girls’ basketball coach. And, every weekend since mid-January, she has flown to Denver to play quarterback for the Denver Bandits women’s tackle football team.

In July, Tucker will travel to Finland as a quarterback for the women’s national tackle football team.

For Tucker, 29, sports is a way of life. A native of Portales, New Mexico, who grew up in nearby Floyd, Tucker played five sports in high school. She also played basketball for four years at Eastern New Mexico University.

This is only Tucker’s second year playing tackle football. She played for a Las Cruces team last season, but after it folded, signed on with Denver, which is one of 17 teams in the Women's National Football Conference (WNFC).

In March, Tucker traveled to Florida to try out for the national women’s tackle football team. A 45-member roster was selected from the 200-plus athletes who tried out, Tucker said, and she was one of three quarterbacks selected for the team from among 14 who tried out for that position.

Tucker said she takes a great deal of pride in representing her state and Las Cruces on the national team.

“I wanted to play for New Mexico,” she said.

Tucker is also looking forward to playing with her peers from teams across the country and around the world. And, the U.S. team includes coaches from the NFL’s Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers (Tucker’s favorite NFL team). A coaching job in professional football is something Tucker said she would like to pursue in 10 to 15 years.

Tucker said she also is proud to be a role model for girls and women who may have been told that tackle football is a sport only for boys and men.

“If you want to do something, figure out how to do it and be the best at it,” is Tucker’s advice.

Tucker said the boys she coaches on the Camino Real Middle School Wildcats football team are among her biggest fans.

Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Ralph Ramos and her entire school community have been very supportive, Tucker said.

Tucker needs to raise $4,000 by early June for the July 28-Aug. 8 trip to Vantaa, Finland for the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Championships. Donations of any amount are welcome and can be made through the FlipGive app, sponsored by USA Football, using Tucker’s name; or donate directly to Tucker at Venmo-@tori_tucker13 or CashApp-$toritucker13. She also has a GoFundMe account: Visit www.gofundme.com and search for Tori Tucker and click on “US National Football Team Travel.”

For a $20 donation, you can receive one of Tucker’s player cards.

The U.S. team has won all three IFAF world championships to date, defeating runner-up Canada in 2010, 2013 and 2017.

Denver is one of 17 teams in the Women’s National Football Conference. The IX Cup Championship is June 24-26 in Frisco, Texas.

Visit www.wnfcfootball.com and www.americanfootball.sport/events/senior-womens-world-championship.