Placekickers (special teams in general, really) tend to be underrated for what they bring to the team. Sure, field goals are half the points of a touchdown and not as exciting, but they’re important! And we’ve come to take the extra point for granted. But that’s just how good kickers have gotten over the years. And there’s none better than Justin Tucker.

Recently dubbed by both NFL.com and the NYT as the greatest placekicker of all time, the man’s got it made. But how did the Baltimore Ravens placekicker become the man that he is today? The guidance and support of his parents has been instrumental in his journey. Here’s more about that pair.

Who is Justin Tucker’s dad? What does he do?

Takes a strange kind of work ethic and dedication to practice, and make it in the NFL. Having dedicated and hardworking parents sets the right example for aspiring football pros. And Tucker had just that in his dad, Dr. Paul Tucker. Now in his early 60s, Dr. Tucker had an illustrious career in medicine. A graduate of the University of Texas and the Baylor College of Medicine, he became an interventional cardiologist.

He’s earned a number of felicitations while serving as Chief of Cardiology and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas. Beyond earning the distinction of having been Texas Monthly’s Super Doctor 15 times, he’s made the Super Doctor Hall of Fame. Not the Hall of Fame you were expecting, right?

The philosophy he’s evolved from his time in medicine was passed down to Justin. “Being good at a lot of things requires a lot of hard work, and being the best at one thing requires the most hard work,” as Dr. Tucker says. That’s the kind of mindset that drove his son to be the record-breaking placekicker that he is. Off the back of his success as a father, he now operates as a motivational speaker for the Catholic Speakers Organization. Dr. Tucker often gives talks about how to adopt a winning mindset, and how it’s okay to want to win. Here’s to him inspiring countless others. Enough of how, however, what about his better half?

Who is Justin Tucker’s mom?

Justin Tucker’s mom, Michelle, has a less public-facing persona than Dr. Tucker. But she’s still active, now in her 60s, as a photographer. She runs her own business, Michelle Tucker Photography, out of Austin, Texas. We’re unsure how long she’s been running the business, but the fact it’s got an AOL email address should say something, no? A brief glimpse at her website shows she’s still heavily involved with Westlake High School, where her son first played football. Perhaps it was then that she got into sports photography, she does have gifted hands for it.

Plus, she’s a devoted wife and mother still. She’s actually a year older than Paul, and was 21 when they got married, Paul being 20. It was a bit early by today’s standards, but it worked out, they’ve raised a happy family, and they’re both successful in their practices. What more is there to the American dream? The two frequently go on vacations together as well. We have nothing but good wishes for this family of UoT grads (Justin, Paul, Michelle, and even Justin’s sister Samantha went there!).

Heartwarming stories of success like that of the Tuckers can grow the NFL’s global appeal. If you’d like to hear more about that, be sure to check out our latest Think Tank Exclusive, featuring Emily and Erin Griffin.