Thurman Tucker - Later Life

Later Life

After being sent to the Padres, Tucker completed the 1951 season with them. In 88 games, Tucker had two triples and a .222 batting average. In the offseason, Tucker operated his own taxicab in Texas, and he contemplated retirement from baseball during a contract dispute in February 1952. He eventually played 47 games for the now-unaffiliated Padres, hitting .225 in the process. In mid-June, the Padres sold his contract to the Oklahoma City Indians. Tucker played in 72 games for the Indians that season, hitting .263. He retired from baseball before the 1953 season, and did not play with any professional team during that time.

Tucker returned to baseball in 1954 to play for the Lubbock Hubbers of the West Texas-New Mexico League. He played part-time for the team, serving as a replacement when players needed time off, whether through injury or to spend time with their families. He hit .360 in 25 games for the Hubbers. The following year, he served as player-manager for the Carlsbad Potashers of the Longhorn League. Tucker hit .275 in 114 games for the Potashers, including 25 doubles and eight home runs. He continued as player-manager for the Potashers in 1956, but the management considered firing him during a 14-game losing streak. He finished the year with a .306 batting average in 128 games. The following season, he was the player-manager of the Hobbs Sports, but only played in 16 games for them, hitting .273. In 1958, he ended his playing career, and became the general manager of the Hobbs team.

After retiring, Tucker became an insurance agent and lived in Oklahoma City. He married and had four children; his son Ronald served in the Vietnam War. In 1962, he also became one of the Houston Astros' first scouts. Tucker died on May 7, 1993, in Oklahoma City and is buried at Gordon Cemetery in his hometown of Gordon, Texas.