PITTSBURGH – Rap artist Eminem of the movie “Eight Mile” fame once said in a song, “If you had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it, or just let it slip?”

Former Northern Michigan University wide receiver and kick returner Marcus Tucker has captured it.

Just a few days ago, Tucker earned a rookie tryout with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers and after three days of showing his skills in front of that team, he was named to the 90-man roster.

In a phone interview earlier this week, Tucker said one specific catch that he made might have put him over the top of the other receivers.

“That last practice on Saturday, I had made a play that was just a ‘wow’ play,” he said. “I made a diving catch and popped up and finished the play and I ran into the end zone. It was like a 60-yard pass on a ‘go’ route.

“The very next day, that play was on (head) coach (Mike) Tomlin’s board. He actually displayed that in front of the whole team that specific play. He said ‘This is how you finish. This is how you pop up and finish the play.’ It was just an awesome feeling.

“I didn’t get many reps, so that one rep and that opportunity I literally made the most of it. By catching that ball, I feel like I caught a contract.

“I caught my opportunity when it came. Even though I made that play, I didn’t know if it was enough to put me over the edge or have a chance to be on the team.”

After finding out that he had made the roster, Tucker was overjoyed and felt that his effort had finally paid off.

“It’s just an amazing feeling,” he said. “I just feel so blessed. I worked so hard just to get to the tryout and to be asked to stay, sign and actually become a part of the 90-man roster and to actually have a legitimate shot to make the team, it’s just a dream come true.”

Tucker said he received the phone call from the Steelers about the tryout on May 3, just three days after the conclusion of the NFL Draft, and was on a flight to Pittsburgh that same day. He said that the call from the Steelers came out of nowhere and that during the waiting game of seeing if he’d ever get one, he was mentally preparing himself for every scenario.

“It was very surprising,” he said. “Throughout the entire process, I hadn’t had any interest from any team.

“Every outlet that I was using, either they said no, or we have guys that we think are better than you, or we don’t think you’re good enough. There was some type of reasoning why they weren’t going to give me an opportunity.

“I prepared myself for all things that could have possibly happened. I prepared myself to be ready if I got drafted. I prepared myself to be ready if I was an undrafted free agent. I prepared myself if I was going to get a tryout. I prepared myself for if I wasn’t going to hear anything at all because I got my degree and I was ready to move forward if that didn’t happen with the process.

“Fortunately, I got the call of a lifetime and I made the most of my opportunity.”

Wildcats head coach Chris Ostrowsky thought Tucker deserved a chance to move to the next level.

“I would’ve been surprised if he didn’t get a look,” Ostrowsky said. “It’s a huge push for us as a program. For a skilled guy like him to make a roster, it’s pretty special for our program and we’re excited to move forward.

“Because he’s so skilled, I think people have a tendency to look past just how tough of a kid that he is. He was a very blue-collar football player. He was electric for us from the second that he walked through the door. I don’t think there is any question that he’s going to be very hard to dismiss.”

Once Tucker arrived in Pittsburgh, the rookie minicamp began and he said it was similar to what he went through as a Wildcat.

“We started with two practices on Friday, two practices on Saturday and one practice Sunday morning,” he said. “After Sunday morning, they let people know who they were going to sign and everyone else got sent home.

“We did everything that we could possibly do there. It was just like having fall camp at NMU all over again.”

During his time at Northern, Tucker not only made impressive catches, but blazed down the field as a kickoff and punt returner. That ability might be the key to helping him make Pittsburgh’s final 53-man roster this fall.

Seeing and putting on the famous Steelers helmet was a big moment for Tucker and it felt like everything was coming together.

“It was very surreal,” he said. “To get that helmet, it kind of seemed very full-circle for me because when I lived in (downstate) Pontiac as a kid, the first team that I actually won a championship with, we were called the North Side Steelers. Our jerseys and our helmets and everything were exactly like the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was like a meant-to-be kind of thing.”

Tucker is still in Pittsburgh, learning the ropes and enhancing his skills. He’ll be in Pennsylvania until late June, where he’ll return to Marquette to move out of his apartment.

After that, he plans on going to Houston before heading back to Pittsburgh.

“We are training with workouts every day,” he said. “When we get out of workouts, I’m just watching film with my position coach and trying to make sure that I know the plays and get acclimated to the offense.

“After that, we head into OTAs (organized team activities) first and then into minicamp in June and then into fall camp and training camp with the preseason.”

When asked if he feels proud that he’s one of the very few in the long history of Wildcats to earn an NFL roster spot, Tucker said that isn’t who is.

“I’m not a prideful type of person,” he said. “I don’t like to beat on my own chest and make it about me. I’m more of a team guy.

“I tell this to my guys all the time. Even though people say, ‘Man, you had a great game,’ I’ll be like ‘Yeah, but we lost.’

“That’s always been my thing. I don’t really care much about what I did. I care about what I did to help the team to win games.

“That’s what this is about. It’s about winning and playing hard for your brothers.”

Now that he’s passed the first test on a journey to play in the NFL, Tucker said he’s not content with that and is prepared to do whatever he can to make the final roster.

“I think this is Step 1 for me,” he said. “Now I have to show the team why I’m valuable to them. I have to show everyone why I can be a valuable player.

“Being so close to my goals and my dreams, it makes me want to work so much harder than what I’ve already worked.

“I’ve got so much stacked against me. The odds have been against me my entire life, and I don’t know how, but I keep beating them. I keep staying positive and humble and continue to work hard.

“I’m now in the position to continue to do the right things to be successful.

“Now it’s time for me to finish what I started.”

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 246. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.