This season will be Tucker Waugh's 17th at Army and his 26th in coaching. But it will be his first since going public in his battle with Parkinson's disease. The Black Knight's slotbacks coach and recruiting coordinator talked about his disease in an article on Army's official athletics website.
“I consider myself one of the luckiest men in the world,” Waugh said in the piece. “I am releasing this information solely because my symptoms are becoming more noticeable and have resulted in inquiries regarding my health.”
The article does not state when exactly Waugh was diagnosed with Parkinson's, but implies the symptoms have developed "over the past couple seasons." Still, Waugh has not missed work and does not plan to in the future.
“I think his Parkinson’s diagnosis has only made his work ethic even stronger,” Waugh's wife Jen said. The couple has two sons, Jackson and Nick. “I feel as though he wants to prove to himself that this disease is not going to beat him. He’s very determined that it’s not going to take away from how he coaches and how he does his job. It makes me so happy to see that his passion for coaching has not changed, but rather increased, because of Parkinson’s.”
Waugh helped Army to two of its best back-to-back seasons in the academy's modern history, going 8-5 with a Heart of Dallas Bowl win in 2016 and a 10-3 mark with an Armed Forces Bowl win and the Black Knight's first Commander-in-Chief's Trophy since 1996. Army finished 12th nationally in rushing in Waugh's first season after moving from wide receivers to slotbacks, improved to second in 2016 and led the nation in 2017, cranking out 362.31 yards per game on an even six yards per carry. Waugh doesn't see that -- or his coaching career -- slowing down any time in the foreseeable future.
“Parkinson’s is a serious diagnosis, but I am not afraid,” Waugh said. “For I have a wonderful family, and the people that surround me everyday are the national champions of toughness.”