OSHAWA, ON – Tucker Williams was always a ray of sunshine and so full of life that his parents, Shawn and Tamara, saw it every time he picked up a lacrosse stick. Tucker’s battle with a rare type of cancer called Burkitt’s Lymphoma came to an end on December 17, 2014. He was eight years old.
Almost 12 years later, his legacy lives on in his brother, sister, mother, father, and the entire lacrosse community. He is also remembered through the Tucker Williams Memorial Foundation Fund at SickKids hospital in Toronto, Tucker Williams Braver Than Brave Tournament hosted by the Oshawa Minor Lacrosse Association, and many players wearing the number 51 on their backs in memory of the kid that never stopped saying ‘Lacrosse is my favourite sport. If I could, I’d play lacrosse every day.’
Tucker is the younger brother to Oshawa FireWolves forward Dyson Williams who is ready to continue Tucker’s legacy as the FireWolves hold Tucker Out Lymphoma Night this Saturday for the first time in Tucker’s home of Oshawa.
Burkitt’s Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, which is made up of organs, glands, tubelike vessels, and clusters of cells called lymph nodes. The disease starts in a type of germ-fighting white blood cell called B cells, also called B lymphocytes. In the case of Tucker, what occurred was that the B lymphocytes turned into cancer cells and grew around his neck and throat area.
“Tucker started feeling sick one day after school, and I thought he had to get his tonsils out because I could see something large in his neck,” said Tamara Williams, Tucker’s mother. “A few people had heard in the Bandits organization because Shawn was still playing at the time, and word spread really fast that something was going on with Tucker, and we were flooded with emails, phone calls, and texts that he was getting testing done, and the support was beyond amazing.”
After Tucker had been diagnosed and had first started going through treatment, his father, Shawn, was still playing in the NLL with the Buffalo Bandits, and Scott Loffler, who is the Senior Director of Lacrosse Operations & Alternate Governor, organized the first-ever Tucker Out Lymphoma Night to raise money for Tucker and his family to support their medical bills and the treatment he was about to undergo.
“For the very first game, Tucker was in attendance for it, and they had him up on the jumbotron and showed him sitting in a booth with all his friends and family, which was special,” said Shawn, Tucker’s father and former Buffalo Bandits player. “Playing in that game was heavy, and just to see all the love, support, and how much Buffalo fans cared for Tucker was incredible.”
Lacrosse has developed into a very tight-knit community, and people know people from all over. The amount of support that came pouring in for Tucker was amazing, and the Williams family still thanks people for helping out and being a part of Tucker’s life.
In the summer of 2014, Tucker played his final lacrosse season for the Oshawa Minor Lacrosse Association with a smile on his face, always eager for practices and games to start and doing what he loved, while something beneath the equipment was developing.
“When he came back and was able to leave the hospital, he returned to the floor like he never left,” said Dyson about Tucker’s return to minor lacrosse. “He always made it look easy and to do it with Oshawa, was really special and the Oshawa Minor Lacrosse Association rallied around Tucker and it’s special to have them.”
After Tucker was first diagnosed, he underwent surgery to remove the tumour, and doctors were able to remove the majority of it, but not all, and the cancer returned during his final games.
“That summer was hard to watch him play for Oshawa Minor and not knowing what could happen,” said Shawn. “The love he had for the game was remarkable, and this game will always be his favourite.”
“He scored three goals in the final of the Brampton tournament and his team won as well and we didn’t know it would be his final game, but it was special to see him playing the game that he loves,” Dyson reflected on Tucker’s three goal performance.
December 17, 2014, is a day that Tamara, Shawn, Dyson, and Dylana will always remember in their hearts, the day that Tucker’s fight came to an end.
After Tucker passed, Loffler asked the Williams family if the Bandits could continue to honour the life of Tucker and support pediatric cancer research, and the Williams’ answer was instant.
“When Scott asked us, we were overjoyed and a little overwhelmed that they wanted to host another Tucker Out night,” said Tamara. “We knew that the night was special for the first one, but we didn’t know how special it would turn into, and look at where it is now in the NLL.”
With the FireWolves organization moving from Albany to Oshawa, and the hometown of the Williams family, current FireWolves player Dyson is proud to honour his brother in the town where the two of them were siblings for eight years.
“This will be the third Tucker Out Lymphoma game that I will be a part of,” said Dyson thinking about Saturday night’s game. “It’s hard to put into words what it’ll mean to me and I can’t thank the FireWolves organization enough for joining the Bandits and Desert Dogs in support of Tucker Out Lymphoma Night games.”
The amount of people that know Tucker’s story is phenomenal and many honour him every time they play The Creator’s game. The passion and love that people had for Tucker and for the entire Williams family shines through every lacrosse game that features a Williams player–whether it’s Dyson in his hometown for the FireWolves or Dylana playing at University of Pittsburgh or U of Albany or their father Shawn when he’s coaching the Las Vegas Desert Dogs or Team Canada–the passion is there from all of them and their teammates every game.
“I’ve never been more proud than to step out onto the field or floor with the number 51 on my back knowing it’s in honour of my brother,” said Dylana about the meaning of 51. “It’s an indescribable feeling. It’s everything that Tucker stood for and the legacy he left and for myself and my family to carry it out, means the world and I know Tucker is with us every day.”
Saturday will mark the first Tucker Out Lymphoma game in Oshawa and the FireWolves are proud and honoured to shine a light on the life and legacy that an eight year-old boy had on his community and the entire lacrosse world. Tucker Williams will always be Braver Than Brave.
“I think it’s going to be amazing to see,” said Tamara. “People bought their tickets months ago and more are reaching out asking if there are extra tickets available and even though we didn’t live in Buffalo, Shawn’s connection to the Bandits organization will always run deep and they love supporting the Tucker Out Lymphoma Nights.”
To witness, honour and raise awareness on pediatric cancer and help fund research, purchase your tickets here.
About Oshawa FireWolves
The Oshawa FireWolves are Durham Region’s professional box lacrosse team, competing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) out of the Tribute Communities Centre in downtown Oshawa, ON. For more information, visit OshawaFireWolves.com. Follow the team on Facebook at facebook.com/FireWolvesNLL, Twitter @FireWolvesNLL, and Instagram @FireWolvesNLL.
About National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is North America’s largest professional lacrosse league and welcomed more than 1 million fans for the third consecutive year during the 2024-25 season. Founded in 1986, the NLL is comprised of 14 franchises across Canada and the United States, and recently unveiled its largest brand campaign ever, “Welcome to The Next Major League™” and introduced its comprehensive grassroots initiative, NLL UnBOXed™, that will expand the League’s footprint to 60 communities across North America by 2028. For the latest scores and developments in the National Lacrosse League, please visit: NLL.com and find the NLL on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok. Games are available live and streaming on TSN, TSN+, the ESPN family of networks, ESPN+, and NLL+.
About Tribute Communities Centre
The Tribute Communities Centre is Durham Region’s premier sports and live entertainment facility and is managed by Oak View Group. The Tribute Communities Centre is home to the Oshawa FireWolves of the National Lacrosse League, Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League, and hosts a myriad of events including concerts, circuses, ice skating and family shows. Visit TributeCommunitiesCentre.com, and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
About Oak View Group
Oak View Group (OVG) is the global leader in live experience venue development, management, premium hospitality services, and 360-degree solutions for a collection of world-class owned venues and a client roster of arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions. Founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015, OVG is the leading developer of major new venues either open or under development across four continents. Visit OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
Close