Reggie Rucker facts for kids
Rucker at the 2011 Greater Cleveland Sports Awards
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| No. 88, 83, 33 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | September 21, 1947 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Anacostia (Washington D.C.) | ||||||||
| College: | Boston University | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1969 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Reginald Joseph Rucker (born September 21, 1947) is a former American football player. He was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Rucker played for the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New England Patriots, and Cleveland Browns. He also played college football for the Boston University Terriers.
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Early Life and College Sports
Reggie Rucker grew up in Washington, D.C. He went to Anacostia High School. Later, he attended Boston University. Reggie was an amazing athlete in high school. He played four different sports: football, baseball, track, and basketball. He was the first student in over 20 years to play four sports at his school.
At Boston University, Reggie continued to shine in football. In his first varsity game, he scored a touchdown on a 71-yard punt return. He even set a new record for New England colleges. He returned three punts for touchdowns in one season! In 1978, Reggie was honored for his achievements. He was inducted into the Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Playing in the NFL
Reggie Rucker joined the NFL in 1969. He was not chosen in the draft, but the Dallas Cowboys signed him. This means he was an undrafted free agent.
Dallas Cowboys
As a new player, Reggie spent his first season on the team's practice squad. He was activated for a special game called the Playoff Bowl. The next year, he broke his wrist during practice. He was again on the practice squad for a while. But he later joined the main team. He even started in some games. Reggie played in the Cowboys' playoff run. He also played in Super Bowl V, where the Cowboys lost by a small margin. In 1971, the Cowboys made some changes to their team. Reggie was then released from the team.
New York Giants
After leaving the Cowboys, Reggie was picked up by the New York Giants in October 1971. He played for them for a short time. He was released by the Giants in November of the same year.
New England Patriots
Just a few days later, in November 1971, the New England Patriots claimed Reggie. The next year, he became a starter for the Patriots. He caught 44 passes for 681 yards. In 1973, Reggie had a fantastic season. He caught 53 passes, which was one of the best in the league. He also gained 743 receiving yards.
In 1974, Reggie broke his right wrist during a game. He played six more games with a cast on his arm. But then he was placed on the injured reserve list. This means he couldn't play for the rest of the season. There was a disagreement between Reggie and his coach. This led the Patriots to trade him to the Cleveland Browns in 1975.
Cleveland Browns
Reggie joined the Cleveland Browns in 1975. Even with a knee injury, he had a great season. He caught 60 passes, which was the second-highest in the NFL. In 1976, he made history for the Browns. In the first game of the season, he scored three receiving touchdowns. Only three other players in the team's history had done that before him.
In 1978, Reggie helped the team hire a new coach, Sam Rutigliano. That season, Reggie had 893 receiving yards. He also averaged 20.8 yards per catch, which was very high. Reggie became a key part of the "Kardiac Kids" teams. These Browns teams were famous for winning many games in exciting, dramatic ways. This happened during the 1979 and 1980 seasons.
By the end of the 1981 season, knee injuries made it hard for Reggie to play. He lost his starting position. In September 1982, he decided to retire from football. He had played seven seasons with the Browns. He caught 310 passes for 4,953 yards and 32 touchdowns. At the time, his 310 catches were the third-most in Browns history.
After Football
After retiring from playing, Reggie Rucker became involved in sports media in Cleveland. From 1982 to 1984, he was a color analyst for the Cleveland Indians baseball team. This means he helped explain the game during broadcasts. He also worked as an analyst for NBC's NFL coverage from 1983 to 1988.
In the early 1990s, he hosted a nightly sports talk show on a radio station called WKNR. After some time away, Reggie returned to Cleveland media in 2004. He became a football analyst for WEWS Channel 5. He covers the Browns and the Ohio State Buckeyes football teams.
Reggie Rucker's son, Derek, also became a professional athlete. Derek played professional basketball in Australia, England, and the Philippines.
