Tracy Rocker facts for kids
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Rocker in 2022
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| Tennessee Titans | |||||
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| Position: | Defensive line coach | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | April 9, 1966 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 288 lb (131 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Fulton (Atlanta) | ||||
| College: | Auburn | ||||
| NFL Draft: | 1989 / Round: 3 / Pick: 66 | ||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||
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College Football Hall of Fame
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Tracy Quinton Rocker (born April 9, 1966) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the defensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans in the National Football League (NFL).
Rocker played as a defensive tackle during his time in the NFL. He was a star player in college football for the Auburn Tigers. He was chosen three times for the All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) team from 1986 to 1988. After college, he played for the Washington Redskins in the NFL for two seasons.
In 1993, Tracy Rocker was honored by being chosen for the Auburn Team of the Century. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December 2004. A year later, he also joined the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
Contents
Playing Career
High School Football
Tracy Rocker played high school football in Atlanta, Georgia. He played for coach Willie Hunter at Fulton High School. This school later joined with Walter F. George High School to become South Atlanta High School.
College Football Success
Rocker was an amazing player at Auburn University. He was named an All-American twice. He helped his team win two Southeastern Conference titles. In 1988, as a senior, he was named the SEC Player of the Year. He also won the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy. He was the first player in the SEC to win both of these awards in the same year.
He finished his college career with impressive stats. He had 354 tackles, 21 sacks, and 48 tackles for loss.
Professional Football Journey
Even with his great success in college, Rocker was not picked until the third round of the 1989 NFL draft. The Washington Redskins chose him. Six games into his first season, Rocker became a starter. This happened because a player named Dave Butz retired and Markus Koch got a knee injury. He showed enough skill to be named to three Rookie of the Year teams.
After only two seasons, the Redskins released Rocker. No other NFL teams wanted him, so he ended his playing career. He played one year for the Orlando Thunder in the World League of American Football.
Coaching Career
Early Coaching Days
In 1992, Rocker went back to Auburn to finish his college degree. He started his coaching career that same year at Auburn High School Tigers. He was the defensive coordinator for two seasons. After that, he spent three years as a defensive line coach at West Alabama (1994–1996).
Before joining the Cincinnati team, Rocker coached for five seasons. He was the defensive line coach at Troy State University in Troy, Alabama. While at Troy State, three of his players became Division I-AA All-Americans. One of them, Al Lucas, won the Buck Buchanan Award in 1999. This award goes to the best defensive player in Division I-AA. In total, 13 players coached by Rocker earned all-conference honors. Five of these players went on to sign NFL contracts.
Coaching in College Football
Rocker joined coach Houston Nutt's staff at Arkansas. This was after one year at Cincinnati, where he helped the Bearcats win a share of the 2002 Conference USA (C-USA) title. Rocker spent five years as the defensive line coach for the Razorbacks. His defensive line in 2006 was very strong. They ranked fourth in the SEC and thirty-third in the nation for stopping rushing plays. They allowed opponents only 114.57 yards per game. Arkansas also ranked first in the SEC for tackles for loss.
When Houston Nutt moved to Ole Miss before the 2008 season, Rocker joined his coaching staff there. In January 2009, Rocker left Ole Miss. He went back to his old college, Auburn University, to coach the defensive line.
Coaching in the NFL
In February 2011, Rocker was hired as the defensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans. His only previous NFL coaching experience was through a special program. He worked with the Indianapolis Colts in 2001 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2006.
In January 2014, the Titans let Rocker go. He was then hired as the defensive line coach for the Georgia Bulldogs. On January 12, 2015, Rocker was promoted to associate head coach. On February 7, 2017, he was no longer the defensive line coach for the Georgia Bulldogs. Rocker then joined the University of Tennessee, where he coached the defensive line for two years. In February 2020, Rocker was hired as defensive line coach at the University of South Carolina.
After the 2020 football season, Rocker joined the Auburn Tigers coaching staff again. However, after only a week at Auburn in 2021, Rocker returned to the NFL. He became the defensive line coach for the Philadelphia Eagles.
On February 14, 2024, Rocker was named the defensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans once more.
Players Coached by Rocker
Tracy Rocker has helped many players improve their skills. In his first year with the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2003, his defensive line helped the team rank fifth in the SEC for total defense. In 2004, Rocker coached Jeb Huckeba, who was a first-team All-SEC player. Huckeba was later picked in the NFL Draft.
In 2006, under Rocker's coaching, Jamaal Anderson became a top pass rusher in the SEC. He had 14 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss. Anderson was chosen as the eighth pick in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft. Another Razorback defensive lineman, Keith Jackson, was also drafted that year.
In 2010, Rocker coached Nick Fairley, who won the Lombardi Award. Fairley was also named an AP All-American defensive lineman and the AP SEC defensive player of the year. Fairley led the SEC with 21 tackles for loss and was second in the SEC with 10.5 sacks.
Rocker was part of the Auburn coaching staff that won the 2011 BCS National Championship Game.
Personal Life
Tracy Rocker is from Atlanta, Georgia. He is married to Lalitha. They have a son named Kumar, who is a baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers.
Tracy's younger brother, David, also played football professionally and attended Auburn University.
