Reginald Joseph Rucker (born September 21, 1947) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Boston University Terriers The Boston University Terriers are the ten men's and fourteen women's Varsity team, varsity athletic teams representing Boston University in NCAA Division I competition. Boston University's team nickname is the Terriers, and the official mascot ...

Early years

Rucker attended

Anacostia High School Anacostia High School is a public high school in Anacostia, in the Southeast (Washington, D.C.), Southeast quadrant of the District of Columbia. History In August 2009, Friendship Public Charter School partnered with DC Public Schools to manage ...

before moving on to

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

. He was a four sport athlete (

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

, track and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

), making him the school's first four sport athlete in more than 20 years. In football, he contributed to an undefeated season by the freshman team. As a sophomore, his first play in a varsity game was a 71-yard punt return for a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

against the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

. He went on to break a New England major college record with three punts returned for

s in a season. In his final year, his team included Bruce Taylor, Pat Hughes, Fred Barry and Barry Pryor, who would go on to play in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

. In 1978, he was inducted into the

Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Rucker was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

after the

1969 NFL/AFL draft The 1969 NFL/AFL draft was part of the common draft, the third and final year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place January 28–29, 1969. The draft began with first overall pick of O. J. Simpso ...

. As a rookie, he spent the season in the

taxi squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scout ...

until being activated for the

Playoff Bowl The Playoff Bowl (officially known as the Bert Bell Benefit Bowl) was a post-season game for third place in the National Football League (NFL), played ten times following the through seasons, all at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It was o ...

against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. The next year, he broke his left wrist during preseason, which forced the team to place him again in the

. He eventually was promoted to the active roster and became a starter in place of the troubled

Lance Rentzel Thomas Lance Rentzel (born October 14, 1943) is an American former professional football player who was a flanker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Rams. He played college football ...

for the last two games of the regular season (ahead of former first round draft choice

Dennis Homan Dennis Frank Homan (born January 9, 1946) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons for the Dallas Cowboys (1968–1970) and the Kansas City Chiefs (1971– ...

), including the Cowboys' playoff drive and its narrow

Super Bowl V Super Bowl V was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 1970 Baltimore Colts season, Baltimore Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 1970 Dallas Cowboys season, Dallas Cowboys ...

loss to the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

. In

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

, the Cowboys traded Rentzel and in a separate deal obtained future hall of famer

Lance Alworth Lance Dwight Alworth (born August 3, 1940), nicknamed "Bambi", is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL), and the Dal ...

as part of the "Bambi trade" in May. The move would eventually force the team to waive Rucker on October 2, opting to keep

Gloster Richardson Gloster Van Richardson (July 18, 1942 – February 27, 2020) was a professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, and Cleveland Browns. He played college football at ...

instead.

New York Giants

Rucker was claimed off waivers by the

On October 3,

. He was released on November 1.

New England Patriots

On November 3,

, he was claimed off waivers by the

. The next year, he became a starter and finished with 44 receptions for 681 yards. In

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

, he had a breakout performance with 53 reception (sixth in the league) for 743 yards (eighth in the league). After breaking his right wrist in the fourth game of the 1974 season against the

, he played the next six games with a cast until being placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

on November 18,

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

. It was reported that a disagreement between

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

Chuck Fairbanks Charles Leo Fairbanks (June 10, 1933 – April 2, 2013) was an American football coach who was a head coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1967 to 1972 and at th ...

and Rucker about being placed on injured reserve, was the reason that led the Patriots to trade him to the

on January 28,

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, in exchange for a fourth-round draft choice (#86-Allen Carter).

Cleveland Browns

, he finished with 60 receptions, ranking second (first among

s) in the

, even though he played with cartilage damage in his knee (suffered in training camp), that required offseason surgery the following year. In the

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

opening game against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, he recorded three receiving

s, becoming only the fourth player in franchise history to achieve this feat. In

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

, he was one of the people that recommended the hiring of new

Sam Rutigliano Sam William Rutigliano (born July 1, 1931) is an American former football coach who is a television football analyst for WEWS, the ABC affiliate in Cleveland. He served as the head coach for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League ...

to team owner

Art Modell Arthur Bertram Modell (June 23, 1925 – September 6, 2012) was an American businessman, entrepreneur and National Football League (NFL) team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise for 35 years and established the Baltimore Ravens f ...

. That season, he finished sixth in the

with 893 receiving yards and fourth with 20.8 yards per catch. Rucker became part of the " Kardiac Kids" teams, which won numerous games in dramatic fashion, during the

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

and

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

seasons. At the end of the 1981 season, knee injuries made him lose his starting job to

Ricky Feacher Richard Ivy Feacher (born February 11, 1954) is a former professional American football wide receiver. Feacher played in nine National Football League seasons from 1976 to 1984, primarily for the Cleveland Browns. Holds the record for the faste ...

. On September 2,

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

, he announced his retirement rather than accept a backup role. He registered 310 receptions (at the time third most in franchise history) in 103 games (seven seasons) with the Browns, for 4,953 yards (16 yards avg.) and 32

Post-playing career

Rucker has been a part of the

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

media since his retirement. He was a

color analyst A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

baseball team from 1982 to 1984. He also served as an analyst for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's NFL coverage from 1983 to 1988. He hosted a nightly sports talk show on

WKNR WKNR (850 AM) – branded as ''850 ESPN Cleveland'' – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland. Owned by Good Karma Brands, WKNR is the Cleveland affiliate for ESPN Radio and the AM flag ...

AM 1220 in the early 1990s. After a hiatus, Rucker returned to the Cleveland airwaves as a football analyst for

WEWS WEWS-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, affiliated with ABC. It has been owned by the E. W. Scripps Company since its inception in 1946, making it one of three stations that have been built and signed on ...

Channel 5 covering the Browns and the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

since 2004. Rucker’s son, Derek, played professional basketball in Australia, England and the Philippines.

Controversies

Rucker attracted ridicule when he claimed during a 1984 NBC broadcast (

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

) that he had dinner the night before with Bengals coach

Sam Wyche Samuel David Wyche (; January 5, 1945 – January 2, 2020) was an American professional football quarterback and coach. He was a quarterback and head coach for the Cincinnati Bengals and a quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers. As hea ...

and had done an interview with the coach; Wyche later stated he did not have dinner with Rucker while also calling him a "blatant liar." Rucker later admitted he had made up the dinner and interview. This incident tarnished his broadcasting career, and Rucker gradually slid down the broadcasting hierarchy, until he was relegated to only the least important games each week, with no hope of recovering his once burgeoning post-playing career, and eventually left TV broadcasting in 1988. In August 2016, Rucker was sentenced to 21 months in prison for

embezzling Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

money from the Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance and other nonprofits. He was released in May 2018, and filed for

Chapter 7 bankruptcy Chapter 7 of Title 11 U.S. Code is the bankruptcy code that governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. This is in contrast to bankruptcy under Chapter 11 and Chapter 13, which govern the process of ''re ...

in November 2018.

References

External links

Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rucker, Reggie 1947 births 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American football wide receivers American men's basketball players Boston University Terriers baseball players Boston University Terriers football players Boston University Terriers men's basketball players Boston University alumni Cleveland Browns players Cleveland Indians announcers Dallas Cowboys players Living people Major League Baseball broadcasters NFL announcers New England Patriots players New York Giants players People convicted of embezzlement People from Southeast (Washington, D.C.) Basketball players from Washington, D.C. Players of American football from Oklahoma Players of American football from Washington, D.C. American sportspeople convicted of crimes Anacostia High School alumni