 2008Game 1 vs. Dallas 9/7: Inactive (knee)…Game 2 vs. Pittsburgh 9/14: Inactive (knee)…Game 3 at Baltimore 9/21: Inactive (knee)…Game 4 at Cincinnati 9/28: Inactive (knee)…Game 5 vs. N.Y. Giants 10/13: Inactive (knee)…Game 6 at Washington 10/19: Inactive (knee)…Game 7 at Jacksonville 10/26: DNP…Game 8 vs. Baltimore 11/2: Inactive…Game 9 vs. Denver 11/6: Inactive…Game 10 at Buffalo 11/17: Inactive…Game 11 vs. Houston 11/23: Inactive…Game 12 vs. Indianapolis 11/30: Made his NFL debut by playing tight end with 1 reception for 9 yards…Game 13 at Tennessee 12/7: Played on special teams…Game 14 at Philadelphia 12/15: Played TE…Game 15 vs. Cincinnati 12/21: Played TE and on special teams… Game 16 at Pittsburgh 12/28: Started at TE and caught 1 pass for 8 yards. College HighlightsHolds the school career-record with 203 receptions, topping the previous mark of 200 by Justin Gage (1999-2002)…It also broke his tie with Gage for sole possession for eighth on the Big Twelve career-record list…His 203 receptions are the most ever by a Big Twelve Conference tight end in a career…Ranks second in school annals with 2,175 yards receiving, surpassed only by Justin Gage (2,704 yards)…Joined Gage and Victor Bailey (2,144 yards, 1990-92) as the only Missouri Tigers to gain over 2,000 yards receiving in a career…Broke the previous all-time tight end records at the school which were set by Andy Gibler (101 catches for 1,290 yards, 1979-82)…Joined Justin Gage (82 in 2002) as the only players in school history to catch over 80 passes (school season-record 84 grabs) in a season…His 84 catches shattered the old Missouri season-record for tight ends, topping the previous mark of 55 receptions by A.J. Ofodile in 1993…Those 84 receptions placed Rucker ninth on the Big Twelve season-record chart…His 834 yards receiving in 2007 rank tied with Joe Stewart (1976) for sixth on the school’s overall season-record list, while that total broke the old record for tight end, topping Ofodile’s 1993 mark of 589 yards…His eleven receptions vs. Western Michigan in 2007 are the most catches by a Missouri tight end in a game and rank sixth on the school’s overall game-record list behind Justin Gage (16 vs. Bowling Green in 2002, 13 vs. Baylor in 2001 and 12 vs. Oklahoma State in 2001), Kenny Holly (15 vs. Oklahoma State in 1992) and Victor Bailey (12 vs. Kansas in 1992)… Holds the school record with 50 consecutive starts, topping the old mark of 48 by Brad Smith (2002-05). PersonalBorn in St. Joseph, Mo…Attended Benton (St. Joseph, Mo.) High School and was a standout at both tight end and defensive end…Earned first-team all-state honors as a tight end and first-team all-district and all-conference accolades at both tight end and defensive end…Added all-district and all-conference honors in basketball…Excelled in track, placing fourth in the state in the triple jump as a senior and 12th as a junior…Won conference and district titles in the triple jump, as well as a conference championship in the long jump…Father, Martin, is member of the House of Representatives in the state of Missouri…Older brother, Mike, was an All-America defensive end at Nebraska (1995-98) and retired following his nine-year NFL career with the Carolina Panthers (1999-2007)…Enjoys practicing magic in his free time. |
