Inductees

He was in the stands at Memorial Stadium the night of the infamous flea-kicker loss and, years later, could have followed in his older brother’s footsteps to help Big Red chase another national title.

Yet weeks before he signed a national letter of intent to play college football, Martin Rucker stopped himself and thought of what could be if he played for the University of Missouri.

“I remember waking up to the gravity of the decision and what (assistant) Andy Hill and (head coach) Gary Pinkel were trying to accomplish,” Rucker said. “I thought, ‘How cool would it be to go to Mizzou and give my home state something to cheer for, to be able to be on the biggest stage again?”

Rucker helped Mizzou nearly turn the trick as he emerged as one of the NCAA’s best pass-catching tight ends from 2004 to 2007, playing a huge role in the ’07 Tigers reaching a national No. 1 ranking and threaten a national title. It’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Rucker, a St. Joseph native, with the Class of 2017.

Rucker earned All-State in 2002 at Benton High School and, at Mizzou, won consensus First Team All-America honors as a senior in 2007. That season, Mizzou finished 12-2 season, won its first-ever Big 12 North Division title and finished No. 4 in the Associated Press poll.

In fact, he ended his Tigers career with several school records, including career (203) and single-season (84) receptions, and then played five years the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars and was with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012.

In other words, Rucked played a huge rule in one of Mizzou’s golden eras.

This from a player who was influenced heavily by his older brother, Mike, an All-American and three-time national champion at the University of Nebraska in the mid-1990s. That’s why Rucker was at Memorial Stadium the night of the flea-kicker, in which Nebraska won on a pass that hit off the foot of a receiver who fell into the end zone for the winning TD.

“I tried to pattern my career after him,” Rucker said.

Despite having attended numerous summer football camps at Nebraska, Rucker chose Mizzou and coach Gary Pinkel before Signing Day 2003.

A year later, as a redshirt freshman, Rucker caught his first pass, a 20-yard TD reception, from Brad Smith. He then helped Mizzou to the Independence Bowl in 2005, as the Tigers rallied from 21-0 to beat South Carolina.

“I remember (an assistant coach) telling me at halftime, ‘You’re a young guy on this team but you’re a leader. You’ve got to get these guys fired up,” Rucker said. “Even though I was a sophomore, it was a big step in my career.”

Two years later, Mizzou beat Kansas (Rucker scored the first TD) and rose to No. 1 in the Bowl Championship Series rankings before suffering a loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game.

“I still remember telling Lorenzo Williams in our first summer study hall, ‘If we ever get (Mizzou) back to the top, our fans will love us forever.’”

Rucker had long loved football, especially on the first play in organized football when, as fourth-grader, he returned a kick for an 80-yard TD.

The support of his parents made all the difference.

“We didn’t have everything we wanted but we had everything we needed,” Rucker said. “My dad had an incredible work ethic. He worked 12-hour shifts and yet showed up for our games. And my mom, she read to me all the time. I believe childhood literacy breeds a lot of confidence.”

For Rucker, eager to play in the NFL, played the part beginning in sixth grade as he practiced his autograph signature and more.

“You dress for the job you want,” Rucker said. “From the sixth grade on, I wore slacks and a tie on game days like the pros did on away games. Everything I did was about being a professional athlete.”

Rucker, now a family man with wife Geony and baby girl Claire, hopes he helped show what Mizzou football could be.

“When you look back, nobody can take that from you,” Rucker said. “We didn’t win the national championship but, if guys down the road say we helped get them there, then we did something.”