CSR Ode to Mike Rucker

Long time Panther DE Mike Rucker announced his retirement yesterday in a very emotional press conference that saw him once again conduct himself with the utmost class. I didn’t know Rucker off the field but apparently he had a profound affect on many people and I will take their word on it. Though I didn’t expect him back with the Panthers I did expect him to sign elsewhere but in the end Rucker decided "He had nothing left in his tank".

Rucker was apparently famous for his constant jawing on the field and wonderful euphemisms’. Here a classic from the linked article:

Rucker would tell an offensive lineman who kept trying a similar lame move: "That's the same soup, just reheated."

I don’t have a particular game or even a play I will always remember him for though its a no-brainer he was key to the 2003 & 2005 seasons. What I will remember Rucker for can be described in one word: Toughness. When the Panthers had one of the best pass rushes in the NFL Mike Rucker was at the heart of it.

He was a relentless worker who wore down left tackles. He told me once that he identified with the tortoise, not the hare, in the old fable. In the fourth quarter, here came No. 93, finally crossing the finish line and smacking into the quarterback's blind side.

Rucker played hard from start to finish and that’s why he was able to stave off any upstart rookie from taking his job over his nine season career. If you want to know why he was so respected in Carolina then consider this synopsis:

Rucker ranks second in team history in tackles and sacks, and third in games played with 139. But that wasn’t why the room was jammed with not only more than two dozen current and former teammates, but trainers and receptionists, too.

It was because Rucker was the guy who asked the low-level employee about his family, who would sign up to visit sick children in hospitals.

"He’s been a role model for the organization and for the community," Richardson said.

Mike Rucker was the complete package. As the Panthers approach the draft this Saturday, Mike Rucker will still have an impact in DC Mike Trgovac’s opinion:

"We’re getting ready for the draft and you’re sitting there and studying all these players," defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac said. "You look and you think, ‘God, you just want to get a guy like Minter or Rucker."

What better compliment could you give for a player? How about this: The Panthers Hall of Honor.