Newberry College Athletics

Rucker became an All-South Atlantic Conference selection in multiple sports in his time at Newberry, earning a Second Team outfield selection in baseball in the spring of 1998 before a First Team nod as a wide receiver in the fall of that same year.
 
At the time of his graduation, Rucker ranked fourth in career receiving yards (1,315), fifth in receptions (92), and sixth in touchdowns (9) despite spending just three years in Scarlet and Gray after transferring from Presbyterian. He started all 33 games in his career at Newberry and had at least one catch in 31 of them, including each of his final 18 games.
 
Rucker was a member of the All-SAC Tournament team in baseball in 1998. He drew 60 walks during that Co-Team MVP season, a mark that still ranks second in conference history, and is tied for third in the Newberry record books with 60 RBI. When Rucker's career ended, he ranked in the top 10 in eight statistical categories, including second in home runs (19) and third in total bases (220).