A Class Act

On Tuesday defensive end Mike Rucker announced his retirement from the Carolina Panthers. In true Rucker fashion he made the press conference more about everyone else and not himself.

He thanked everyone in the Panthers organization from owner Jerry Richardson to the man who greets people at the stadium’s front desk.

Rucker came from the University of Nebraska and was the 38th overall pick of the 1999 NFL Draft. He became a starter for the 2001 season. He was the NFL Defensive Player of the Month for September 2003 and September 2004 becoming the 11th player in history to win that honor for the same month in two consecutive years.

His skill on the field have him ranking No. 2 in Panthers history in sacks (55 ½) and tackles (553).

We saw Rucker on the field. You didn’t see him in the locker room. Whether the Panthers won or lost, whether he played well or didn’t, he was always gracious and always willing to talk to the media no matter how badly a loss hurt.

However it is his off the field skills/actions that are truly noteworthy. Rucker, along with former teammates Mike Minter, Stephen Davis, and Muhsin Muhammad, are co-founders of Ruckus House, a child development and learning facility. One of Rucker's long-term goals for Ruckus House is to get one in every city which has an NFL team.

In the 2008 offseason, he traveled to Afghanistan to visit with troops. Rucker made a video documentary of his experiences for NFL Network, stating that if he was not a pro football athlete, he could easily envision himself in the military.

He is a family man who stays out of trouble that unfortunately many professional athletes find themselves getting into off the field.

When Rucker said to Coach John Fox “I just want you to know that I gave you everything I got,” “The tank is empty. It’s empty.” It was the truth coming from a man who gave it all he had his whole career.

Let’s all hope as the Panthers search for someone to play opposite Julius Peppers (another great man) that his replacement can not only produce sacks and tackles (that is the easy part) but that he will understand the importance and priority of serving God, his family and his community the way The Great Mike Rucker did.