He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and was selected by the Panthers in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft.

Rucker played both sides of the ball in high school including catching 15 passes for 300 yards as a tight end.

On December 17, 2006, in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rucker suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in his left knee, causing him to miss the remainder of the 2006 season.

Rucker, along with former teammates Mike Minter, Stephen Davis, and Muhsin Muhammad, are co-founders of Ruckus House, a child development and learning facility.

The firm headquarters is located in Charlotte, NC, and services relocating clients locally, nationally and globally.

In the 2008 offseason, he traveled to Afghanistan to visit with troops along with Luis Castillo, Tommie Harris, and Sports Illustrated writer Peter King.

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.