[7] He eventually was promoted to the active roster and became a starter in place of the troubled Lance Rentzel for the last two games of the regular season (ahead of former first round draft choice Dennis Homan), including the Cowboys' playoff drive and its narrow Super Bowl V loss to the Baltimore Colts.

The move would eventually force the team to waive Rucker on October 2, opting to keep wide receiver Gloster Richardson instead.

[12] It was reported that a disagreement between head coach Chuck Fairbanks and Rucker about being placed on injured reserve,[13] was the reason that led the Patriots to trade him to the Cleveland Browns on January 28, 1975, in exchange for a fourth-round draft choice (#86-Allen Carter).

In 1975, he finished with 60 receptions, ranking second (first among wide receivers) in the NFL, even though he played with cartilage damage in his knee (suffered in training camp), that required offseason surgery the following year.

[14] In the 1976 opening game against the New York Jets, he recorded three receiving touchdowns, becoming only the fourth player in franchise history to achieve this feat.

[15] In 1978, he was one of the people that recommended the hiring of new head coach Sam Rutigliano to team owner Art Modell.

[21] After a hiatus, Rucker returned to the Cleveland airwaves as a football analyst for WEWS Channel 5 covering the Browns and the Ohio State Buckeyes since 2004.

[24][25] In August 2016, Rucker was sentenced to 21 months in prison for embezzling money from the Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance and other nonprofits.