Oct. 11, 2007
Columbia, Mo. - University of Missouri senior tight end Martin Rucker was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week, as announced by the Nassau County Sports Commission. Rucker was instrumental in Mizzou's 41-6 victory last Saturday over 25th-ranked Nebraska, as he caught a game-high nine passes for 109 yards and one touchdown as the Tigers improved to 5-0 on the season.
Rucker enters this Saturday's game at 6th-ranked Oklahoma as the national leader among all tight ends in both receptions (7.60) and yardage (87.80) per game, and his receptions figure also ranks 11th nationally among all position players.
This is the third time that Rucker, a St. Joseph, Mo., native, has won the weekly national award, adding to his previous accolades for performances in 2005 at Kansas State (8 catches, 102 yards, 1 TD), and 2006 against Colorado (6 catches, 66 yards, 1 TD). A pre-season Mackey Award candidate, which goes annually at the end of the season to the nation's top tight end, Rucker was also recently named a 1st-Team Mid-Season All-American by www.cnnsi.com.
The John Mackey Tight End of the Week is an honor distinct and different from the annual John Mackey Award. This weekly honor was started in 2004 to draw attention to individual play by Tight Ends during the active season. The Tight End of the Week acknowledgment does not have a direct bearing on the final John Mackey Award selection process.
The Nassau County Sports Commission, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization created to enhance quality of life of Nassau County residents through sports, is responsible for the administration of the John Mackey Award and the John Mackey Award Selection Committee. The 2007 recipient of "The Mackey" will be announced in early December and presented at the Nassau County Sports Commission Annual Awards Dinner on April 28, 2008.
For additional information, please visit www.johnmackeyaward.org or www.nassausports.org.