Longtime sports reporter Wes Rucker, who covered University of Tennessee athletics, died in a car crash in Knoxville on Feb. 19.
Rucker’s father-in-law, David Goldberg, confirmed the death in a Facebook post: “This is so very sad. … We are heartbroken.”
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Rucker, 43, was the only fatality in a multi-vehicle crash on I-40 West, according to a Knoxville Police news release which detailed the incident but did not identify the victim. The crash started with a car stopped in traffic and led to a chain reaction of collisions. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rucker had covered the Vols since 2000, working for multiple media outlets. He most recently served as a writer and host for WBIR-TV in Knoxville.
Rucker was a witty award-winning journalist, a husband and father.
On Dec. 31, Rucker announced that he and wife Lauren were expecting their second child, a baby girl due in May. He made the announcement to his 140,000 followers on X in his typical funny fashion.
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“Rucker Baby No. 2 is due in May. Hank is gonna have a baby sister. And he insists her name will be Optimus Prime Night Ninja Rucker. He has insisted this for weeks. Every day. For weeks,” Rucker posted on X at the time.
Police provide details of Wes Rucker fatal car crash
According to the KPD news release, one person was killed in the multi-vehicle crash on I-40 West.
Around 4:50 p.m., officers responded to a five-vehicle crash near the Cedar Bluff Road exit. The driver of a vehicle involved in the crash was pronounced dead at scene.
The police investigation revealed that a vehicle was stopped for traffic when it was rear-ended by another vehicle, resulting in minor damage. Another vehicle then struck the second vehicle, setting off a chain reaction. Seconds later, a large pickup truck ran into and on top of an involved vehicle, fatally injuring the adult male driver of the vehicle it collided with.
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The KPD investigation is in its early stages and ongoing.
Wes Rucker was prominent voice on Vols sports beat
Rucker loved covering the Vols, playfully sparring with fans and sharing his life on X. That included bragging about his wife, sharing inspiring stories of his son’s health issues and even telling funny stories about his fan-favorite dog, Sir Angus McCorgihan, aka Gus.
In 2015, Rucker also chronicled his own health scare, a stroke at age 32. He had to learn to walk again and overcome partial paralysis and migraine headaches. He slowly recovered while writing about the sports that he loved and sharing every step of his journey with his numerous followers on social media.
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Rucker was a University of Tennessee graduate. He first covered the Vols for the student newspaper, The Daily Beacon, in 2000. As a student, he also wrote for the Farragut Press Enterprise, The (Maryville) Daily Times and the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Wes Rucker
Rucker covered Chattanooga athletics for the Times Free Press and then transitioned to the Vols beat in 2007. After that, he served as a senior writer for 247Sports, and a media partnership meant his articles also appeared in Knox News.
In 2025, Rucker transitioned to WBIR, where he continued covering his alma mater. He was a Heisman Trophy voter and served on All-America panels.
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Along the way, Rucker hosted numerous radio shows and podcasts focused on the Vols and college sports.
Among the UT press corps, Rucker was known as the last man standing in Neyland Stadium on game days. That’s because media relations staff usually waited until he was done writing, and talking, to turn the lights out in the press box.
Rucker always had plenty to say on any topic from the Chicago Cubs to Alaskan vacations to James Bond movies. And he had friends in sports media that reached far beyond Knoxville.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Sports reporter Wes Rucker, who covered Tennessee athletics, dies at 43
