Tributes pour in after Wes Rucker dies in Knoxville car crash
wes rucker reportedly died in a car accident on Thursday in Knoxville. He was 43, and social media filled with tributes from colleagues and fans of Tennessee Volunteers coverage.
Wes Rucker remembered across Vols coverage
Wes Rucker was a longtime voice on Tennessee athletics, beginning coverage of the Vols in 2000 and later serving as a senior writer at 247 Sports and CBS from 2011 to 2025. He spent nearly a decade as a sports reporter at The Chattanooga Times Free Press before joining WBIR in August 2025 as a Vols reporter.
In November 2025 he began hosting a streaming show and podcast, 10 at 3 with Wes Rucker. He had previously hosted the GoVols247 podcast while at 247 Sports and hosted The Wes Rucker Show, in addition to co-hosting Swain and Rucker on Radio Knoxville.
Colleagues and friends posted messages Thursday night. Matt Jones wrote that he was "absolutely devastated" and called Rucker a friend who was "the heart of Tennessee sports coverage" in his mind. Other figures in national and regional media offered brief recollections: Dan Wetzel described Rucker as an exceptional reporter and family man, while Chris Vannini, Peter Burns and Carter Bahns praised his reporting and kindness.
Fatal multi-vehicle crash closed I-40 West near Cedar Bluff Road
A separate traffic crash on I-40 West near Cedar Bluff Road left a driver dead and blocked multiple lanes. The Knoxville Police Department said the chain-reaction crash happened around 4: 50 p. m. when a car stopped for traffic was rear-ended by another vehicle, then struck again by a third car.
KPD said a large pickup truck then drove into and on top of one of the cars involved. The driver of that car died from injuries sustained in the crash. KPD said five vehicles were involved and that the driver’s identity has not been released. The department is investigating.
What’s next
The Knoxville Police Department is continuing its investigation into the I-40 crash, and the driver’s identity remains unreleased. Tributes to wes rucker continued on social media Thursday night as friends and colleagues remembered his years covering Tennessee athletics and his work on local radio and podcasts.
