Wes Rucker, longtime Tennessee sports journalist, dies at 43 after I-40 crash
wes rucker, a longtime sports reporter who covered University of Tennessee athletics, died in a car crash in Knoxville on Feb. 19. He was 43 and was the only fatality in a multivehicle collision on Interstate 40 West near Cedar Bluff.
Crash on I-40 near Cedar Bluff
Knoxville police say the crash began when a driver rear-ended a stopped vehicle, triggering a chain reaction that ended with a large pickup truck running over one of the cars involved. Rucker was pronounced dead at the scene, and the Knoxville Police Department is investigating. A news release about the collision was sent Feb. 20.
Wes Rucker's coverage and career
Rucker covered the Vols since 2000, first writing for The Daily Beacon as a University of Tennessee at Knoxville student. He wrote for the Farragut Press Enterprise, The (Maryville) Daily Times and the Chattanooga Times Free Press before moving to the Vols beat in 2007. He later worked as a senior writer for 247Sports and continued to appear in regional outlets through a media partnership. In 2025 he took a job with WBIR and most recently served as a writer and host for the station in Knoxville.
Family, health battles and reaction
Rucker's father-in-law, David Goldberg, confirmed the death in a Facebook post, writing, "This is so very sad.... We are heartbroken. " Rucker was married to Lauren and had a son named Hank; on Dec. 31 he announced that he and his wife were expecting a daughter due in May, posting the news to his 140, 000 followers on X and joking about the name his son had chosen. Colleagues and Tennessee athletics figures paid tribute: WBIR president and general manager David Hunt said, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Wes Rucker, " adding that Rucker "exemplified integrity, insight and a genuine love for this community. " Tennessee men's basketball coach Rick Barnes called the news "heartbreaking" at a Feb. 20 media availability and offered prayers for Rucker's family.
Rucker had candidly shared major events from his life with readers. In 2015 he suffered a stroke at age 32 and worked to relearn how to walk after experiencing partial paralysis and migraine headaches, chronicling his recovery while continuing to cover sports.
The Knoxville Police Department continues its investigation into the Interstate 40 West crash. Tributes and remembrances of Rucker's work and personality have appeared across social platforms as colleagues and fans react to his death.
