HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF WES RUCKER

HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF WES RUCKER

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 56 (Wednesday, March 25, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 25, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2686-H2687] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF WES RUCKER (Mr. BURCHETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Wes Rucker, who tragically lost his life on February 19. Wes was an award-winning journalist covering athletics at the University of Tennessee beginning in 2000 for, I believe, The Daily Beacon at UT. Wes began his career freelancing across East Tennessee, covering the Vols and other professional sports. In 2011, he joined ``CBS Sports'' as a senior writer and also hosted two radio shows on ESPN Radio Knoxville. Wes also hosted multiple podcasts, was a Heisman Trophy voter, an AP football and basketball poll voter, and a contributor to the AP All-American Team and All-SEC selections. Most recently, Wes joined WBIR in August of 2025 as a guest columnist and began hosting a weekday sports show in November of 2025. Wes' legacy will live on through Knoxville and the University of Tennessee. He was known as a wonderful guy who loved every second of his job and being with the UT family every day. I ask that if you get a second today to please say a prayer for his wonderful wife, his young son, and his unborn [[Page H2687]] baby. His wife lost her husband, and his son and unborn baby lost their daddy. I can't even imagine the hurt that that would cause, so please say a prayer for them. ____________________