Steve Marovich, Carthage Sports Information
KENOSHA, Wis. -- Former Carthage College head football coach and current assistant athletic director Tim Rucks will be inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame next March.
Rucks (95-79-1, 18 years), Carthage's second-winningest football coach behind Art Keller, took over for the Red Men in 1995 after a five-year stint as head coach at North Park University. Rucks' 2004 team went 11-2, won a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin title and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Football Championship before losing a 38-20 game to eventual-national-champion Mount Union. That year, he was named American Football Coaches Association North Region "Coach of the Year" and CCIW "Bob Reade Coach of the Year." Rucks was also named the Wisconsin Private College "Football Coach of the Year" in 2009.
It's an honor," said Rucks when asked to comment by the Kenosha News. "It's something I feel really good about. We did some good things at Carthage. When I took over, we weren't very good, and I think we made it into a good program. To be honest, it's something I never even though would happen. It never even crossed my mind. It's a little bit humbling, but I'm very appreciative and very honored."
Rucks, a native of Waukegan, Ill., graduated from Carthage in 1983 and was an offensive lineman for Coach Art Keller. Rucks played for the 1983 National Football League New York Jets. He was placed on medical leave for the final three games of the 2012 season and was reassigned as an assistant athletic director following the season. His new responsibilities include athletic recruiting, eligibility, advising, alumni relations and fundraising.
The induction ceremonies for the 2013 WFCA hall of fame class will be on March 29, 2014 at the Marriott Madison West in Middleton, Wis.
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services eight member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), Carthage College (Kenosha, WI), Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, IL), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, IL), Millikin University (Decatur, IL), North Central College (Naperville, IL), North Park University (Chicago, IL) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL). During the 2012-13 academic year, the CCIW honored over 1,400 academic all-conference recipients, 15 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-Americans, 30 CoSIDA Academic All-District recipients, 68 all-Americans and one national championship team.