Longtime sports reporter Wes Rucker understood the power and scope of Tennessee fans, especially Vol Twitter, the most rabid portion of the Tennessee fan base.
In the aftermath of Rucker’s tragic death Feb. 19, that same group of fans, who he would interact and spar with constantly, is coming through again.
Rucker was the only fatality in a multivehicle crash on Interstate 40 West near Cedar Bluff, Feb. 19. He was 43.
The family established a GoFundMe to help support Rucker’s wife, Lauren, their son and baby girl due in May. Within two hours the original $100,000 goal was surpassed. The new goal is $250,000.
“In a tragic instant, our family has faced an unimaginable loss,” the GoFundMe page says. “As the family navigates this devastating loss, we are hearing from those in a social community that he loved so dearly a desire to support. Coming together to ensure that Lauren and his children are supported, cared for, and surrounded by stability in the years to come.
“In this recent time of a job transition, Wes did not currently have a life insurance policy. All funds raised will go directly toward the ongoing needs of the Lauren and the kids in this time of transition and uncertainty.”
Vol Twitter, which has a nasty reputation if spurned, has come through for their own before. In 2022 Tennessee basketball star Zakai Zeigler’s mother, Charmane Zeigler, lost everything in a fire at the family’s home in an apartment building in the New York borough of Queens in 2022. Vols fans immediately sprung to life when the university posted details of a GoFundMe.
The family sought $50,000. Vols fans overwhelmed the family with over $360,000 in donations.
Rucker covered the Vols since 2000, working for multiple media outlets, including as a senior writer for 247Sports. He most recently served as a writer and host for WBIR-TV in Knoxville.
Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Email: [email protected]; X: @tyler_whetstone; Signal: twhetstone141924.39
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Donations exceed GoFundMe goal for Wes Rucker, longtime sports journalist