Bill Rucker was one of the most successful women’s basketball coaches in North Carolina prep history. His teams won a whopping 638 games in that sport against 252 losses in a 37-year career as Rucker guided squads at Tri High, Cool Springs and East Rutherford in Rutherford County, and then at Charles D. Owen and Enka High Schools in Buncombe County. The graduate of R-S Central High and Tennessee Tech also was a head football coach for 13 years, baseball for five and track for five years. In addition to his coaching duties, he was a volleyball game official for several years. His teams won one NCHSAA state title in women’s basketball, finished second on another occasion and captured 16 conference regular-season crowns and eight tournament titles. Rucker is a member of the Western North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and a couple of high school sports halls.
July 8, 2019
