Leo Rucka played Linebacker/Center for the San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...

 during the 1956 NFL season

1956 NFL season

The 1956 NFL season was the 37th regular season of the National Football League. CBS became the first network to televise some regular season games across the nation...

. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1954 NFL Draft

1954 NFL Draft

The 1954 National Football League Draft was held on January 28, 1954.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:-Round eleven:...

. He was picked 23rd overall. Leo was born in Wooster, an area of Baytown, TX, on August 18, 1931, and graduated from Crosby High School (Texas)

Crosby High School (Texas)

Crosby High School is a public high school in Crosby, Texas. Approximately 2,300 students are enrolled in grades 9 through 12.Crosby High School is located off FM 2100, approximately 35 miles northeast of downtown Houston. It serves the Crosby Independent School District The building was renovated...

 in 1950, Where he excelled in football, basketball, and all other major sports. He is a resident of Crosby, TX. He is Married to his wife of over 56 years, Lillian Rucka. They have 5 children, 11 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren. He attended College at Rice University

Rice University

William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...

 and was inducted into the Rice Football Hall of Fame in 1996. During His senior year at Rice, Leo helped the Rice Owls

Rice Owls

The Rice University athletic teams are known as the Rice Owls. The name comes from the owls in Rice's crest.Rice participates in NCAA Division I athletics and is part of Conference USA. Rice was a member of the Southwest Conference until its breakup in 1996. Rice then joined the Western Athletic...

 defeat the University of Texas in the final seconds for the southwest conference title. He described it as his "biggest college thrill". He also co-captained the team the season they won the Cotton Bowl Championship in 1954 against Alabama. He played in 5 NFL games, He has 1 documented fumble recovery, tackle data is not available from that year. Leo left the NFL to fulfill Army obligations as an aviation engineer. He served in Far East

Far East

The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...

 for 20 months. He was named to the All-Service Team. During his time in the NFL he was 6'3", 212 lbs. His teammates nicknamed him "The Quite Man"