JOHN RUCKERJOHN RUCKER was nominated by alumnus James Konstantakis '69, a former sports writer now retired news editor. John is being inducted into the Hall of Fame for his outstanding athletic accomplishments, bringing both pride and prominence to his school and community. John is an alumnus of the Class of 1961. His high school basketball record is among the best in the school’s history.

John helped lead VRHS to the Section 2 Class C championship in the 1959-'60 season and was named the team's Most Valuable Player. That year, and the following year, he was also named to the Knickerbocker News All-Star Suburban Team, which included Albany, Schenectady and Troy areas, and in 1960-'61, he was named to the All-State team. Following high school, John went to Columbia Basin Junior College in Paco, Wash., where he was also named the team's MVP. In his second year at CBJC, he was one of the team's co-captains and helped lead the team to the league championship with a perfect 27-0 record. In 1965, John transferred to the University of Idaho where he was the university's 2nd leading rebounder and team's 3rd leading scorer.  In 1966, he led Idaho in rebounding and was the team's 2nd leading scorer and was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Star team. Upon graduation, John signed a professional contract in 1968 to play in the French National League where he helped the team to the Division II Regional championship playing for Alsace Lorraine's Auboue team.When John arrived in France, his coach told him that scoring 15 points a game wouldn't cut it. John scored 46 points in his professional debut! In 1969 & 1970, John moved on to play for the Division I Gaffenstaden/Strasbourg team and finished the season as the league's 3rd leading scorer. John returned to Rensselaer and played briefly for the Schenectady Wedekinds, a professional travel team comprised of college greats from the Capital District and across the U.S. In 2003, John's Columbia Basin's Jr. College team was inducted into the Northwest Athletic Association's Junior College Hall of Fame for its perfect season. Then in 2013, John's basketball prowess was recognized when he was elected into the prestigious Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame, giving Rensselaer two players so honored. (Barry Cavanaugh was elected in 2012.) In his travels, John has played with and against former NBA stars Lenny Wilkens and Elgin Baylor.In addition to his stellar athletic career, John has served the City of Rensselaer for several years on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club and has helped other organizations as well.