LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Athletics and K Club look forward to honoring Jayhawks great Darrell Stuckey by inducting him into the Ring of Honor at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium during the Homecoming game vs. Texas Tech on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Stuckey, a safety in the Jayhawks football program from 2006-09, will be the fifth member of the 2008 Orange Bowl team added to the Ring of Honor.
“Darrell was an exceptional student-athlete for the Jayhawks who went on excel at the highest level of professional sports in his seven seasons in the National Football League,” said Jeff Long, Director of Athletics. “On that accomplishment alone he should be inducted into the Ring of Honor, but he has done so much more for KU. His off-the-field contributions to KU are highlighted by his support of an endowed scholarship, his role as a daily mentor for the current football team, and his stature as one of the great community ambassadors for the Jayhawks. We applaud Darrell for his continuous support of the University of Kansas and cannot wait to celebrate his induction in front of our fans at Homecoming.”
While in the Crimson and Blue, Stuckey played in 45 games, starting 42. He ranks second all-time among KU defensive backs with 295 career tackles, while also ranking 10th in KU history with eight interceptions. He helped guide Kansas to back-to-back bowl victories in 2007 and 2008 in the Orange Bowl and Insight Bowl. Stuckey earned All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2008 after collecting 98 tackles and five interceptions. He was a semifinalist for the 2009 Jim Thorpe Award honoring college football’s top defensive back and was named the 2010 Big 12 Conference’s Sportsperson of the Year Award.
“I am humbled to be honored alongside those who came before me and those who are yet to be honored,” said Stuckey. “To me, this is not about stats and accolades. This is about the people who walked beside me before I got to the finish line. I was a kid who just wanted to be made into something greater than what I could see or believed I could become. The men and women of KU Football and Kansas Athletics helped me do that. For that, I am forever grateful.”
Stuckey was drafted by the then-San Diego Chargers in the fourth round (110th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. A five-time special teams captain for the Chargers, Stuckey was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl in 2014. He collected 94 tackles, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and scored one touchdown during his seven seasons in the NFL. He was named the Chargers’ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year recipient in 2015 and was subsequently nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which is given annually to honor a player’s volunteer and charity work, as well as his excellence on the field.
“Darrell is a tremendous Jayhawk and certainly very deserving of having his name permanently displayed on the stadium,” said head coach, Les Miles. “From what I have been told, he was the finest teammate you could ask for and led this program to great heights. It is an honor to have him continue to be an integral part of not only the football team, but the entire KU community. I am excited for both him and his family to be able to celebrate the moment of seeing his name go up in the Ring of Honor at Homecoming.”
Stuckey will be joining Gilbert Brown, Larry Brown, Anthony Collins, Nolan Cromwell, Bobby Douglass, Ray Evans, John Hadl, Chris Harris Jr., David Jaynes, Bruce Kallmeyer, Curtis McClinton, Mike McCormack, George Mrkonic, Willie Pless, Todd Reesing, Gil Reich, Gale Sayers, Otto Schnellbacher, Oliver Spencer, John Riggins, Aqib Talib and John Zook in the Kansas football Ring of Honor.
