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Chargers TE Hayden Rucci, 3rd generation NFL player, catches 1st career TD
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- Chargers TE Hayden Rucci, 3rd generation NFL player, catches 1st career TD
Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hayden Rucci, 25, scored his first NFL touchdown in Week 5.
Rucci is a third generation NFL player whose younger brother Nolan Rucci is also in the NFL ranks as a member of the Indianapolis Colts practice squad.
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The Rucci brothers have athletic genes starting with their mother, Stacey, who was an All-American field hockey player at Penn State University in the early 1990s.
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Dad is former New England Patriot Todd Rucci
NCAA Football: Guaranteed Rate Bowl-Wisconsin at Oklahoma State
Dec 27, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Wisconsin Badgers tight end Hayden Rucci (87) against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
Hayden's father is Todd Rucci, guard for the New England Patriots from 1993-2000. He is a member of the New England Patriots All-1990s team.
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Rucci was on the roster for the Patriots Super Bowl loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI in 1997.
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Grandfather is former Baltimore Colt Tom Gilburg
Rucci's paternal grandfather is Tom Gilburg who was the Baltimore Colts punter in the Don Shula era from 1961-1965.
Gilburg transitioned into coaching with position jobs at Hofstra and Lehigh, before landing a head coaching position at Franklin & Marshall College.
While coaching linebackers at Lehigh, he also was the head lacrosse coach.
Rucci has paid his dues
The Pennsylvania native, who played college football at Wisconsin, was an undrafted free agent who has bounced around with five teams in two years. He was previously with the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, and Jacksonville Jaguars before joining the Chargers on September 22, 2026. He has appeared in six NFL games, starting two.
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