Darius Rucker’s allegiance to the NFL dates back long before his acclaimed music career. Rucker’s family had gathered to watch Super Bowl VI between the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins in January 1972.
“I remember asking everyone what team they were shooting that day,” said Rucker, who was 5 at the time. “Everyone was shooting for the Cowboys, so I decided that day to be a Dolphins fan. They lost and I cried.”
The following year, the Dolphins achieved the only perfect season in NFL history, which the franchise would honor in a 50th anniversary celebration later this month, when the Dolphins host the Pittsburgh Steelers for Sunday night football. That year, Rucker recalls, it was “pretty easy to be a fan.”
A three-time Grammy winner best known for being the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish before going solo as a country music artist, Rucker has more reason to celebrate this football season with the recent release of the second collection of NFL x Darius Rucker Collection by Fanatics. The product line launched last year with 22 items featuring all 32 NFL teams and expanded for the 2022 season to 27 items, including t-shirts, fleece options, apparel outerwear, vests and even shorts and pants.
“When I was initially asked to be a part of it, I was shocked. As a lifelong football fan, it was a dream come true to create a line of fan clothing inspired by the blend of my passion for music and football,” Rucker said. “For me, clothing is about sharing clothes that I would like to wear. Everything in this line, if there is a Miami Dolphins emblem on it, I would wear it.”
BCL Entertainment, a company specializing in partnering talent with brands, brokered the partnership between Fanatics, the NFL and Rucker, who adds that the collaboration was a “labor of love”.
One of Rucker’s favorite items from the initial release is a olive buttoned shirt jacketsomething he wanted to bring back and create a new iteration of in the new line.
“I wore this jacket like crazy all winter long,” he said. “Hoodies are also very important because I wear them at home and around the neighborhood. Those are two things I wanted to come back to.”
Having just wrapped up his summer tour, which included the first Riverfront Revival Festival in his hometown of Charleston, SC, Rucker is looking forward to the release of his next album, which will be released this winter and is his first solo project since 2017’s “Quand C’ was the last time”.
Even in his busy schedule, Rucker has found time to stay in touch with his beloved Dolphins, who host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and manage five fantastic football teams. His go-to player in fantasy football leagues, if any, is Aaron Rodgers.
