Darius Rucker reached a career high in the 1990s as the lead singer of the Grammy Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish. Since then he’s launched a successful career as a solo artist in the country music industry. When not in the studio or on stage, Rucker is watching football. The Charleston, South Carolina native is a huge Miami Dolphins fans (the Carolina Panthers joined the NFL in 1995). After Rucker performed the National Anthem at a Monday Night Football game at the Dolphins’ Sun Life Stadium in 1995, Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino “took the jersey off of his back and had it framed for me,” said Rucker. “It has dirt on it and everything.” Marino included the game ball and “a great letter.” Rucker says it’s “my most prized item in my sports memorabilia collection” which is rich. (Rucker is also a fan of golf and friends with Tiger Woods.)
Hootie & the Blowfish’s 1995 hit “Only Wanna Be with You” includes the line “the Dophins make me cry.” So it’s not a surprise to many Rucker fans that Ruckus named his second daugthter, Daniella Rose (in 2001) after Dan Marino (see below).
