View source for Tracy Rocker

{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1966)}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name         = Tracy Rocker
| image        = Tracy Rocker 2022 (cropped).jpg 
| caption      = Rocker in 2022
| current_team = Tennessee Titans
| number       = 
| position     = [[Defensive line coach]]
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1966|4|9|mf=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]], U.S.
| height_ft    = 6
| height_in    = 3
| weight_lb    = 288
| high_school  = [[South Atlanta High School|Fulton]] (Atlanta)
| college      = [[Auburn Tigers football|Auburn]]
| draftyear    = 1989
| draftround   = 3
| draftpick    = 66
| pastteams    =
* [[Washington Redskins]] ({{NFL Year|1989|1990}})
* [[Orlando Thunder]] ([[1992 WLAF season|1992]])
| pastcoaching =
* [[Auburn High School (Alabama)|Auburn High School]] (1992–1993)<br />Defensive coordinator
* [[West Alabama Tigers football|West Alabama]] (1994–1996)<br />Defensive line coach
* [[Troy Trojans football|Troy State]] (1997–2001)<br />Defensive line coach
* [[Cincinnati Bearcats football|Cincinnati]] (2002)<br />Defensive line coach
* [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|Arkansas]] (2003–2007)<br />Defensive line coach
* [[Ole Miss Rebels football|Ole Miss]] (2008)<br />Defensive line coach
* [[Auburn Tigers football|Auburn]] (2009–2010)<br />Defensive line coach
* [[Tennessee Titans]] ({{NFL Year|2011}}–{{NFL Year|2013}})<br />Defensive line coach
* [[Georgia Bulldogs football|Georgia]] (2014–2016)<br />Defensive line coach and associate head coach
* [[Tennessee Volunteers football|Tennessee]] (2017–2019)<br />Defensive line coach
* [[South Carolina Gamecocks football|South Carolina]] (2020)<br />Defensive line coach
* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] ({{NFL Year|2021}}–{{NFL Year|2023}})<br />Defensive line coach
* Tennessee Titans ({{NFL Year|2024}}–present)<br />Defensive line coach
| highlights   =
* [[PFWA All-Rookie Team]] ([[PFWA All-Rookie Team#1989|1989]])
* [[Southeastern Conference football individual awards#Player of the Year|SEC Player of the Year]] (1988)
* [[Outland Trophy]] (1988)
* [[Lombardi Award]] (1988)
* [[List of unanimous All-Americans in college football|Unanimous All-American]] ([[1988 College Football All-America Team|1988]])
* Consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1987 College Football All-America Team|1987]])
* 3× First-team [[List of All-SEC football teams|All-SEC]] ([[1986 All-SEC football team|1986]], [[1987 All-SEC football team|1987]], [[1988 All-SEC football team|1988]])
| statlabel1   = [[Quarterback sack|Sack]]s
| statvalue1   = 3.0
| statlabel2   = [[Fumble]] recoveries
| statvalue2   = 1
| pfr          = RockTr20
| CollegeHOF   = 2144 
}}

'''Tracy Quinton Rocker''' (born April 9, 1966) is an American [[American football|football]] coach and former player who is the [[defensive line coach]] for the [[Tennessee Titans]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played as a [[defensive tackle]] in the NFL.

After playing [[college football]] for the [[Auburn Tigers football|Auburn Tigers]] as a three-time [[List of All-SEC football teams|All-Southeastern Conference]] (SEC) selection (1986–1988), Rocker moved on to the [[Washington Redskins]] in the NFL for two seasons (1989–90). The 6'3", 288-pounder was a major disappointment in his brief pro career, however, in which he registered 3.0 sacks and one fumble recovery in 24 games, 17 of them starts.

In 1993, Rocker was chosen for the Auburn Team of the Century. He was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] by the [[National Football Foundation]] in December, 2004, and one year later, he was afforded the same honor by the Alabama state Sports Hall of Fame.

==Playing career==

===High school===
Rocker played high school football under coach Willie Hunter at Fulton High School in [[Atlanta]], which later merged with Walter F. George High School to become [[South Atlanta High School]].

===College===
Rocker was a two-time All-American at Auburn, which he led to a pair of Southeastern Conference titles. In 1988, the senior was named SEC Player of the Year and awarded the [[Lombardi Award]] and [[Outland Trophy]], the first player in the conference to achieve the feat. 
He finished his career with 354 tackles, 21 sacks and 48 tackles for loss.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/01/25/2917574_tracy-rocker-hired-to-coach-georgias.html?rh=1 |title=Tracy Rocker hired to coach Georgia's defensive line &#124; Georgia Bulldogs blog &#124; Columbus Ledger Enquirer |access-date=November 27, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206195615/http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/01/25/2917574_tracy-rocker-hired-to-coach-georgias.html?rh=1 |archive-date=December 6, 2014 }}</ref>

===Professional===
Despite robust success in college, Rocker wasn't selected until the third round of the [[1989 NFL draft]] by the [[Washington Redskins]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1989 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1989/draft.htm |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Six games into his first season, Rocker assumed a starter role. The retirement of [[Dave Butz]] coupled with a knee injury to [[Markus Koch]] prompted the move. While not dominant, he showed enough flashes to be named to three Rookie of the Year teams.

After only two seasons with the Redskins, Rocker was released by the team. When no other NFL organization expressed interest in his services, he concluded his playing career with a one-year stint with the [[Orlando Thunder]] in the [[World League of American Football]].

==Coaching career==
Rocker returned to Auburn to complete his undergraduate degree in 1992 and began his coaching career with the [[Auburn High School Tigers]] the same year. After serving two seasons as defensive coordinator at the school, he spent three years as a defensive line coach at West Alabama (1994–96).

Prior to his stint at [[Cincinnati Bearcats football|Cincinnati]], Rocker spent five seasons as the defensive line coach at [[Troy State University]] in Troy, Alabama.  While at TSU, three of his players received Division I-AA All-America honors, including Al Lucas, who earned the 1999 Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in Division I-AA. A total of 13 TSU players garnered all-conference accolades under Rocker, while five players went on to sign NFL contracts, including Marcus Spriggs, who was selected by the [[Cleveland Browns]] in the sixth round in 1999.

Rocker joined [[Houston Nutt]]'s staff at [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|Arkansas]] after one year at Cincinnati where he helped the Bearcats win a share of the 2002 [[Conference USA]] (C-USA) title. Rocker spent five years as the defensive line coach of the Razorbacks. His 2006 line ranked fourth in the SEC and thirty-third in the nation in rushing defense, holding opponents to 114.57 yards per game. Arkansas also ranked first in the SEC and twenty-first nationally in tackles for loss with 6.93. When Houston Nutt went to [[Ole Miss Rebels football|Ole Miss]] before the 2008 season, Rocker joined his Rebels staff.

In January 2009, Rocker left Ole Miss to coach the [[defensive line]] at his alma mater, [[Auburn University]].

He was hired to be the defensive line coach for the [[Tennessee Titans]] in February 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.titansonline.com/team/coaches/Rocker_Tracy/7c71644a-0d14-43a5-a604-2d992f6bafdc |title=Tennessee Titans: Tracy Rocker |website=www.titansonline.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222055436/http://www.titansonline.com/team/coaches/Rocker_Tracy/7c71644a-0d14-43a5-a604-2d992f6bafdc |archive-date=2011-02-22}}</ref> Rocker's only previous [[National Football League|NFL]] experience as a coach was as a participant in the NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Program, working with the [[Indianapolis Colts]] in 2001 and the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web | year=2006 | url=http://io.stlouisrams.com/MediaContent/2006/08/23/11/minoritycoachingfellowship_56508.pdf | title=In 25th year, NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship attracts record 86 participants | publisher=[[National Football League|NFL]] | access-date=August 23, 2006 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090824152409/http://io.stlouisrams.com/MediaContent/2006/08/23/11/minoritycoachingfellowship_56508.pdf | archive-date=August 24, 2009 }}</ref>

In January 2014, Rocker was let go by the Titans and was hired to be the defensive line coach for the [[Georgia Bulldogs football|Georgia Bulldogs]]. On January 12, 2015, Rocker was promoted to associate head coach. On February 7, 2017, Rocker was fired as the Georgia Bulldogs defensive line coach.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Butt|first1=Jason|title=UGA fired former DL coach Rocker, documents show|url=http://www.macon.com/sports/college/university-of-georgia/bulldogs-beat/uga-football/article139229583.html|access-date=October 6, 2017|work=[[The Telegraph (Macon)|The Telegraph]]|date=March 17, 2017|language=en}}</ref> Rocker was revealed to have committed a minor [[NCAA student-athlete recruiting|recruiting]] violation while at Georgia although the violation was unrelated to his firing.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Butt|first1=Jason|title=Former DL coach's prohibitive phone call lands UGA a minor violation|url=http://www.macon.com/sports/college/university-of-georgia/bulldogs-beat/uga-football/article139196883.html|access-date=October 6, 2017|work=[[The Telegraph (Macon)|The Telegraph]]|date=March 17, 2017|language=en}}</ref> Rocker was hired by the University of Tennessee where he spent two years serving as the defensive line coach. In February 2020, Rocker was hired as defensive line coach at the University of South Carolina.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gamecocksonline.com/news/2020/2/14/football-tracy-rocker-named-defensive-line-coach.aspx|title=Tracy Rocker Named Defensive Line Coach|date=February 14, 2020 }}</ref>

Following the conclusion of the 2020 football season, the [[Auburn Tigers football|Auburn Tigers]] bought out his contract and he joined former Gamecock assistant [[Mike Bobo]] at Auburn.  After a week at Auburn, in 2021, Rocker returned to the [[NFL]] to serve as the defensive line coach for the [[Philadelphia Eagles]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gowton|first=Brandon Lee|date=2021-01-24|title=Report: Eagles expected to hire Auburn defensive line coach|url=https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2021/1/24/22247375/eagles-tracy-rocker-hire-auburn-defensive-line-coach-philadelphia-jonathan-gannon-coaching-staff-nfl|access-date=2021-01-24|website=Bleeding Green Nation|language=en}}</ref>

On February 14, 2024, Rocker was named as defensive line coach for the [[Tennessee Titans]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tennesseetitans.com/news/titans-add-10-new-assistant-coaches-and-retain-11-others-on-hc-brian-callahan-s-staff|work=TennesseeTitans.com|title=Titans Add 10 New Assistant Coaches and Retain 11 Others on HC Brian Callahan's Staff|date=February 13, 2024|accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref>

==Players coached==
In his first season with the Razorbacks, UA's 2003 defensive line helped the Hogs finish fifth in the SEC in total defense, allowing 344.0 yards per game.  In 2004, Rocker coached first-team All-SEC end Jeb Huckeba, who produced 56 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.  Huckeba was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.  Rocker's 2005 unit tied for second in the SEC with 29 sacks and was fourth in rushing defense behind Jackson, who earned second-team All-SEC honors after finishing fourth on the team with 74 tackles.

Under Rocker's guidance, Jamaal Anderson was the premier pass rusher in the SEC in 2006 with 14 sacks for 100 yards and 20.5 tackles for loss.  The honorable mention All-American ranked third nationally in sacks per game with 1.0, while his 20.5 TFL ranked 12th.  Anderson also notched 65 tackles and a team-best 26 quarterback hurries.  Anderson was selected as the eighth pick of the first round of the [[2007 NFL draft]], while fellow Razorback defensive lineman Keith Jackson was taken in the seventh round.

In 2010, Rocker coached 2010 [[Lombardi Award]] winner, AP All-American<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sports.ap.org/college-football/story?id=9184f32f236041078a02c52d21d73c5f |title=AP All-America Team, List |access-date=February 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113120540/http://sports.ap.org/college-football/story?id=9184f32f236041078a02c52d21d73c5f |archive-date=January 13, 2011 }}</ref> defensive lineman, and AP SEC defensive player of the year<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sports.ap.org/college-football/story?id=0b8e5fc000f94969b4a26f69770f4af8 |title=Newton, Fairley lead Auburn domination of All-SEC |access-date=January 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210073517/http://sports.ap.org/college-football/story?id=0b8e5fc000f94969b4a26f69770f4af8 |archive-date=December 10, 2010 }}</ref> [[Nick Fairley]], as well as AP second-team All-SEC defensive lineman<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2010-12-06-132409351_x.htm | work=USA Today | title=2010 Associated Press All-SEC football team | date=December 6, 2010}}</ref> Antoine Carter.  Fairley led the SEC with 21 tackles for loss and was second in the SEC with 10.5 sacks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/12/auburns_nick_fairley_wins_lomb.html|title=Auburn's Nick Fairley wins Lombardi Award|date=December 9, 2010}}</ref>

Rocker was a member of the Auburn staff which won the [[2011 BCS National Championship Game]].

==Personal life==
A native of Atlanta, Rocker and his wife, Lalitha, have a son, [[Kumar Rocker|Kumar]], who is a baseball pitcher for the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]].

Rocker's younger brother, [[David Rocker (American football)|David]], also attended Auburn and played professional football.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shuler |first1=Roger |title=ROCKER'S A SHAKER AND MOVER FOR AUBURN |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-09-25-8802020318-story.html |access-date=November 12, 2018 |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=September 25, 1988}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{cfbhof|id=2144|name=Tracy Rocker}}

{{NFL defensive line coach navbox}}
{{2010 Auburn Tigers football navbox}}
{{1987 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1988 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{Southeastern Conference Football Player of the Year navbox}}
{{Lombardi Award}}
{{Outland Trophy}}
{{Redskins1989DraftPicks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rocker, Tracy}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:African-American coaches of American football]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:American football defensive tackles]]
[[Category:Arkansas Razorbacks football coaches]]
[[Category:Auburn High School (Alabama) people]]
[[Category:Auburn Tigers football coaches]]
[[Category:Auburn Tigers football players]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Bearcats football coaches]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Georgia Bulldogs football coaches]]
[[Category:High school football coaches in Alabama]]
[[Category:Ole Miss Rebels football coaches]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Atlanta]]
[[Category:Tennessee Titans coaches]]
[[Category:Troy Trojans football coaches]]
[[Category:Washington Redskins players]]
[[Category:West Alabama Tigers football coaches]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles coaches]]
[[Category:Coaches of American football from Georgia (U.S. state)]]