The 22-year-old Tampa Bay Buccaneers Running Back lost his father when he was 2. Later in life, his brother would suffer the same fate.
Key Takeaways
- Mar’Keise Bucky Irving was drafted by the Buccaneers in 2024.
- He was born in Chicago and lost his father when he was 2.
- He is of African-American ethnicity, but his detailed genealogy is unknown.
Bucky Irving, the NFL running back and kickoff returner for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is currently trending for the controversial referee decision in the recent Falcon vs. Buccaneers match.
In the final moments of the fourth quarter, the referees missed a crucial facemask call on Irving by the Falcons, instead calling a holding penalty. This ultimately led to the Falcons tying the game with a field goal and winning in overtime.
As the incident goes viral, it is being met with widespread outrage, especially among fans of Irving and the Buccaneers.
Another side effect of the incident is the resurfaced interest in Bucky Irving, particularly his personal life and background, including his parents and ethnicity.
Refs missed a late 4th quarter facemask by the Falcons on Bucky Irving, called just holding instead and pushed the Bucs out of field goal/ending the game range
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) October 4, 2024
This forced them to punt with a 3 point lead and allowed ATL to tie it #TBvsATL pic.twitter.com/czg6mc1Utc
Mar’Keise Bucky Irving was born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2002, to his mother, LaTisha Irving, and father, Marcellus Irving.
Bucky and his family are of African-American descent; however, their detailed genealogy is unknown.
He suffered a personal loss early in his childhood when his father passed away when he was only 2 years old.
Marcellus Irving is survived by the nickname he gave his son— “Bucky.”
He grew up with a brother who would later be shot and k*lled.
Irving showed a talent for football since his days at Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, Illinois.
He finished his high school football career with 3,264 rushing yards despite not playing his senior year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In another twist of fate, his grandmother passed unexpectedly on the day he was offered a scholarship to play at Minnesota.
Despite the loss, Irving enrolled at the University of Minnesota in 2021.
Truly Blessed, I’m just living in the moment and not taking anything for granted. Thank You for believing in me Minnesota! This one for you Grandma 😇. Let’s Work! #RTB 〽️🛶 pic.twitter.com/sudwkez98U
— Mar’keise Irving (@BuckyIrving) December 17, 2020
In his freshman year at Minnesota, Irving had 133 rushing attempts for 699 yards and scored four touchdowns.
After one season at Minnesota, he transferred to the University of Oregon, where, in his first year as an Oregon Duck, he totaled 1,357 yards from scrimmage and 13 total touchdowns.
Irving was named to the Associated Press All-Pac-12 first team, Coaches All-Pac-12 first team, Pro Football Focus All-Pac-12 first team, Phil Steele All-Pac-12 first team, and CSC Academic All-America first team.
He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in round 4 of the 2024 NFL Draft with the No. 125 overall pick.
Oregon Running Back Bucky Irving has declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, he announced
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 11, 2023
RB6 on the PFF Big Board🦆 pic.twitter.com/PDTrM5jSMZ
While not much is known about Irving’s personal life, he shows great promise in the NFL.
At just 22 years old, the young man has already achieved some incredible feats for the Buccaneers.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- During his college career, Irving showcased his versatility by excelling as a running back and contributing significantly to the passing game.
- At the NFL Combine, Irving demonstrated his athleticism with a 40-yard dash time of 4.55 seconds, a vertical jump of 31.5 inches, and a broad jump of 9 feet 7 inches.
