Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving has been one of the pleasant surprises of the first month of the 2024 NFL season. Irving was selected with the No. 125 pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and he has exceeded all expectations early in his rookie season. Let’s break down Irving’s real name and revisit his path to the NFL.
Examining Bucky Irving’s Real Name
While everyone knows the Bucs running back as Bucky, his birth name is actually Mar’Keise Irving. So, this begs the question: where did the nickname “Bucky” come from?
The story is actually pretty heartwarming. Irving got the nickname from his late father, Marcellus, who passed away when Bucky was just 2 years old.
Back in 2022, Irving opened up to 247 Sports about the origin of his nickname.
“I just grew up with it. When I was younger my dad called me that. He’s passed away now and it just stuck with me,” Irving said.
For a brief time, Irving was called “Bucko” instead. But according to the 247 Sports interview, this nickname was forced upon him by his coaches with the Minnesota Golden Gophers because “they weren’t thrilled with referring to their up-and-coming running back by the same name as rival [Wisconsin] mascot Bucky the Badger.”
Irving would eventually transfer to Oregon, where he started going by Bucky again.
Many fans may not even realize that Bucky is a nickname, as it’s what Irving has gone by since becoming a household name. Even when his name was read off the card during the 2024 NFL Draft, it was announced as Bucky rather than Mar’Keise.
Revisiting Irving’s College Career
As previously mentioned, Irving started his collegiate career as a member of the Golden Gophers. He was pressed into significant action during his true freshman season after starting running back Mohamed Ibrahim suffered a serious leg injury.
Irving capitalized on the opportunity by producing 772 total yards from scrimmage along with four scores in 2021.
Despite a successful freshman campaign at Minnesota, Irving elected to transfer to Oregon heading into his sophomore year.
Bucky Irving from Oregon has been selected in the 4th Round becoming the 7th Duck taken in the Draft so far.
Irving had 1,593 yards in 2023 with 13 TD’s.
— WestCoastCFB (@WestCoastCFB) April 27, 2024
This turned out to be a great choice because Irving nearly doubled his production across the board in his first season with the Ducks by generating 1,357 yards from scrimmage and 13 total TDs on 187 total touches in 2022.
Irving built off his stellar first year at Oregon by leading all running backs with 56 receptions to go with 1,593 total yards and 13 TDs in 2023.
After declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft, Irving didn’t test or measure well at the NFL Combine. He ran the 40-yard dash in just 4.55 seconds and measured in at 5’9″ with 29 1/2″ arms, a 29.5″ vertical jump, and a 9’7″ broad jump — all of which fell below the 20th percentile for his position. This significantly hurt his draft stock.
However, the Buccaneers weren’t scared off by these numbers. Bucs general manager Jason Licht has pointed out that Irving’s game speed is much faster than his testing speed, as evidenced by his terrific college film.
This has been on display early in Irving’s rookie campaign with the Bucs, as he has looked incredibly explosive whenever the ball has been in his hands.