By Josh Brown
Miami Valley Today
TROY — As Troy’s Tucker Raskey celebrated during his signing day ceremony, he held a picture of his grandfather, Frank.
“I have this picture in my pocket, and this is all for him,” Raskay said. “He passed away a couple years ago, and he always wanted to see me graduate high school and go off to college. And I always kept that in the back of my mind.”
Raskay, who did a little of everything for the 8-3 Troy football team this season, signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his football career at the next level at Urbana University during a ceremony Wednesday at the Trojan Activities Center.
In the end, Raskay achieved what his grandfather — who migrated to America with the hopes of creating a better life for his family — wanted for him.
“He came over here from Hungary in 1950 on New Year’s Day,” Raskay said of his grandfather. “He actually has a little book about his journey over here and everything that he did. Being 17 years old, having to fight your way out of your own country, carrying guns and having people watching your every move, he just showed how relentless he was. I could never give up. I just always keep that in my heart.”
After Raskay’s senior season with the Trojans, the only question was which college he would end up playing for — and Urbana University, a nearby NCAA Division II school, provided the easy answer.
“It felt like home to me,” Raskay said. “When I went there, saw the facilities, talked to their coaches, it just felt like Troy.
“They all want you to succeed, but at Urbana, they want you to succeed outside of football, too. They have study tables, every Wednesday night you can go in and talk to your professors, and you just can’t get that everywhere. The type of support that the coaches give, I just felt different there. I felt like I was wanted. I felt that connection.”
Raskay, who plans on studying education at Urbana, said that, though there were a handful of other schools in the running, being a Blue Knight just felt right.
“Tiffin was one, and a couple of Division III schools, but early on in the process, I started getting recruited by Urbana, and it just clicked,” Raskay said.
Raskay had a solid senior season for the Trojans as a defensive back and wide receiver, piling up 33 tackles — 15 of them solo — along with an interception and a fumble recovery. He also at times handled the kickoff and punt return duties, and he was the backup kicker, as well, going 6 for 7 on extra points and 1 for 1 on field goal tries. He was also named special mention All-Ohio for his primary duties as the team’s punter.
“Tucker is a true football player. He’s going to Urbana as everything,” Troy football coach Dan Gress said. “He’s not just a corner or receiver or punter — he does it all. And that’s what us coaches look for. We want true football players on the field. He brings that to the table and will do whatever it takes to get the job done, whatever is best for the team.
“He’ll definitely have a chance to punt there, and he’s got a leg for kicking, as well. He’ll be able to take advantage of that. And he’s a program guy, the type of player you build your program around. He’ll definitely be missed.”
Contact Josh Brown at [email protected], or follow @TroyDailySports on Twitter.
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