*This offseason, we want you to get to know our players a little more off the field.
While you may know safety Darrell Stuckey is a special teams ace and four-time Chargers special teams captain, here are five fun facts you may not know about number 25. *
- Born with Hexadactyly:Before you rush to Google, let Stuckey explain this medical condition for you: "I was born with six toes on my right foot. It was an extra pinky toe." While he says he got it removed shortly after birth, he had a reminder of it at his Combine. "When I was there, they started looking at my X-rays because my right foot was way more narrow than my left because they had to shave down a bone in my right foot." Due to that, while he doesn't have to wear two different sized shoes, he says he has to tie his right shoe tighter than his left.
- Overcame the Odds: Stuckey had febrile seizures when he was a child. "I couldn't regulate my temperature and had seizures." Due to his condition, he was told he couldn't play contact sports. However, five years after having his final seizure at five years old, he got clearance, and the rest as they say is history.
- Former Student Senator: Although he never had political aspirations, Stuckey became a student senator during his time at the University of Kansas. "You couldn't really get a job as a student-athlete or do anything that was credible. You couldn't get an internship that was really worth it at the time that works for your schedule football-wise." He said he went the student senator route because he wanted to show leadership off the field. "I was a part of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. We passed a bill for women in sports and did student government for experience." While at KU, Stuckey was big on diversity. He represented minority fraternities as well as student-athletes in the College of Arts and Sciences.
- Inner Artist:Stuckey said he loves art. While he won't reveal when he started taking up drawing and painting, he did mention his favorite subject. "I started drawing dinosaurs. This other kid and me had a competition all the time (on who could draw the best one)." For the most part, he's self-taught having only taken two legitimate classes throughout high school and college. Part of why he's into art is because it tempers his high-energy personality. Currently, he's into drawing landscapes and people.
- DIY Darrell: Much like Brandon Mebane, Stuckey is into building things. "I built a goalpost in my backyard. It looks just like the one here! But I built it out of PVC pipe." He does tune into home improvement television, but says he can't do what the experts do because "they don't show all the steps." While he's been into re-purposing things, he's looking to take on more original projects in the future.
