 He began his professional football career as a scout for the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1983, moving to the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits in 1985 before first working in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987.In 1992, he was promoted to Director of College Scouting, and in 2001 to Director of Player Personnel.While in Tampa Bay, Ruskell worked with Rich McKay.