He is married to his wife Laura and has 3 children. ''I talked to Bill after practice Saturday,'' said Rutledge. Jeff Rutledge - Biography - IMDb . Woodlawn High School had a much longer history that went back to 1916, when the community of Woodlawn was annexed into Birmingham. He started taking online courses through the University of Alabama's Bama by Distance degree program, and this past May, at 58, he graduated. A couple of weeks before their game, Banks' White alerted the Legion Field staff to expect a monster crowd. Discover Jeff Rutledge's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. I will make you that promise. On Nov. 8, 1974 -- 40 years ago this Saturday - the two-time defending state champion Banks Jets met their eastern Birmingham rivals the Woodlawn Colonels in front of what was then and remains today the biggest crowd to ever watch a high school football game in Alabama. "To be a 16-, 17-year-old kid, I had never seen anybody run and do the things Tony did athletically. See also [ edit] Rule 5 draft results References [ edit] "It really did.". We were playing in front of 20,000 people regularly, so we were getting some big crowds.". "It was the thrill of my life," Louise Nathan says. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. "But I was raised in the church anyway. "I wanted to go home. ''You gear up for a time when you're going to get together as a family. Only two practice sessions remain at the Fairleigh Dickinson campus here. "I was like, 'All right, it's that time.'". Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama, where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. "So it was a great lesson for me. Manage Settings Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. After games, fans mobbed Nathan to get a piece of his jersey. "And I didn't like that. I knew when I came to training camp that it would be tough. Dunn and Anthony Murray and that would go on to make it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, losing to eventual champion Indiana. I bought them last week. "Almost everybody who played in that (1974) game, you may not have been close friends with them, but you knew who they were," Grefseng, the Banks linebacker, says. WIFE'S SUGGESTION OF RETIREMENT LOST ON RUTLEDGE. While it has been reported that only one gate was open that night, Walter Garrett, who was the stadium manager at Legion Field for 38 years, says that both gates 7A and 7B at the south entrance to the stadium were open, as was customary at all Birmingham high school games there. "We were out there playing in the mud and the rain," Woodlawn's Ragland says. During preseason camp, evangelist Wales Goebel, who became a born-again Christian after alcohol destroyed his small-college basketball career and nearly cost him his life, came to share his story with the Woodlawn players. And much to the surprise of probably everybody who was there that night -- fans, players, coaches, cheerleaders and sportswriters -- neither one of the teams would go on to win it all that year. "It touched me," he says. In April 2010, Rutledge agreed to become the head football coach at Pope John Paul II High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee; where he coached for two seasons, leading the Knights to a 4-18 record. Some of those who were in the stands that night can't say for sure who won, and even many of those who were on the fieldare hard-pressed to remember the final score. I did believe. They made great souvenirs, too, and fans mobbed him after the games to get a piece of Nathan's jersey. Simms is the Giants' starter and Jeff Hostetler is No. And since Banks and Woodlawn were in the same region -- and both were competing in 4A, which was then the largest high school classification in the state -- only one of them would advance. "It was just that time. 66. The Nathans go to the same church, New Testament Baptist Church, with his former Alabama and Miami teammate McNeal and his wife, Rhonda. "The Woodlawn guys were like maniacs, and they were roaring all through their pre-game warm-ups. They've been married for going on 37 years now, with three children and nine grandkids. View the profiles of professionals named "Jeff Rutledge" on LinkedIn. "It was supposed to be a quick pass but somebody got in there and almost sacked Jeff. Like Jackson, Nathan excelled at just about any sport he played. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. He was a basketball guy.". #Jeff #Rutledge #Wiki Biography #Age #Height #Wife #Net #Worth #Family Tags: Age Biography Family Height Jeff Net Rutledge Wife Wiki Worth By Frank Litsky, Special To the New York Times. He had to meet with Coach Bryant to get him to sign off on it, too. Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, grew up in a house divided. In his teens, he acted in productions of the North Shore Children's Theater and, from 1942 to 1944, performed in . Rutledge would never start an NFL game again but he did see spot duty in relief of returning starter Mark Rypien in the Redskins 1991 Super Bowl Championship season, including some playing time in the Skins last game of the regular season, again against the Philadelphia Eagles. And the majority of us did that. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. I remember it was good we didn't start when we were supposed to because they were at their peak. Rutledge, first, and then Stan Humphries were knocked out of the game, leaving emergency quarterback Brian Mitchell (a kick returner and former college quarterback) to finish the game. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. We felt like we were probably the two best teams in Alabama, but only one of us was going to get to go to the state. They got in the car, and she drove him back to the football field, where she told Woodlawn coach Tandy Gerelds to do whatever he needed to discipline her boy for skipping practice, just as long as he was allowed back on the team. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. Welcome. DeOssie, who has been starting at inside linebacker, strained his back lifting weights. All rights reserved (About Us). There's something always new at the courthouse.". Jeff Rutledge - Pro-Football-Reference.com He was a backup in Super Bowl XIV as a member of the Los Angeles Rams, he was a backup to Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms in Super Bowl XXI as a member of the New York Giants, and was a backup in Super Bowl XXVI as a member of the Washington Redskins. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. Birmingham police guessed another 20,000 gave up and went back home when they saw the long lines. Wife'S Suggestion of Retirement Lost on Rutledge Center Dwight Stephenson and defensive back Don McNeal, who were a year behind him, would join the Dolphins the next year. "You wouldn't have known him to be any different from any of the other players on the team," Hendrix, who went on to play briefly with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers, says. Jeff Rutledge, who played at Alabama after he graduated from Bank High School, is pictured here during the 1976 Alabama-Notre Dame game in South Bend, Ind. It all built up to Nov. 8, 1974, when Woodlawn, which had won 11 games in a row, met its old nemesis Banks, which was riding a 34-game unbeaten streak, at Legion Field. His finest moment as a professional player came when as a member of the Redskins he came off the bench in a game versus the Detroit Lions in 1990. fdar charting for blood transfusion $ 0.00 Cart. Jeff Rutledge III - Facebook His wife, Laura, a former Miss . [3][5][6] Rutledge led Montgomery Bell Academy to a 41-17 record from 20022006, with two state titles in 2002 and 2003 and a #15 ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 poll in 2003. "And then they told me that that guy (Nathan) was an All-American basketball player, and he wasn't going to be playing football. On signing day, both Bryant and Alabama basketball coach C.M. I was so elated that he did it, and I thank the Lord that he did.". '", So just think, if Louise Nathan hadn't put her foot down, maybe no one would have ever heard of "Touchdown Tony.". 3 QUARTERBACK, https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/24/sports/uneasy-lies-the-head-of-no-3-quarterback.html, Frank Litsky, Special To the New York Times. Though Rutledge was available, no other team signed him. But there was one catch. After completing the eighth grade, those students who would have gone to Banks instead went to Woodlawn High School, Banks' old rival. Jeff Rutledge - Head of Internal Communications - LinkedIn Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). And I don't know when that will be.'' See the article in its original context from. From Banks, defensive lineman Freddie Knighton signed with Alabama, running back Jerry Murphree went to LSU, and linebacker Bob Grefseng played at Ole Miss. He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. . (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). When the teams ran back onto the field for the third time, the lower bowl of Legion Field was practically full. Roberts, the starting left guard, has a slightly sprained left knee, which was reported improved. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979.[4]. If all that notoriety affected Nathan, none of his teammates could tell. Jeff Rutledge. His most notable play with the Giants came in Super Bowl XXI in the third quarter. He had left the University of Alabama in the spring of 1979 without a diploma. That game meant that Rutledge got the nod to start the following week on Monday Night against the Philadelphia Eagles in a game that was to become infamously known as the "Body Bag Game". Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. His zodiac sign is Aquarius More about Jeff Rutledge Photo Gallery Jeff Rutledge Jeff Rutledge (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). In a 1982 playoff game with San Diego that became known as "The Epic in Miami," Nathan was the exclamation point on one of the most memorable plays in Dolphins' history -- dashing untouched into the end zone after receiver Duriel Harris caught a pass from quarterback Don Strock and then tossed it back to the streaking Nathan on a legendary hook-and-lateral play that ignited a dramatic Miami comeback. That same night, Banks' 35-game unbeaten streak came to an abrupt end when Rutledge blew out an ankle and the banged-up Jets lost 34-27 to West End. Woodlawn never beat Banks during Nathan's three years on the varsity. On Monday night, the Los Angeles Rams lost their backup, Mark Herrmann, for six to eight weeks with broken ribs. "I knew some of those guys, and I'm like, 'Why would y'all be out here in the hot sun watching freshman football?'" An estimated 42,000 fans filled the lower bowl of Legion Field for the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game. Carden Jefferson "Jeff" Rutledge - Wages and sons Banks quarterback Jeff Rutledge, who would later lead Alabama to a national championship and play on two Super Bowl-winning teams, and Woodlawn running back Tony Nathan, who would become Rutledge's teammate at Alabama and go on to play in two Super Bowls of his own, were the marquee attractions. That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. Senior Consultant. The attendance was out of this world.". In the spring of 2007 Rutledge got his first NFL coaching job when he was hired as quarterbacks coach with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals,[5] with direct charge over Kurt Warner. Contents 1 Early years 2 College career 3 Playing career 4 Coaching career 5 Personal life 6 See also 7 References Early years Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. Woodlawn students used to yell, ''Rip those Sugar Jets," which was a reference to this brand of cereal. On fourth down with a yard needed, he was sent by head coach Bill Parcells for a potential decoy play. So after his freshman football season -- while his football teammates were enjoying their break -- Nathan was on the basketball court the next day, trying to break into an Alabama lineup that featured Leon Douglas, Reggie King, T.R. The quiet, introverted Nathan didn't know quite what to make of all that attention. "It's been home a long time," Nathan says. Most likely, Tony would not have been drafted by the NFL's Miami Dolphins, and regrettably, he also would have missed out on starting in two Super Bowls, as well as being part of one of the most famous plays in Dolphins' history. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Jeff Rutledge: Bear Bryant promised a national championship at Alabama
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