"And when they were picking teams, I wanted to get picked. The quiet, introverted Nathan didn't know quite what to make of all that attention. Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. on November 25, 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child. He is currently single. That University of Alabama sorority girl who was in the stands at Legion Field that night? "There wasn't anybody that came to see me play or any of the other guys. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. 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. Birmingham police guessed another 20,000 gave up and went back home when they saw the long lines. William Nathan asked, referring to Bryant's bag. "In high school, he was the best quarterback in the state of Alabama, and Coach Bryant did his job and the recruiters did their jobs to get him to go to Alabama," Nathan says. It took him 36 years, but Nathan kept that promise to his coach. "We knew each other from grammar school.". Jeff Rutledge - Wikipedia RELATED:See who plays Tony Nathan in 'Woodlawn'. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. He was just a humble high school athlete. An estimated 42,000 people poured into Legion Field that night -- a state high-school attendance record that still stands -- but as big as the game was, just as many people were curious to see its two superstars, Woodlawn's Nathan and Banks' Rutledge. "It's been home a long time," Nathan says. Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama, where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. While Nathan ran for 112 yards and scored a touchdown that night, the Colonels lost to the Jets 18-7, with Rutledge completing eight of nine passing for 185 yards and a touchdown. "That was neat, that she had just come up (for the game), not knowing anything that was going to happen years later," Rutledge says. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge. 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, with direct charge over Kurt Warner. "He looked like he had a jet pack on his back," Baumhower recalls. He would just tear it off and throw it up in the crowd. Jeff Rutledge Position: QB Birthdate: January 22, 1957 College: Alabama Draft: Selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 9th round (246th overall) of the 1979 NFL Draft Stats Gamelogs 300-Yard Passing Jeff Rutledge Stats Jeff Rutledge career stats with the Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants and Washington Redskins. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is a former American football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. [4], Rutledge is a Christian and attends Arizona Community Church in Chandler. See the article in its original context from. "We don't have any of the highlight reels from the '70s that they have from Bo Jackson's day, but Tony did some phenomenal things on the football field and on the basketball court. He had to meet with Coach Bryant to get him to sign off on it, too. See also [ edit] Rule 5 draft results References [ edit] There was no mortgage. He is now a bailiff for Miami-Dade County Court Judge Edward Newman, a former Dolphins teammate. But he made a great play and I just kept running, and he threw it and I caught it.". All rights reserved (About Us). He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. ", RELATED:Remembering the 1974 Woodlawn-Banks game. Soon enough, though, Tony would be all around the ball. After the season ended, he accepted an assistant coaching position on Paul "Bear" Bryant's staff at Alabama, where he was part of back-to-back national championships in 1978 and 1979 -- the first of which featured Rutledge and Nathan in the starting backfield. The main building, built in 1922, was a grand, three-story structure that always looked more like a palace than a schoolhouse. You look at the schedule, and that was the one you've got marked down that you want to win. On signing day, both Bryant and Alabama basketball coach C.M. View the profiles of professionals named "Jeff Rutledge" on LinkedIn. When the teams ran back onto the field for the third time, the lower bowl of Legion Field was practically full. "I think (defensive lineman) Marty Lyons could play today. McNeal has been a pastor and counselor at the church, and he and Nathan are close, a friendship that dates back to their playing days at Alabama. But she's been through this every year. It's been very interesting. The regular season game was played in . "I don't even know if he realized how good he was back then. Jeff Rutledge Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge Position: QB Throws: Right 6-1 , 195lb (185cm, 88kg) Born: January 22 in Birmingham, AL (Age: 66-029d) More bio, uniform, draft, salary info 2x SB Champ 8 17 10 SUMMARY Career G 117 AV 8 QBrec 2-7-1 Cmp% 52.1 Yds 3628 Y/A 6.9 TD 16 Int 29 FantPt 151.0 Jeff Rutledge Overview Game Logs Career Postseason 1979 1980 Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He and his wife, Johnnie, who was his high school sweetheart at Woodlawn and his college sweetheart at Alabama, still live in the same house they bought in 1983. Rutledge lived up to his star billing that night, completing 9 of 10 passes for 188 yards and that touchdown to Grefseng. It helped, too, that both Banks and Woodlawn were also blessed with some enormously talented athletes who weren't named Rutledge or Nathan and who also went on to play in the SEC and the NFL. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. "It's . Senior Consultant. Former Buyer/Planner at Rutledge Properties LLC. Fully committed to football now, Nathan became one of the key cogs in a wishbone offense that was clicking on all cylinders. It was Grefseng's only touchdown catch of his Banks career. He said he hadn't decided whether to keep two or three quarterbacks.''. Stearns recalls. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is a former American football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. This week, Birmingham filmmakers Jon and Andrew Erwin began shooting a movie, "Woodlawn," which takes place during Nathan's days at Woodlawn High School and focuses in on that 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game. When the other team did not pick up on Rutledge, he took the snap and did a sneak up the middle for yardage that gave the Giants a first down that would eventually lead to a go-ahead score. At the age of 32, starting his 11th season as a National Football League quarterback, Rutledge was not sure he would make the Giants. UNEASY LIES THE HEAD OF NO. 3 QUARTERBACK - The New York Times 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. At 65 years old, Jeff Rutledge height not available right now. Jeff Rutledge Biography | HowOld.co There are 90+ professionals named "Jeff Rutledge", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. He was a basketball guy.". It wasn't anything boastful for him. On Monday night, the Los Angeles Rams lost their backup, Mark Herrmann, for six to eight weeks with broken ribs. So he signed again with the Giants, but for less than the $400,000 he made last year. Nathan played on the B-team his freshman year, and by his sophomore season, he earned a spot on the Woodlawn varsity as the starting free safety on defense. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. How tall is Jeff Rutledge? By Friday, the excitement was at full-tilt boogie. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. And the majority of us did that. Once he started playing, though, she never let him quit. The family will receive friends from 12:00-1:30 pm, Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at . Everybody else was gone home for Christmas vacation, and I was like, 'What am I doing here?' "So it was a great lesson for me. "I did accept Christ in my life at that time, they say," Nathan says. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 22 January. On one particular visit, Bryant brought his overnight bag, Tony's father remembers. "It wasn't hard to grab a piece of it. I still get chills thinking about it.". Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. ", Woodlawn's Tony Nathan ran for 112 yards and scored a touchdown in the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game, but Banks linebacker Greg Muse was all over him all night long. Based in Dallas, Texas with over 20 years of experience in concept, design, art direction, and production of print and web materials including: magazine / newspaper ads, brochures, collateral, direct mail, email graphics, logos, signage, and web graphics. Woodlawn students used to yell, ''Rip those Sugar Jets," which was a reference to this brand of cereal. Finished career at Alabama has the school's leading passer, surpassing Joe Namath. We will update Jeff Rutledge's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. Something else special happened that week, too. In overtime, he hit Art Monk with a vital 40-yard p* on third and 15 to help set up Chip Lohmiller's game-winning field goal. The sports teams at Woodlawn became known as the Colonels and the school colors were green and gold, the same colors that student pranksters sometimes painted that Sabre jet at nearby Banks. "It was time for people to actually get along -- no matter what race or color you were," he says. Who is Jeff Rutledge dating? Jeff Rutledge girlfriend, wife The other day, Rutledge called his wife and told her to wait. ", Tony Nathan breaks free with his tear-away jersey flying in the breeze. "He wasn't too pleased," Nathan recalls. 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. Jeff Rutledge date of birth: January 22, 1957. As the teams went through their pre-game drills, Woodlawn's Stearns noticed another assistant, Mike Logan, staring up into the stands with his mouth agape. A creative problem solver with refined approach to crisis communications and media management. Continue with Recommended Cookies. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). American football player and coach (born 1957), Alabama Crimson Tide starting quarterbacks, Washington Commanders starting quarterbacks, 1978 Alabama Crimson Tide footballAP national champions, Alabama Crimson Tide football yearly statistical leaders, History of the New York Giants (19791993), "High School Football Database - All-American (Parade 1974)", "Jeff Rutledge Named as Football Head Coach - Valley Christian High School", "NFL vet Rutledge returning as high school coach", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jeff_Rutledge&oldid=1134094507, High school football coaches in Tennessee, Coaches of American football from Alabama, Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama, Articles with dead external links from October 2010, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 00:15. Jeff Rutledge takes a breather during the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game at Legion Field in Birmingham. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). He was indeed a basketball guy, but Tony Nathan would be playing football for a long time. They included touchdown passes of 29, 20 and 43 yards. 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. Banks alums included Jimmy Sidle, an All-American quarterback at Auburn; Johnny Musso, an All-American running back at Alabama; and David Cutliffe, who became the head coach at Ole Miss and later, Duke. ", Tony Nathan runs behind his Miami Dolphins teammate Jeff Toews in a game against the New York Jets. That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. Commission - Waterways Banks came in riding a 34-game unbeaten streak, its last loss coming to Woodlawn, 21-18, three years before. All three of Nathan's daughters have their college degrees - Nichole from South Florida and Natalie and Nadia from Alabama - as does his wife. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). His most notable play with the Giants came in Super Bowl XXI in the third quarter. Charles Tillman Rutledge, Jr. Boiling Springs, SC Charles Tillman Rutledge, Jr., 80, of 2558 Old Furnace Road, passed away Thursday, June 20, 2019, at Spartanburg Hospital For Restorative Care . Drafted in the ninth round of the 1979 NFL Draft (246th overall pick) by the Los Angeles Rams, Rutledge played in 14 NFL seasons from 1979 to 1992 for three different teams. "It was always the biggest game of the year, for both sides," Rutledge says. I will make you that promise. The easygoing Nathan had the ideal temperament for the job, Newman told him. They got at least part of that right. Jeffery Joseph Rutledge | Obituaries | koamnewsnow.com He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. Ragland, the former Woodlawn quarterback, recently watched an ESPN documentary about another Birmingham-area sports legend, Bessemer's Bo Jackson, and it reminded of that 14-year-old kid he first met at freshman football practice. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. Banks High School - named for school superintendent L. Frazier Banks - opened in 1957 in Birmingham's South East Lake neighborhood and fielded its first football team three years later. Unbeknownst to either one of them at the time, she would later marry one of the game's biggest heroes. UNEASY LIES THE HEAD OF NO. 66. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Commissioner Rutledge, a native of Newport, graduated from Newport High School and earned a B.S. It hardly seemed like a swan-song performance. "Coach Tandy Gerelds was a fine man and a fine coach, and he had a lot to do with a lot of players on that team coming to know the Lord," Brad Hendrix, a senior defensive end on the '74 team, says. We had a blast. (Birmingham News file/Robert Adams). "It really did.". "Each gate had four openings in it for four lines of people," Garrett says, "but it still obviously wasn't enough.". I knew it even before that, when Plan B came along.'' "I said, 'If we win (the next game) and they win, we are both going to be undefeated when we play each other, and it's going to be the biggest high school crowd there ever will be,'" White recalls. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. 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. Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, grew up in a house divided. "It was the thrill of my life," Louise Nathan says. With the arrival of head coach Tandy Gerelds in 1971, though, and the emergence of Nathan, who had a breakout junior season in 1973, Woodlawn started to level the playing field. They've been married for going on 37 years now, with three children and nine grandkids. 100.00 Down Payment and Houses with No Credit Check. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. And in the memories of those who were there. 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. After completing the eighth grade, those students who would have gone to Banks instead went to Woodlawn High School, Banks' old rival. As depicted in the upcoming "Woodlawn" movie, droves of players, Nathan included, stepped forward to commit their lives to Christ that night. Tony Nathan, left, and Jeff Rutledge talk following the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game at Legion Field in Birmingham. "That's a scary thought now," the 58-year-old Nathan says of what might have been. 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). 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. 2. He started taking online courses through the University of Alabama's Bama by Distance degree program, and this past May, at 58, he graduated. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. "Well, Shula knew what talent was," Nathan says. From his perch in the press box, Birmingham News sportswriter Wayne Martin could see the pedestrian bottleneck at the south entrance of Legion Field, as well as an unbroken strand of headlights from the long line of cars on Graymont Avenue, which was backed up all the way to downtown. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Following his senior season at Alabama in 1978, Banks' Jeff Rutledge went on to play 13 years in the National Football League. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. 1957 "The touchdown was a busted play," he recalls. "I get to meet a ton of people -- lawyers, defendants, victims -- and they all are different," Nathan says. Nathan played nine years with the Dolphins and started in two Super Bowls. Fast learner, critical thinker with an eye for efficiency, and generally fun guy. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). A backup for most of his career, he was a member of the New York Giants team that won a Super Bowl in Super Bowl XXI and the Washington Redskins team that won Super Bowl XXVI. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. ''But this is tough on the family. And to himself. Gerelds' plan to move Nathan to running back was paying off handsomely, too.Sometime during that junior season -- maybe it was after he ran for 231 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-12 upset of the No. "The trouble is, it's on VHS cassette, and my VHS player died years ago.". I can tell you, Tony had no trouble with his blocking.". Now he is not sure what he is. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. So it's tough for her to hear that she should wait. are hard-pressed to remember the final score. The following Friday night, Woodlawn closed out its season on a cold, rainy night at Fair Park, defeating Carver 12-0. 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. I said, 'You have to wait until you see me.' "I was like, 'What?'" And Then There Were Three. 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". But there was one catch. "But it didn't bother me that I was forced to go to Woodlawn because a lot of my friends were at Woodlawn, too.". He completed 30 of 42 passes for 363 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 12 yards for the game-tying touchdown with only 24 seconds remaining. "I wanted some kind of meat to serve him," William Nathan remembers. Mike Perez was waived Tuesday, leaving Rutledge as the only other quarterback on the roster. William Nathan, who worked as millwright at Connors Steel in Birmingham, made his son Tony his first football by stitching together a strip of Naugahyde and stuffing it with rags and cotton balls. "We were down 24-zip and nothing was going right, and that was the play that gave us the spark to come back. ", Alabama basketball coach C.M. The night after that chat, in an exhibition game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Rutledge completed all 8 of his passes for 156 yards. Jeff Rutledge Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family Tony started playing pickup basketball games with some older boys in the neighborhood, and he was good enough that he was recruited to play in a rec league at Huffman Park. 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. (Birmingham News file) In the 1980s,. "They all looked at me like, 'OK, don't you think it's your time?'" Or was it 17-7? "We let them run and play," Tony's father, whom the family calls "Pops," says. After Thursday morning's practice, the Giants will leave for their annual welcome-home lunch at the Sheraton Centre. After games, fans mobbed Nathan to get a piece of his jersey. Internal communications and employee engagement pro with a tech focus and multi-disciplinary background. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). "We both started to laugh.". "It was supposed to be a quick pass but somebody got in there and almost sacked Jeff. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Rutledge's road back to NFL as Cards QB coach filled with ups and downs Plan B was the system under which each N.F.L. Jeff was in the flooring business and owned Vintage Wood Floors, Inc. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. "I think back about our team, and I think about the players who played then and who could play now in terms of their strength and speed and ability," Legg says. Rutledge was born to Tony and Cheryl Rutledge in Cullman, Alabama, on April 21, 1989. 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. DeOssie, who has been starting at inside linebacker, strained his back lifting weights. Football was going to be it. "We would go to the board of education and get tickets and we would be sold out in 30 minutes to an hour," Stearns says. 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. Jeff Rutledge | American Football Database | Fandom "I had some professors walk up to me and say, 'Hey, we were around when you were playing.'. [3][6], Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009.[3]. How old is Jeff Rutledge? He got permission from his academic advisers to drop his courses with a withdraw-passing grade and come back to finish his degree later. in Plant Science from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and a Masters in Agronomy (Weed Science) from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. 6'1", 195 lbs. "People drove up, saw the lines outside and just went on by. His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. By his senior year, it wasn't just folks in Birmingham talking about "Touchdown Tony." As that 1974 season progressed and both teams kept winning week after week, that friendly rivalry between Banks and Woodlawn reached a new level, though. After the Tide slipped to an uncharacteristic 9-3 in Nathan's sophomore season -- Alabama's worst record in his four years there -- the team bounced back to go 11-1 and finish runner-up to national champs Notre Dame in 1977 and to go 11-1 again and win it all in 1978. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is a former American football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. "Before Bo, there was Tony," Ragland says. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. The film builds to a finale where Woodlawn meets crosstown rival Banks, quarterbacked by Jeff Rutledge, who would eventually play at Alabama with Nathan. Jeff Rutledge. jeff.rutledge@mcmillanvantage.com. DailyPress.com. Jeff Rutledge in Munford, AL - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages Newton stood behind Nathan as he sat next to his parents and got his picture taken signing his letter of intent. 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 last game of the regular season, again against the Philadelphia Eagles. . (Linebacker) Barry Krauss could play today. "It was a culmination of really four years of building up to that point," Woodlawn quarterback Denny Ragland remembers. And when that happened, that movement, I was touched in my heart to do so again.". "We dedicated our season to the glory of the Lord, and we played at a much higher level those two years (1973-74) than we probably should have. ", RELATED: Turning back the clock at Legion Field. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Jeff Rutledge Biography. Roberts, the starting left guard, has a slightly sprained left knee, which was reported improved. The legend of Tony Nathan: From Woodlawn to Alabama to the NFL So you go all out and do what you can do just to fit in.". That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. "And then they told me that that guy (Nathan) was an All-American basketball player, and he wasn't going to be playing football. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. According to our records, Jeff Rutledge is possibly single. They made great souvenirs, too, and fans mobbed him after the games to get a piece of Nathan's jersey. He played college football at Alabama, where he was the team's starting quarterback for their 1978 National Championship victory, and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the ninth round of the 1979 NFL Draft. "'And you told me you didn't want me to play this game. He is married to his wife Laura and has 3 children. Sports Illustrated featured him in its "Faces in the Crowd" section after he ran for 228 yards and scored seven touchdowns against Ramsay, and late in the season, along with Banks quarterback Jeff Rutledge, he was named a Parade All-American. "You go through life carrying that (lesson): If you start it, you better try to be the best at it, and finish what you've got to finish," he adds.