The film builds to a finale where Woodlawn meets crosstown rival Banks, quarterbacked by Jeff Rutledge, who would eventually play at Alabama with Nathan. The unsung hero, though, was a little linebacker named Greg Muse, who had transferred to Banksafter living in Texas. 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. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. Rutledge's road back to NFL as Cards QB coach filled with ups and downs (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. 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. In May 2013, Rutledge was hired by Valley Christian High School in Chandler, Arizona as a full-time staff member and also to lead the football program. ", Tony Nathan prepares to take a hand-off from quarterback Jeff Rutledge at the University of Alabama. "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. Tony Nathan talks about racism, 'Woodlawn' So I ended up saying, 'Thanks, coach, but no thanks.' They included touchdown passes of 29, 20 and 43 yards. "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. "I'm 57 years old, and I'll run into people that I haven't seen in years and years and years and they talk about that game, that they were there. Football was going to be it. Following his senior season at Alabama in 1978, Banks' Jeff Rutledge went on to play 13 years in the National Football League. Last year, Nathan was inducted into the Dolphins' Walk of Fame, immortalized alongside such legendary Dolphins as Dan Marino, Bob Griese, Paul Warfield, Larry Csonka and Nick Buoniconti in the sidewalk outside Miami's Sun Life Stadium. He was a basketball guy.". Former Realtor at ReallivingAdavanceRealty. "I don't even know if he realized how good he was back then. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). After games, fans mobbed Nathan to get a piece of his jersey. A title search shows that Mr. Rutledge and his wife bought a property in Naramata for $1.15-million on Oct. 31, 2016. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. Hoover, Alabama. "Somewhere, there is a videotape of that game," Grefseng says. Today, Ken O'Brien, the Jets' starter, broke a toe. 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. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). ''That may make the Giants think,'' said Rutledge. 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. Another, a little fireplug of a linebacker who had moved to Birmingham from Texas the year before, became the surprise defensive star of the game. . "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. 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 Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). A creative problem solver with refined approach to crisis communications and media management. (Birmingham News file/Robert Adams). "I knew some of those guys, and I'm like, 'Why would y'all be out here in the hot sun watching freshman football?'" Jeff Rutledge in Munford, AL - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages If all that notoriety affected Nathan, none of his teammates could tell. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). They made great souvenirs, too, and fans mobbed him after the games to get a piece of Nathan's jersey. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). Rutledge was born to Tony and Cheryl Rutledge in Cullman, Alabama, on April 21, 1989. "And when they were picking teams, I wanted to get picked. "I was running down the baseline trying to follow my guy around, and, all of a sudden, they set a pick and this guy's elbow hit me in the eye and that cured my basketball desire," Nathan says. 195 lbs (88.5 kg) Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. On the bus ride to Legion Field, the Woodlawn players knew it was a big deal when they got a police escort to the game, which was also a first for them. 1957 It wasn't anything boastful for him. 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. Josh Rutledge - Wikipedia After Thursday morning's practice, the Giants will leave for their annual welcome-home lunch at the Sheraton Centre. If Roberts misses Saturday night's game, as seems likely, Damian Johnson will move to left guard and Brian Williams will replace Johnson at right guard. "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. Almost assuredly, Nathan would not be the featured character in the upcoming movie "Woodlawn," which opens nationwide on Oct. 16, and most definitely, he would not have written a book, "Touchdown Tony: Running With a Purpose," which comes out Tuesday. He said he hadn't decided whether to keep two or three quarterbacks.''. "I remember going back and forth to get more tickets to sell. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. . ''My first year in the league, with the Rams, it was hairy because they had so many quarterbacks in camp. 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. Jeff Rutledge Career Stats | StatMuse Former Giant Jeff Rutledge Talks Playing and Coaching . He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. 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. Although he was mostly used as a back-up, he has two Super Bowl rings - one from the New York Giants and another from the Washington Redskins. Manage Settings "We both started to laugh.". Jeff Rutledge - Wikipedia 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. 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. ''You gear up for a time when you're going to get together as a family. "It was one heck of a game. Jeff Rutledge Stats | The Football Database As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. 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". "We have, I think, one of the best alumni associations in the NFL," Nathan says. 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. He is married to his wife Laura and has 3 children. Mike Perez was waived Tuesday, leaving Rutledge as the only other quarterback on the roster. 1-ranked Huffman Vikings -- Woodlawn fans started calling Nathan "Touchdown Tony" and began clamoring for pictures and autographs. "He wasn't too pleased," Nathan recalls. The final count was an estimated 42,000 people -- roughly 10,000 more than the previous record crowd at the Crippled Children's Classic between Phillips and Woodlawn, also at Legion Field, in 1950. ''I talked to Bill after practice Saturday,'' said Rutledge. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). ''I wanted to know what he was thinking. Jeff Rutledge takes a breather during the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game at Legion Field in Birmingham. So it was almost like it was the state championship game that night.". Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. An experienced communications and public affairs professional, with a record of effective strategic planning, outreach and engagement. Carden Jefferson "Jeff" Rutledge - Wages and sons "I said, 'What's wrong, Mike, they didn't have crowds like this at Locust Fork?'" Unbeknownst to either one of them at the time, she would later marry one of the game's biggest heroes. As depicted in the upcoming "Woodlawn" movie, droves of players, Nathan included, stepped forward to commit their lives to Christ that night. By WARNER HESSLER Staff Writer. "It was a miserable way to end your season.". But Norman, Okla., was cold and rainy when Nathan went to visit, and besides that, Switzer never bothered to come visit Nathan and his parents in Birmingham. Rutledge lived up to his star billing that night, completing 9 of 10 passes for 188 yards and that touchdown to Grefseng. Jeff Rutledge Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jeff Rutledge, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. "But this particular year, we were both undefeated going in. Fully committed to football now, Nathan became one of the key cogs in a wishbone offense that was clicking on all cylinders. I don't remember that whole week. "But I was raised in the church anyway. In 2013, he married Laura McKeeman (who took Rutledge's name upon marriage), a reporter and host for ESPN and the SEC Network. 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. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Those were the days when running backs wore tear-away jerseys, which ripped when opposing players tried to bring down the ball carrier by grabbing ahold of his jersey. Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009. On Monday night, the Los Angeles Rams lost their backup, Mark Herrmann, for six to eight weeks with broken ribs. A couple of weeks before their game, Banks' White alerted the Legion Field staff to expect a monster crowd. "Well, Shula knew what talent was," Nathan says. "I get to meet a ton of people -- lawyers, defendants, victims -- and they all are different," Nathan says. The following Friday night, Woodlawn closed out its season on a cold, rainy night at Fair Park, defeating Carver 12-0. Quarterback Jeff Rutledge played 13 seasons for 3 teams. They attended some of the same churches and dated some of the same girls. From Woodlawn, linebacker Rocha McKinstry signed with Auburn, and Hendrix, the defensive end, played with the University of North Alabama and later, the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers. 66. Bold denotes league leader. Drafted in the ninth round of the 1979 NFL Draft (246th overall pick) by the Los Angeles Rams,[2] Rutledge played in 14 NFL seasons[3][5] from 1979 to 1992 for three different teams. "That was neat, that she had just come up (for the game), not knowing anything that was going to happen years later," Rutledge says. Many of the players on both teams grew up playing pee-wee football together at East Lake and Wahouma parks, and as teenagers, they hung out together at Eastwood Mall. 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. Rutledge is a Christian and attends Arizona Community Church in Chandler. "They all looked at me like, 'OK, don't you think it's your time?'" Jeff Rutledge. "It really did.". I bought them last week. So the magic from that night continues to live on. Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. on November 25, 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child. "It's been home a long time," Nathan says. Perhaps that epic 1974 showdown at Legion Field between Birmingham high-school heavyweights Woodlawn and Banks would have been just another Friday night football game. He has established himself as a trusted advisor providing advice and direction to organizations in some of the most heavily regulated . Trivia (4) Quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams (1979-1981), New York Giants (1983-1989) and Washington Redskins (1990-1992). Horgan III, Jeff Hart, Jim Rutledge of Canada, Gary Hallberg and Jeff Freeman pose together with their Qualifying cards during the Champions Tour. An estimated 42,000 fans filled the lower bowl of Legion Field for the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game. Rutledge and his wife had just moved into their dream house in Atlanta, but felt it was the best job available. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. "I was like, 'All right, it's that time.'". Wife'S Suggestion of Retirement Lost on Rutledge (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). jeff rutledge wife - holyfamily.schoolmerchcanada.com It hardly seemed like a swan-song performance. The Nathans go to the same church, New Testament Baptist Church, with his former Alabama and Miami teammate McNeal and his wife, Rhonda. ----DeOssie and Roberts Out Steve DeOssie and William Roberts missed practice Wednesday. So it's tough for her to hear that she should wait. fatal car accident in tulare county / how to endorse a check for mobile deposit wells fargo / jeff rutledge wife. The athletic teams at Banks adopted the name Jets, and in 1961, the Alabama Air National Guard loaned the school a Korean War-era F-86D Sabre jet, which was painted in the school colors of Columbia blue and scarlet and prominently displayed on campus, making it an inviting target for practical jokers from rival schools. are hard-pressed to remember the final score. Jeff Rutledge - Facts, Bio, Favorites, Info, Family 2021 - Sticky Facts "It was an amazing thing to see all of those kids -- who grew up together and went to church together, played at Wahouma Park together - in that room together that night," Stearns says. We have estimated 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. ''My wife is frustrated,'' said Rutledge. 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. Tony Nathan will sign copies of his new book, "Touchdown Tony: Running With a Purpose," at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at the Alabama Booksmith, 2626 19th Place South, Homewood. . Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. "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. ", Tony Nathan is joined by his wife, Johnnie, and his daughters Nichole, Natalie and Nadia at his induction into the Miami Dolphins Walk of Fame in 2014. His parents met at the University of Arkansas, and when he was almost four his family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Rutledge, 58, who was the quarterbacks coach of the Cardinals in their only Super Bowl season, said Alabama never stopped aspiring to the biggest heights in college football since he left. He was a two-time all-state guard on the Woodlawn basketball team, and as a centerfielder and first baseman on the baseball team, he got drafted by the Montreal Expos. 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. (Birmingham News file) In the 1980s,. ", Tony Nathan runs behind his Miami Dolphins teammate Jeff Toews in a game against the New York Jets. "It was Banks-Woodlawn. His breakout moment came against Montgomery's Robert E. Lee Generals, when, late in the game, he scooped up a fumble and ran 38 yards for the winning touchdown. "Up until my eighth-grade year, I had been going to Banks games all my life, watching Jeff Rutledge's older brother, Gary, and Johnny Musso play,'' Ragland says. "Each gate had four openings in it for four lines of people," Garrett says, "but it still obviously wasn't enough.". Nathan scored Woodlawn's only touchdown on a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. of development through completion. Jeff Rutledge - Biography - IMDb See also [ edit] Rule 5 draft results References [ edit] A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. "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. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. On one particular visit, Bryant brought his overnight bag, Tony's father remembers. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Jeffery Joseph Rutledge | Obituaries | koamnewsnow.com White says he was assured by the Legion Field crew that it would be able to handle the crowd. The next Christmas, Santa Claus brought Tony his first official football. His zodiac sign is Aquarius More about Jeff Rutledge Photo Gallery Jeff Rutledge Jeff Rutledge The night after that chat, in an exhibition game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Rutledge completed all 8 of his passes for 156 yards. "So it was a great lesson for me. I don't know exactly when, but I'll do it.'". Although it was just one moment in time, all of their names -- as well as those of Greg Muse, Jerry Murphree, Bob Grefseng, Denny Ragland, Brad Hendrix, Jerry Stearns and many others -- will always be linked to that November night in Legion Field 40 years ago. , money, salary, income, and assets. Center Dwight Stephenson and defensive back Don McNeal, who were a year behind him, would join the Dolphins the next year. 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. ", RELATED: Turning back the clock at Legion Field. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. "There wasn't anybody that came to see me play or any of the other guys. He got permission from his academic advisers to drop his courses with a withdraw-passing grade and come back to finish his degree later. You look at the schedule, and that was the one you've got marked down that you want to win. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. Now he is not sure what he is. ', "I said, 'I will do that. 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. "There are people who went to that game that I've heard from all my life," Rutledge says. Jeff Rutledge was born on January 22, 1957 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. After working as an assistant at Vanderbilt University and with the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL, Rutledge is now the head coach at Valley Christian High School in Chandler, Ariz. After four years at Alabama, Woodlawn's Tony Nathan was drafted in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, where he played for nine seasons under Don Shula, including two Super Bowls. Jeff is survived by his wife, Dana; daughter, Payton Rutledge; son, Parker Rutledge; and several nieces and nephews. ''The first game Phil Simms goes down, they've got to get a quarterback. 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. Another one of football's coaching greats, Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins, drafted Nathan in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft, and even though it was a long way from Birmingham or Tuscaloosa, Miami was like a home away from home for Nathan. Gosh, that game was 40 years ago, which is unbelievable.". "They had the best running back in the state and we had the best quarterback," former Banks head coach George "Shorty" White remembers. . "The trouble is, it's on VHS cassette, and my VHS player died years ago.". That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. 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. He is a member of famous Player with the age 65 years old group. Once he started playing, though, she never let him quit. He finished his college career with a 33-5 record as a starter, which currently ranks him as the University of Alabama's seventh all-time winningest quarterback. After seven seasons at Vanderbilt, Rutledge became the head coach at Montgomery Bell Academy, a school for seventh to 12th grade boys in Nashville. ", Alabama basketball coach C.M. 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. People around the country were starting to notice him, too. "We were down 24-zip and nothing was going right, and that was the play that gave us the spark to come back. His wife, Laura, a former Miss . He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. Only two practice sessions remain at the Fairleigh Dickinson campus here. No one could be prouder, though, than the mother who wouldn't let him quit the football team back in the 10th grade, who taught him to always finish what he started. In those days, the Banks-Woodlawn rivalry was like the Alabama-Auburn of Birmingham high school football, but maybe just a little friendlier. "It touched me," he says. Jeff Rutledge - Senior Consultant - McMillan Vantage Policy Group "We were out there playing in the mud and the rain," Woodlawn's Ragland says. Out on the field, one of the players, a linebacker who also filled in as back-up tight end, caught the only touchdown pass of his high-school career, in what was by far the biggest game of his career. From Banks, defensive lineman Freddie Knighton signed with Alabama, running back Jerry Murphree went to LSU, and linebacker Bob Grefseng played at Ole Miss. Along the sidelines, one of the best coaches in Alabama high school football history would notch his 100th victory, but he would never win another. He played college football at Alabama, where he was the team's starting quarterback for their 1978 National .
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