He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up quarterback and a holder on kicks. That 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game would be Shorty White's 100th win at Banks, and his last. 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. So I've never come to camp feeling confident I'd be in place. No One Else Wanted Him. 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. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. Former Buyer/Planner at Rutledge Properties LLC. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. All rights reserved (About Us). In overtime, he hit Art Monk with a vital 40-yard pass on third and 15 to help set up Chip Lohmiller's game-winning field goal. 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. "It was always the biggest game of the year, for both sides," Rutledge says. "There are people who went to that game that I've heard from all my life," Rutledge says. So I ended up saying, 'Thanks, coach, but no thanks.' He was just a humble high school athlete. The name still resonates in the state, especially since Jeff Rutledge was homegrown (Birmingham) and in 2011 was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. In 2013, he married Laura McKeeman (who took Rutledge's name upon marriage), a reporter and host for ESPN and the SEC Network. They came out in such numbers that the start of the game had to be delayed twice so folks could work their way through the jammed Legion Field turnstiles. I don't know exactly when, but I'll do it.'". 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. Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, grew up in a house divided. Where was Jeff Rutledge born? "I came to stay until Tony makes up his mind," Bryant replied. 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. 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. (Birmingham News file). The quiet Nathan, who teammates say tried to shy away from all of the attention, was one of Birmingham's first superstar black athletes in a city that was still adjusting to integration. "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. . "I didn't have to worry about cutting grass because they played all the time.". To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Horgan III, Jeff Hart, Jim Rutledge of Canada, Gary Hallberg and Jeff Freeman pose together with their Qualifying cards during the Champions Tour. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. 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. I think Tony could definitely play today. "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. By WARNER HESSLER Staff Writer. It's been very interesting. Newton and football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant stand behind Tony Nathan as he signs his scholarship to attend the University of Alabama. White is now retired and living with his wife, June, in Helena. are hard-pressed to remember the final score. What is Jeff Rutledge's full name? The other day, Rutledge called his wife and told her to wait. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. One of them said on the phone, 'What did you get me?' Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. Ragland recalls. "Some of the other running backs didn't want to be that lead blocker. They know they're going to get presents when they see me. "If we needed him to throw the football, I knew he could definitely do that. The next year, I was on injured reserve. 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, AL. I knew it even before that, when Plan B came along.'' He was worn out, and he was just tearing the rest of his jersey off.". , money, salary, income, and assets. Tony could have gone anywhere. 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. "I said, 'What's wrong, Mike, they didn't have crowds like this at Locust Fork?'" "To be a 16-, 17-year-old kid, I had never seen anybody run and do the things Tony did athletically. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. He would just tear it off and throw it up in the crowd. "And you're not going to be the first.". The film builds to a finale where Woodlawn meets crosstown rival Banks, quarterbacked by Jeff Rutledge, who would eventually play at Alabama with Nathan. 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. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. Jeff Rutledge, Nathan's old rival from Banks, was now his teammate, quarterbacking the Tide. 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. He started taking online courses through the University of Alabama's Bama by Distance degree program, and this past May, at 58, he graduated. printers and related vendors. "But this particular year, we were both undefeated going in. In those days, the Banks-Woodlawn rivalry was like the Alabama-Auburn of Birmingham high school football, but maybe just a little friendlier. "It was time for people to actually get along -- no matter what race or color you were," he says. Nathan scored Woodlawn's only touchdown on a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter. "It wasn't hard to grab a piece of it. 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. Woodlawn grads included Harry Gilmer, who was an All-American at Alabama and the MVP of the 1946 Rose Bowl, and Bobby Bowden, who coached Florida State to two national championships on his way to becoming the winningest coach in college football history. | Learn more about Jeff . His parents met at the University of Arkansas, and when he was almost four his family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. 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. "The touchdown was a busted play," he recalls. When it came time to pick a college, Nathan considered going to Oklahoma, where renegade coach Barry Switzer was lighting up the scoreboard with a high-powered wishbone offense that was the talk of college football. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. ", 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge. Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama, where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. 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". It was Geralds, Nathan would say later, who talked him out of quitting football, and for that, Nathan remained forever grateful. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. Wasn't it 14-0? There are 90+ professionals named "Jeff Rutledge", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. "When people say Tony Nathan, their ears go up. 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. 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. He is from United States. He said, 'Well, make sure you promise me you're going to finish what you started. #Jeff #Rutledge #Wiki Biography #Age #Height #Wife #Net #Worth #Family Tags: Age Biography Family Height Jeff Net Rutledge Wife Wiki Worth My parents raised me that way. So, how much is Jeff Rutledge worth at the age of 65 years old? 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. Like Jackson, Nathan excelled at just about any sport he played. Jeff Rutledge. "He's very respected here," McNeal says of his old teammate. "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. As depicted in the upcoming "Woodlawn" movie, droves of players, Nathan included, stepped forward to commit their lives to Christ that night. 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. The next Christmas, Santa Claus brought Tony his first official football. "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. 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. Coach Bill Parcells will probably keep three this year, but there is no guarantee. "Including his wife. Internal communications and employee engagement pro with a tech focus and multi-disciplinary background. 6' 1" (185 cm) How much does Jeff Rutledge weigh? "It's . . 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. Jeff Rutledge was born on January 22, 1957 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. On Sunday, the Jets lost their backup, Pat Ryan, for at least six to eight weeks with a sprained knee. Jeffrey Brooks Rutledge, Meg Rutledge, Christen Rutledge. He has established himself as a trusted advisor providing advice and direction to organizations in some of the most heavily regulated . We definitely love Miami. 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. Tony is a very revered guy here in our community, here in our church community.". DeOssie, who has been starting at inside linebacker, strained his back lifting weights. Plan B was the system under which each N.F.L. At 65 years old, Jeff Rutledge height not available right now. Stearns recalls. 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. ''But this is tough on the family. 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. The two schools were just 10 minutes and less than four miles apart. Tony Nathan, left, talks with Jeff Rutledge, right, after the famous Woodlawn-Banks high school football game at Legion Field in 1974. By his senior year, it wasn't just folks in Birmingham talking about "Touchdown Tony." . When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. By his senior season in 1974, Woodlawn running back Tony Nathan was one of the most sought-after high school football players in America. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. ''I talked to Bill after practice Saturday,'' said Rutledge. ''It's an odd world, isn't it?'' "We were out there playing in the mud and the rain," Woodlawn's Ragland says. Jerry McDonald, a split end and defensive back, turned down college football offers and decided to play baseball instead after he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. 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. William Nathan was sold, though, and eventually, so was his son Tony. 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.