Gerelds, recognizing Nathan's underutilized potential, thought he needed to have the ball in his hands more often and moved him to offense his junior year.Before the start of that 1973 season, something else happened that changed the Woodlawn football team's fortunes. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. ", Tony Nathan strikes a Heisman-like pose as he tries to avoid a linebacker. "I think (defensive lineman) Marty Lyons could play today. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jeff Rutledge, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. 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. We were playing in front of 20,000 people regularly, so we were getting some big crowds.". Meanwhile, the recruiting letters continued to pour in from schools such as USC, Notre Dame, Texas and Oklahoma, as well as SEC schools Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee. Tony Nathan holds his youngest brother, Cedric, after he announces in December 1974 that he will attend the University of Alabama. Among those 42,000 who came to watch was a freshman sorority girl from the University of Alabama, who was there not because she had any allegiance to either team but just because she heard it was a big game and she wanted to see it and be a part of it. "It was weird," he says. A couple of weeks before their game, Banks' White alerted the Legion Field staff to expect a monster crowd. 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. Birmingham, Alabama. It was Grefseng's only touchdown catch of his Banks career. So the magic from that night continues to live on. 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. 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. 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. "We were just talking about it. In 2013, he married Laura McKeeman (who took Rutledge's name upon marriage), a reporter and host for ESPN and the SEC Network. (Linebacker) Barry Krauss could play today. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). 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 "It was time for people to actually get along -- no matter what race or color you were," he says. . "Before Bo, there was Tony," Ragland says. Newton stood behind Nathan as he sat next to his parents and got his picture taken signing his letter of intent. They've been married for going on 37 years now, with three children and nine grandkids. The following Friday night, Woodlawn closed out its season on a cold, rainy night at Fair Park, defeating Carver 12-0. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. 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. "I played with older guys, and I wanted to be able to play on their level," Nathan says. So you go all out and do what you can do just to fit in.". After games, fans mobbed Nathan to get a piece of his jersey. Bryant sealed the deal by promising Tony he would get a shot at playing basketball at Alabama, too. 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. 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. Wore number 17 for the New York Giants. . 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". 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. Probably, Tony Nathan never would have gone on to play for Paul "Bear" Bryant at the University of Alabama, and without him, it's possible the Crimson Tide might not have won that 1978 AP national championship. QB Born: January 22, 1957 in Birmingham, AL Drafted: 1979 Rnd 9, Pick 246 by LA: College: Alabama: Career Stats Career Stats Game Log Game Log Splits Splits. Nathan scored Woodlawn's only touchdown on a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter. The stoic Nathan even teared up as walked across the Coleman Coliseum stage to receive his diploma from outgoing UA President Judy Bonner. 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. 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. "Each gate had four openings in it for four lines of people," Garrett says, "but it still obviously wasn't enough.". Jeff Rutledge Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images 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. "It was Banks-Woodlawn. The regular season game was played in . It wasn't anything boastful for him. Tony Nathan, left, and Jeff Rutledge talk following the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game at Legion Field in Birmingham. 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. (Photo courtesy of Banks High School Facebook page). The night before the game, Stearns says, members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapters from both teams gathered for a joint meeting at Woodlawn. His most notable play with the Giants came in Super Bowl XXI in the third quarter. (Birmingham News file) In the 1980s,. "I was like, 'What?'" "I just felt like I was the oldest cat in the house," he 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. 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. ", 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. ''I wanted to know what he was thinking. Rutledge was born to Tony and Cheryl Rutledge in Cullman, Alabama, on April 21, 1989. That 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game would be Shorty White's 100th win at Banks, and his last. 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. 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. Though Rutledge was available, no other team signed him. "It was the thrill of my life," Louise Nathan says. (Birmingham News file/Robert Adams). And when the game finally did kick off a half-hour or so later, the crowd kept pouring in well into the second quarter. Meanwhile, Tuscaloosa was just an hour away, and one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game, Alabama's Paul "Bear" Bryant, had the Crimson Tide not just rolling again, but steamrolling. 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. Ragland recalls. 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. "I remember going back and forth to get more tickets to sell. After Friday morning's practice, they will break camp and return to Giants Stadium, where practices are closed to the public. He is a member of famous Player with the age 65 years old group. If all of the gates had been open, they would have had 60,000 people.". "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. So, when Tony was in the 10th grade, and he came home one day and told his mother he had left the Woodlawn High School football team, she replied, in no uncertain terms, no, he had not. 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. 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. ", Tony Nathan breaks free with his tear-away jersey flying in the breeze. He has established himself as a trusted advisor providing advice and direction to organizations in some of the most heavily regulated . "And when they were picking teams, I wanted to get picked. 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. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). An experienced communications and public affairs professional, with a record of effective strategic planning, outreach and engagement. Fully committed to football now, Nathan became one of the key cogs in a wishbone offense that was clicking on all cylinders. Senior Consultant. I told Coach Gerelds that I didn't want him to be anywhere near the ball.". As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. | Learn more about Jeff . But she's been through this every year. One of them said on the phone, 'What did you get me?' Woodlawn never beat Banks during Nathan's three years on the varsity. "I get to meet a ton of people -- lawyers, defendants, victims -- and they all are different," Nathan says. "That's why, for two years, we had a lot of focus and attention on Woodlawn. About Jeff Rutledge is a 66 year old American Football (American) Player born on 22nd January, 1957 in Birmingham, AL. "It's . 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. He played college football at Alabama, where he was the team's starting quarterback for their 1978 National . His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. Jeff Rutledge - Facts, Bio, Favorites, Info, Family 2021 - Sticky Facts "They all looked at me like, 'OK, don't you think it's your time?'" Roberts, the starting left guard, has a slightly sprained left knee, which was reported improved. Jeff Rutledge, of Newport, represents the White River and his term expires in 2024. A Valuable Commodity. 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. , money, salary, income, and assets. There's something always new at the courthouse.". Now he is here and his family is there, and no one is happy. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). He completed 30 of 42 p*es for 363 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 12 yards for the game-tying touchdown with only 24 seconds remaining. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. ", Tony Nathan runs behind his Miami Dolphins teammate Jeff Toews in a game against the New York Jets. A creative problem solver with refined approach to crisis communications and media management. 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. "Including his wife. "This was before Bo Jackson," Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, says. His parents met at the University of Arkansas, and when he was almost four his family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. said Rutledge. Place kicker Ali Haji-Sheikh of the New York Giants kicks a field goal during a game against the New Orleans Saints at Giants Stadium on December 15,. Plan B was the system under which each N.F.L. When the teams ran back onto the field for the third time, the lower bowl of Legion Field was practically full. "It was one heck of a game. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. What is Jeff Rutledge's full name? Add to that the fact that, back in those days, only one team from each region made the state playoffs. Relationships We have no records of past relationships for Jeff Rutledge. He is currently single. "I don't even know if he realized how good he was back then. (Birmingham News file). 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. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Jeff Rutledge: Bear Bryant promised a national championship at Alabama His zodiac sign is Aquarius More about Jeff Rutledge Photo Gallery Jeff Rutledge Jeff Rutledge Football was going to be it. 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. The easygoing Nathan had the ideal temperament for the job, Newman told him. A few years ago, though, Nathan realized one thing was missing in his life. "We knew each other from grammar school.". 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. fdar charting for blood transfusion $ 0.00 Cart. in Plant Science from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and a Masters in Agronomy (Weed Science) from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. "I came to stay until Tony makes up his mind," Bryant replied. 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. [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? Something like that. 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. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). I think Tony could definitely play today. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. "It's been home a long time," Nathan says. 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. He had left the University of Alabama in the spring of 1979 without a diploma. He had to meet with Coach Bryant to get him to sign off on it, too. Jeff Rutledge Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family We prayed together, and from then on, I respected them and they respected me. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Jeff Rutledge Career Stats | StatMuse (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. He was just a humble high school athlete. Former Buyer/Planner at Rutledge Properties LLC. ----DeOssie and Roberts Out Steve DeOssie and William Roberts missed practice Wednesday. jeff.rutledge@mcmillanvantage.com. We will update Jeff Rutledge's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. I don't know exactly when, but I'll do it.'". "We just sat up there and watched," Martin, now retired, recalls. "There are people who went to that game that I've heard from all my life," Rutledge 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. The other day, Rutledge called his wife and told her to wait. 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. That spiritual awakening not only inspired the team, but it reverberated throughout the entire school, defusing some racial tension that Nathan says he felt his first couple of years at Woodlawn. I knew when I came to training camp that it would be tough. Rutledge is a Christian and attends Arizona Community Church in Chandler. Birmingham, AL. 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. "In high school, he was the best quarterback in the state of Alabama, and Coach Bryant did his job. "All I had ever seen of football games was everybody falling on each other and piling on each other," she 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. 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. 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. 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 earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. Nathan says. "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. Bryant paid several visits to the Nathan home, and he often brought with him an entourage of assistants and past and current Tide players, including Joe Namath, Johnny Musso and Ozzie Newsome. ', "She said, 'No, but even more so, you're not going to be a quitter. Jeff Rutledge. They included touchdown passes of 29, 20 and 43 yards. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. It's been very interesting. Woodlawn vs. Banks 1974: Remembering the biggest game in Alabama high Rutledge's road back to NFL as Cards QB coach filled with ups and downs (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. See also [ edit] Rule 5 draft results References [ edit] "Some of the other running backs didn't want to be that lead blocker. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. Rutledge and his wife had just moved into their dream house in Atlanta, but felt it was the best job available. (Sugar Jets was a reference to a brand of cereal from the 1950s and '60s.). ''My wife is frustrated,'' said Rutledge. Only two practice sessions remain at the Fairleigh Dickinson campus here. Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama, where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. "The touchdown was a busted play," he recalls. Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009. His two older sisters went to Banks, but after the Birmingham schools were desegregated, he was zoned for Woodlawn. 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. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. "His jersey would just be hanging on him," Woodlawn teammate Brad Hendrix says. A month ago, Jeff and Laura Rutledge decided that today would be Reunion Day, the day Laura and their three children would leave their home in Mission Viejo, Calif., and fly east to join Jeff for the winter. . 90+ "Jeff Rutledge" profiles | LinkedIn ", RELATED: Turning back the clock at Legion Field. 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. He was a basketball guy.". In those days, the Banks-Woodlawn rivalry was like the Alabama-Auburn of Birmingham high school football, but maybe just a little friendlier. Louise Nathan roasted a raccoon that her husband, an avid hunter whom friends called "Coon Man," had bagged on one of his late-night coon hunts, and they invited Bryant to have dinner with them. 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. Welcome. 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. But there was one catch. "I had some professors walk up to me and say, 'Hey, we were around when you were playing.'. "It was a culmination of really four years of building up to that point," Woodlawn quarterback Denny Ragland remembers. American football player and coach (born 1957) 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. "It was a miserable way to end your season.". Woodlawn students used to yell, ''Rip those Sugar Jets," which was a reference to this brand of cereal. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Woodlawn, meanwhile, had a nice streak going, too, winning 11 in a row since it fell to Banks 17-7 in 1973. 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. On Monday night, the Los Angeles Rams lost their backup, Mark Herrmann, for six to eight weeks with broken ribs. 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. "But it didn't bother me that I was forced to go to Woodlawn because a lot of my friends were at Woodlawn, too.". Jeffrey Hunter - Biography - IMDb Jeff Rutledge Biography. "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. He had 274 completions in 526 attempts for 3,628 yards and 16 touchdowns. Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up quarterback and a holder on kicks. "When people say Tony Nathan, their ears go up. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The main building, built in 1922, was a grand, three-story structure that always looked more like a palace than a schoolhouse. We just couldn't put the icing on the cake.". 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. 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.