If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. "I wanted to go home. 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. Some were easier. The regular season game was played in . On signing day, both Bryant and Alabama basketball coach C.M. "But I was raised in the church anyway. They've been married for going on 37 years now, with three children and nine grandkids. They all came to see Tony.". After games, fans mobbed Nathan to get a piece of his jersey. of development through completion. Jeff is an experienced communications and public affairs professional with more than a decade working in government and the private sector. I wanted him to have his degree. Former Realtor at ReallivingAdavanceRealty. "He ate a few pieces of it, but he didn't eat much.". Jeff Rutledge, of Newport, represents the White River and his term expires in 2024. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. 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 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. Senior Consultant. "But it didn't bother me that I was forced to go to Woodlawn because a lot of my friends were at Woodlawn, too.". 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. A creative problem solver with refined approach to crisis communications and media management. 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 told Coach Gerelds that I didn't want him to be anywhere near the ball.". 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. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. Jeff Rutledges income source is mostly from being a successful Player. That University of Alabama sorority girl who was in the stands at Legion Field that night? "We let them run and play," Tony's father, whom the family calls "Pops," says. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). 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. His most notable play with the Giants came in Super Bowl XXI in the third quarter. Menu Log In Sign Up "That's a scary thought now," the 58-year-old Nathan says of what might have been. "Greg was not very big but he had a huge heart and he gave Tony fits that night. 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. ", During his senior season at at Woodlawn High School in 1974, Tony Nathan was a Parade All-American and featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd." On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "I remember going back and forth to get more tickets to sell. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. He had to meet with Coach Bryant to get him to sign off on it, too. I knew it even before that, when Plan B came along.'' The kids are disappointed. 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. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. Bill Battle, the young coach at Tennessee, wanted Nathan to come play for him in Knoxville, and Vols star quarterback Condredge Holloway showed him around on his official visit. The night after that chat, in an exhibition game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Rutledge completed all 8 of his passes for 156 yards. You could call it inspiration, you could call it whatever you like. 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. Manage Settings Once the game did start, Banks built an 18-0 lead on a pair of 21- and 16-yard touchdown runs by fullback Jerry Murphree and a 32-yard TD pass from Rutledge to Grefseng, who also doubled as a back-up tight end. Only two practice sessions remain at the Fairleigh Dickinson campus here. They included touchdown passes of 29, 20 and 43 yards. By his senior season in 1974, Woodlawn running back Tony Nathan was one of the most sought-after high school football players in America. 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. See the article in its original context from. Nathan played his entire NFL career with the Dolphins - retiring in 1987 after nine seasons in the aqua and orange - and he has continued to make Miami his home, even when NFL assistant coaching jobs took him to Tampa Bay, Baltimore and San Francisco. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Tony could have gone anywhere. fatal car accident in tulare county / how to endorse a check for mobile deposit wells fargo / jeff rutledge wife. The easygoing Nathan had the ideal temperament for the job, Newman told him. Rutledge is a Christian and attends Arizona Community Church in Chandler. According to our records, Jeff Rutledge is possibly single. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. on November 25, 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child. Banks came in riding a 34-game unbeaten streak, its last loss coming to Woodlawn, 21-18, three years before. "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. "The touchdown was a busted play," he recalls. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). A Valuable Commodity. #Jeff #Rutledge #Wiki Biography #Age #Height #Wife #Net #Worth #Family Tags: Age Biography Family Height Jeff Net Rutledge Wife Wiki Worth Plan B was the system under which each N.F.L. Where was Jeff Rutledge born? 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. The Nathans go to the same church, New Testament Baptist Church, with his former Alabama and Miami teammate McNeal and his wife, Rhonda. Tony Nathan, left, goes to midfield for the pre-game coin toss with his Woodlawn High School teammates Mike Allison, center, and Peyton Zarzour, right. [4], Rutledge is a Christian and attends Arizona Community Church in Chandler. It was Geralds, Nathan would say later, who talked him out of quitting football, and for that, Nathan remained forever grateful. Jeff Rutledge Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. . 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. 100.00 Down Payment and Houses with No Credit Check. The film builds to a finale where Woodlawn meets crosstown rival Banks, quarterbacked by Jeff Rutledge, who would eventually play at Alabama with Nathan. 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. The game, though, was way bigger than its two stars, a pair of Parade All-Americans who were among the most sought-after high school recruits in the country. And I don't know when that will be.'' (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). After playing in three college all-star games following his senior season, Nathan fell behind in his classes, and he was worried he might flunk out his spring semester. 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. 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. Rutledge led Montgomery Bell Academy to a 41-17 record from 20022006, with two state *les in 2002 and 2003 and a #15 ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 poll in 2003. So he signed again with the Giants, but for less than the $400,000 he made last year. 2. "We had a ball. are hard-pressed to remember the final score. 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. Since then, Rutledge has been mostly a backup. So I had never beaten them.". They attended some of the same churches and dated some of the same girls. He is not dating anyone. 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. Discover Jeff Rutledge's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. "I said, 'What's wrong, Mike, they didn't have crowds like this at Locust Fork?'" "And then they told me that that guy (Nathan) was an All-American basketball player, and he wasn't going to be playing football. 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@mcmillanvantage.com. 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. Tandy Gerelds left Woodlawn after the 1975 season to join his father in the family insurance business, but in 1984, he returned to coaching at Deshler High School in Tuscumbia. He had left the University of Alabama in the spring of 1979 without a diploma. Simms is the Giants' starter and Jeff Hostetler is No. "I think I had lost to Banks four times in three years because my freshman year, I played them as a freshman and on the B-team. "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. His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. Our defensive game plan was awesome.". 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. 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. 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. 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. . 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. 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. The four of them -- Baumhower, Nathan, Stephenson and McNeal -- played in two Super Bowls together, but the Dolphins lost both games, to the Redskins in Super Bowl XVII and the 49ers in Super Bowl XIX. Soon enough, though, Tony would be all around the ball. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. 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. 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. Ragland recalls. Nose tackle Bob Baumhower, who was two years ahead of Nathan at Alabama, was already there when Nathan arrived for his first camp. 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. BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Forty years later, the details have gotten fuzzier and the legends have grown larger. "We both started to laugh.". Jeff Rutledge, Nathan's old rival from Banks, was now his teammate, quarterbacking the Tide. Even though the Dolphins eventually lost in overtime, the play lives on in Miami lore. "Before I signed to go to Alabama, Coach Bryant told me, 'Well, look, you can try out (for basketball), but if you're not within the top six, you've got to come back out for spring ball.'''. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? He played college football at Alabama, where he was the team's starting quarterback for their 1978 National . Description above from the Wikipedia article Jeff Rutledge, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. ", 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. 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 and his wife had just moved into their dream house in Atlanta, but felt it was the best job available. "It was always the biggest game of the year, for both sides," Rutledge says. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). Everybody else was gone home for Christmas vacation, and I was like, 'What am I doing here?' He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. His zodiac sign is Aquarius More about Jeff Rutledge Photo Gallery Jeff Rutledge Jeff Rutledge Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. 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. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. He said he hadn't decided whether to keep two or three quarterbacks.''. 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. White is now retired and living with his wife, June, in Helena. "They all looked at me like, 'OK, don't you think it's your time?'" He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. I will make you that promise. On fourth down with a yard needed, he was sent by head coach Bill Parcells for a potential decoy play.