I don't know exactly when, but I'll do it.'". Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). "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. That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. 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. 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. Six years later, he led the Tigers to an undefeated 15-0 season and a 4A state championship. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. Since then, Rutledge has been mostly a backup. It's tough for me to tell her to wait. His parents met at the University of Arkansas, and when he was almost four his family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "And you're not going to be the first.". "'And you told me you didn't want me to play this game. View Jeff Rutledge results in Munford, AL including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. They got in the car, and she drove him back to the football field, where she told Woodlawn coach Tandy Gerelds to do whatever he needed to discipline her boy for skipping practice, just as long as he was allowed back on the team. 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. Meanwhile, Woodlawn High School stands majestically in the same location on First Avenue North, just like it has since 1922, and the football team is still sending players to the NFL, including Chris Davis, the Auburn cornerback who was the last-second hero of the 2013 Iron Bowl. 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. Jeff Rutledge Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. 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. 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. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The family will receive friends from 12:00-1:30 pm, Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at . Birmingham, Alabama. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Jeff Rutledge Net Worth So they put the pressure on him, too. Even though the Dolphins eventually lost in overtime, the play lives on in Miami lore. I bought them last week. 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". He is a member of famous Player with the age 65 years old group. 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. I did believe. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. "Some do come in with attitudes, and you just have to diffuse them before they go in front of the judge. Senior Consultant. Contact . ''It's an odd world, isn't it?'' 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. 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. "I knew some of those guys, and I'm like, 'Why would y'all be out here in the hot sun watching freshman football?'" ", Tony Nathan strikes a Heisman-like pose as he tries to avoid a linebacker. Experienced backup quarterbacks can be valuable when injuries strike. How old is Jeff Rutledge? (Photo courtesy of Banks High School Facebook page). Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979.[4]. 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. The other day, Rutledge called his wife and told her to wait. "I don't even know if he realized how good he was back then. In the 1980s, Banks High School -- home of those mighty Jets for all those years -- was closed as part of a city schools reorganization and it became Banks Middle School. His two older sisters went to Banks, but after the Birmingham schools were desegregated, he was zoned for Woodlawn. "He wasn't too pleased," Nathan recalls. Jeff Rutledge was born on January 22, 1957 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. 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. In the days leading up to the game, both The Birmingham News and the Birmingham Post-Herald played it up as not only a clash of the titans between Banks and Woodlawn but also a Rutledge vs. Nathan showdown. I said, 'You have to wait until you see me.' Jeff Rutledge Career Stats | StatMuse "It's . Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up quarterback and a holder on kicks. Woodlawn students used to yell, ''Rip those Sugar Jets," which was a reference to this brand of cereal. On Monday night, the Los Angeles Rams lost their backup, Mark Herrmann, for six to eight weeks with broken ribs. Woodlawn, meanwhile, had a nice streak going, too, winning 11 in a row since it fell to Banks 17-7 in 1973. 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. . By WARNER HESSLER Staff Writer. A few years ago, though, Nathan realized one thing was missing in his life. '", So just think, if Louise Nathan hadn't put her foot down, maybe no one would have ever heard of "Touchdown Tony.". 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. If they cut me and someone picks me up, they would have to get someone else not familiar with their system.'' So I've never come to camp feeling confident I'd be in place. 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.. Welcome. ''Maybe it will make them think a bit or at least make their decision tough. New York Giants. An experienced communications and public affairs professional, with a record of effective strategic planning, outreach and engagement. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. 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 Thursday morning's practice, the Giants will leave for their annual welcome-home lunch at the Sheraton Centre. "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. The film builds to a finale where Woodlawn meets crosstown rival Banks, quarterbacked by Jeff Rutledge, who would eventually play at Alabama with Nathan. They got at least part of that right. Wore number 17 for the New York Giants. 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. William Nathan asked, referring to Bryant's bag. It wasn't anything boastful for him. "We were just talking about it. Gosh, that game was 40 years ago, which is unbelievable.". 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". Finished career at Alabama has the school's leading passer, surpassing Joe Namath. And in the memories of those who were there. He had left the University of Alabama in the spring of 1979 without a diploma. 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. I wanted him to have his degree. Tony Nathan holds his youngest brother, Cedric, after he announces in December 1974 that he will attend the University of Alabama. Once he started playing, though, she never let him quit. "But it didn't bother me that I was forced to go to Woodlawn because a lot of my friends were at Woodlawn, too.". It was Geralds, Nathan would say later, who talked him out of quitting football, and for that, Nathan remained forever grateful. We just couldn't put the icing on the cake.". The next year, I was on injured reserve. He had to meet with Coach Bryant to get him to sign off on it, too. (Birmingham News file/Robert Adams). 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. 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. 1957 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. ", 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." 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. "The trouble is, it's on VHS cassette, and my VHS player died years ago.". (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). 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. View the profiles of professionals named "Jeff Rutledge" on LinkedIn. "That's why, for two years, we had a lot of focus and attention on Woodlawn. 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. In 2013, he married Laura McKeeman (who took Rutledge's name upon marriage), a reporter and host for ESPN and the SEC Network. "It was the thrill of my life," Louise Nathan says. He was a devoted husband and father and his favorite hobby was fishing. Jeffery Joseph Rutledge | Obituaries | koamnewsnow.com 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. "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. Rutledge led Montgomery Bell Academy to a 41-17 record from 20022006, with two state titles in 2002 and 2003 and a #15 ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 poll in 2003. 6' 1" (185 cm) How much does Jeff Rutledge weigh? Jeff Rutledge | American Football Database | Fandom Quarterback Jeff Rutledge played 13 seasons for 3 teams. So it was almost like it was the state championship game that night.". Tony Nathan talks about racism, 'Woodlawn' The regular season game was played in . "I told him, me being so far behind, I didn't want to flunk out. | Learn more about Jeff . He has established himself as a trusted advisor providing advice and direction to organizations in some of the most heavily regulated . ", Tony Nathan prepares to take a hand-off from quarterback Jeff Rutledge at the University of Alabama. 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. ''My first year in the league, with the Rams, it was hairy because they had so many quarterbacks in camp. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). 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). (Birmingham News file). Now he is not sure what he is. "That was neat, that she had just come up (for the game), not knowing anything that was going to happen years later," Rutledge says. 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. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. On signing day, both Bryant and Alabama basketball coach C.M. "So it was a great lesson for me. We were playing in front of 20,000 people regularly, so we were getting some big crowds.". His wife, Laura, a former Miss . Who is Jeff Rutledge dating? Jeff Rutledge girlfriend, wife Jeff Rutledge - Head of Internal Communications - LinkedIn 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. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. I think Tony could definitely play today. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). 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. One of them said on the phone, 'What did you get me?' Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. on November 25, 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. ", The Banks players huddle around head coach Shorty White during the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game at Legion Field in Birmingham. But there was one catch. My parents raised me that way. 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,. "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. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. ', "I said, 'I will do that. I will make you that promise. Jeff Rutledge - McMillan Vantage The week of the game, Jerry Stearns, who was an assistant coach at Woodlawn that year and later became the head coach there, recalls selling advance tickets at the school, something he says never happened before.
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