printers and related vendors. "I was like, 'All right, it's that time.'". The attendance was out of this world.". After Friday morning's practice, they will break camp and return to Giants Stadium, where practices are closed to the public. Unbeknownst to either one of them at the time, she would later marry one of the game's biggest heroes. He was worn out, and he was just tearing the rest of his jersey off.". in Plant Science from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and a Masters in Agronomy (Weed Science) from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. In those days, the Banks-Woodlawn rivalry was like the Alabama-Auburn of Birmingham high school football, but maybe just a little friendlier. All rights reserved (About Us). He is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 38 years, Traci (Ellis) Rutledge and their four children, Hannah, Jacob, Marilynn, and Haylee Rutledge; his two granddaughters, Amelia and Ramona Banerjee as well as his many nieces, nephews, and their families-all of whom he cherished greatly. They made great souvenirs, too, and fans mobbed him after the games to get a piece of Nathan's jersey. 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. ", Tony Nathan runs behind his Miami Dolphins teammate Jeff Toews in a game against the New York Jets. He has established himself as a trusted advisor providing advice and direction to organizations in some of the most heavily regulated . YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Now he is not sure what he is. 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. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. The next year, they got Bert Jones. Rivals in high school, Nathan and Rutledge were teammates for four years at Alabama. . "That was neat, that she had just come up (for the game), not knowing anything that was going to happen years later," Rutledge says. "I remember going back and forth to get more tickets to sell. 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). McNeal has been a pastor and counselor at the church, and he and Nathan are close, a friendship that dates back to their playing days at Alabama. ''I talked to Bill after practice Saturday,'' said Rutledge. 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. 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. When he retired from football, Nathan also got into coaching - first with the Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then at Florida International University. I wanted him to have his degree. 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 was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. ", 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. Birmingham, Alabama. 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. 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.. 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. People around the country were starting to notice him, too. Once he started playing, though, she never let him quit. "And you're not going to be the first.". #Jeff #Rutledge #Wiki Biography #Age #Height #Wife #Net #Worth #Family Tags: Age Biography Family Height Jeff Net Rutledge Wife Wiki Worth No One Else Wanted Him. ''My first year in the league, with the Rams, it was hairy because they had so many quarterbacks in camp. And I don't know when that will be.'' (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). Jeff Rutledge. All rights reserved (About Us). Relationships We have no records of past relationships for Jeff Rutledge. 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. "It was always the biggest game of the year, for both sides," Rutledge says. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. 195 lbs (88.5 kg) He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. 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. He said he hadn't decided whether to keep two or three quarterbacks.''. 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. The kids are disappointed. 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. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). By Friday, the excitement was at full-tilt boogie. And when the game finally did kick off a half-hour or so later, the crowd kept pouring in well into the second quarter. "We just sat up there and watched," Martin, now retired, recalls. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. 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. 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. Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, grew up in a house divided. ''You gear up for a time when you're going to get together as a family. 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. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. 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. "It was a miserable way to end your season.". He got permission from his academic advisers to drop his courses with a withdraw-passing grade and come back to finish his degree later. "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. 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. Tony -- the second oldest of five siblings -- used to wear out the grass playing ball with their neighbors in the backyard of their house in Parker Heights, near the airport. Tony Nathan, left, talks with Jeff Rutledge, right, after the famous Woodlawn-Banks high school football game at Legion Field in 1974. He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. His wife, Laura, a former Miss . DeOssie, who has been starting at inside linebacker, strained his back lifting weights. Nathan played nine years with the Dolphins and started in two Super Bowls. he recalls. ', "She said, 'No, but even more so, you're not going to be a quitter. "That's a scary thought now," the 58-year-old Nathan says of what might have been. WIFE'S SUGGESTION OF RETIREMENT LOST ON RUTLEDGE. (Photo courtesy of Banks High School Facebook page). There are 90+ professionals named "Jeff Rutledge", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. Nathan scored Woodlawn's only touchdown on a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter. I remember it was good we didn't start when we were supposed to because they were at their peak. 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. 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. "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. "I get to meet a ton of people -- lawyers, defendants, victims -- and they all are different," Nathan says. Center Dwight Stephenson and defensive back Don McNeal, who were a year behind him, would join the Dolphins the next year. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Quarterback Jeff Rutledge played 13 seasons for 3 teams. We definitely love Miami. Former Realtor at ReallivingAdavanceRealty. Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. on November 25, 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child. ', "I said, 'I will do that. "And then they told me that that guy (Nathan) was an All-American basketball player, and he wasn't going to be playing football. "The Woodlawn guys were like maniacs, and they were roaring all through their pre-game warm-ups. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. ", RELATED: Turning back the clock at Legion Field. "What are you doing with that grip?'" "I told him, me being so far behind, I didn't want to flunk out. 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. They all came to see Tony.". "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. 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. "It's been home a long time," Nathan says. He had to meet with Coach Bryant to get him to sign off on it, too. 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 started taking online courses through the University of Alabama's Bama by Distance degree program, and this past May, at 58, he graduated. 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. 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. They know they're going to get presents when they see me. Rutledge and his wife had just moved into their dream house in Atlanta, but felt it was the best job available. "So it was a great lesson for me. (Birmingham News file/Robert Adams). 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. "They all looked at me like, 'OK, don't you think it's your time?'" 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. 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. "I've never known a Nathan to quit anything," she said. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. 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. That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. So after his freshman football season -- while his football teammates were enjoying their break -- Nathan was on the basketball court the next day, trying to break into an Alabama lineup that featured Leon Douglas, Reggie King, T.R. 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. said Rutledge. If it had been up to Louise Nathan, her son Tony never would have touched a football. 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. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). Nathan is flanked by his parents William and Louise Nathan. Today, Ken O'Brien, the Jets' starter, broke a toe. "That Banks-Woodlawn game our senior year, that was all about Tony and Jeff Rutledge," Hendrix says. What is Jeff Rutledge's full name? Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979.[4]. [1], Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama,[2][3] where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. About Jeff Rutledge is a 66 year old American Football (American) Player born on 22nd January, 1957 in Birmingham, AL. On fourth down with a yard needed, he was sent by head coach Bill Parcells for a potential decoy play. "They had the best running back in the state and we had the best quarterback," former Banks head coach George "Shorty" White remembers. 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. Trivia (4) Quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams (1979-1981), New York Giants (1983-1989) and Washington Redskins (1990-1992). 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. Efforts to reach him for this story were unsuccessful. 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. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. 1972 His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. He will miss Saturday night's exhibition game against the Giants at Giants Stadium. The other day, Rutledge called his wife and told her to wait. 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. On Sunday, the Jets lost their backup, Pat Ryan, for at least six to eight weeks with a sprained knee. View the profiles of professionals named "Jeff Rutledge" on LinkedIn. Jeff Rutledge. The Colonels had something else going for them, too. "There wasn't anybody that came to see me play or any of the other guys. The film builds to a finale where Woodlawn meets crosstown rival Banks, quarterbacked by Jeff Rutledge, who would eventually play at Alabama with Nathan. Playing in the wishbone -- a four-pronged attack with two tailbacks, a fullback and the quarterback all sharing carries -- Nathan never amassed huge numbers like Crimson Tide workhorses Bobby Humphrey or Shaun Alexander or Trent Richardson, but for his career, he averaged an eye-popping 6.4 yards every time he carried the ball at Alabama. 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. By his senior season in 1974, Woodlawn running back Tony Nathan was one of the most sought-after high school football players in America. At 65 years old, Jeff Rutledge height not available right now. Fully committed to football now, Nathan became one of the key cogs in a wishbone offense that was clicking on all cylinders. William Nathan was sold, though, and eventually, so was his son Tony. 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.