Nose tackle Bob Baumhower, who was two years ahead of Nathan at Alabama, was already there when Nathan arrived for his first camp. I do believe. 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. Jeff is survived by his wife, Dana; daughter, Payton Rutledge; son, Parker Rutledge; and several nieces and nephews. "That's why, for two years, we had a lot of focus and attention on Woodlawn. Woodlawn High School had a much longer history that went back to 1916, when the community of Woodlawn was annexed into Birmingham. By Frank Litsky, Special To the New York Times. Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009. 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. 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. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. 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. 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. 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 is currently the head football coach at Valley Christian High School (Chandler, Arizona) in Chandler, Arizona. Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. on November 25, 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child. . YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. UNEASY LIES THE HEAD OF NO. He had 274 completions in 526 attempts for 3,628 yards and 16 touchdowns. The purchase date corresponds with most of the transfers from Mr. Slaughter's account, according to the suit. "I was running down the baseline trying to follow my guy around, and, all of a sudden, they set a pick and this guy's elbow hit me in the eye and that cured my basketball desire," Nathan says. "I've never known a Nathan to quit anything," she said. People around the country were starting to notice him, too. Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up quarterback and a holder on kicks. 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. [3][6], Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009.[3]. "We have, I think, one of the best alumni associations in the NFL," Nathan says. He has been a Giant since 1982, when he was obtained from the Los Angeles Rams after Phil Simms suffered a season-ending knee injury. He started taking online courses through the University of Alabama's Bama by Distance degree program, and this past May, at 58, he graduated. Or was it 17-7? (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). By WARNER HESSLER Staff Writer. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember anything about it. "I get to meet a ton of people -- lawyers, defendants, victims -- and they all are different," Nathan says. "To be a 16-, 17-year-old kid, I had never seen anybody run and do the things Tony did athletically. 2. RELATED:See who plays Tony Nathan in 'Woodlawn'. ''But this is tough on the family. It hardly seemed like a swan-song performance. Horgan III, Jeff Hart, Jim Rutledge of Canada, Gary Hallberg and Jeff Freeman pose together with their Qualifying cards during the Champions Tour. And I don't know when that will be.'' When the teams ran back onto the field for the third time, the lower bowl of Legion Field was practically full. And Then There Were Three. "Greg was not very big but he had a huge heart and he gave Tony fits that night. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979.[4]. William Nathan asked, referring to Bryant's bag. ''I talked to Bill after practice Saturday,'' said Rutledge. Their two-year reign as 4A state champs also ended with a 12-0 shutout loss to eventual champion Homewood in the first round of the playoffs. He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. 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. fdar charting for blood transfusion $ 0.00 Cart. On Monday night, the Los Angeles Rams lost their backup, Mark Herrmann, for six to eight weeks with broken ribs. As big as it was, though, even in these days where everything is just a Google or YouTube search away, only a few accounts and descriptions from that night are available, mainly in school yearbooks and newspaper archives. About Jeff Rutledge is a 66 year old American Football (American) Player born on 22nd January, 1957 in Birmingham, AL. At the age of 32, starting his 11th season as a National Football League quarterback, Rutledge was not sure he would make the. There was no mortgage. After games, fans mobbed Nathan to get a piece of his jersey. On Sunday, the Jets lost their backup, Pat Ryan, for at least six to eight weeks with a sprained knee. "You go through life carrying that (lesson): If you start it, you better try to be the best at it, and finish what you've got to finish," he adds. 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. I knew it even before that, when Plan B came along.'' "His jersey would just be hanging on him," Woodlawn teammate Brad Hendrix says. So I had never beaten them.". . Now he is not sure what he is. Birmingham police guessed another 20,000 gave up and went back home when they saw the long lines. My parents raised me that way. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 22 January. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? If they cut me and someone picks me up, they would have to get someone else not familiar with their system.'' The Colonels had something else going for them, too. 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. [2] Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up quarterback and a holder on kicks. So, how much is Jeff Rutledge worth at the age of 65 years old? 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. According to our records, Jeff Rutledge is possibly single. His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. 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. Contents 1 Early years 2 College career 3 Playing career 4 Coaching career 5 Personal life 6 See also 7 References Early years Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. 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. ', "She said, 'No, but even more so, you're not going to be a quitter. I bought them last week. 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. His zodiac sign is Aquarius More about Jeff Rutledge Photo Gallery Jeff Rutledge Jeff Rutledge ", 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." ", RELATED: Turning back the clock at Legion Field. We have estimated After Nathan got out of coaching, another one of his former Dolphins teammates, guard Ed Newman, told him he had the perfect job for him. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. 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. 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. Not once, but twice, both teams were sent back to their respective locker rooms to allow the crowd to file into the stadium. "I just felt like I was the oldest cat in the house," he says. And to himself. "That's a scary thought now," the 58-year-old Nathan says of what might have been. And in the memories of those who were there. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. ", 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. 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. 1-ranked Huffman Vikings -- Woodlawn fans started calling Nathan "Touchdown Tony" and began clamoring for pictures and autographs. They made great souvenirs, too, and fans mobbed him after the games to get a piece of Nathan's jersey. Later, while at Belmont High School in Mississippi, Gerelds was diagnosed with brain cancer, and he died in 2003, coaching right up until the end. "It was the thrill of my life," Louise Nathan says. "People drove up, saw the lines outside and just went on by. . Today, Ken O'Brien, the Jets' starter, broke a toe. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. "They had the best running back in the state and we had the best quarterback," former Banks head coach George "Shorty" White remembers. 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. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. "There are people who went to that game that I've heard from all my life," Rutledge says. "Including his wife. 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. "I think back about our team, and I think about the players who played then and who could play now in terms of their strength and speed and ability," Legg says. "Some do come in with attitudes, and you just have to diffuse them before they go in front of the judge. "It was just that time. He would just tear it off and throw it up in the crowd. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). William Nathan was sold, though, and eventually, so was his son Tony. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). After seven seasons at Vanderbilt, Rutledge became the head coach at Montgomery Bell Academy, a school for seventh to 12th grade boys in Nashville. Alabama Crimson Tide football yearly statistical leaders, History of the New York Giants (19791993). "It really did.". Everybody else was gone home for Christmas vacation, and I was like, 'What am I doing here?' But he made a great play and I just kept running, and he threw it and I caught it.". (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). ", The Banks players huddle around head coach Shorty White during the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game at Legion Field in Birmingham. 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. "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 night after that chat, in an exhibition game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Rutledge completed all 8 of his passes for 156 yards. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama, where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. Jeff Rutledge date of birth: January 22, 1957. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Nathan, who wore number 22, went through as many as a dozen jerseys in some games. Relationships We have no records of past relationships for Jeff Rutledge. There's something always new at the courthouse.". His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. 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. On signing day, both Bryant and Alabama basketball coach C.M. 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. 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. "But this particular year, we were both undefeated going in. So it was almost like it was the state championship game that night.". At the age of 32, starting his 11th season as a National Football League quarterback, Rutledge was not sure he would make the Giants. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. Tony Nathan holds his youngest brother, Cedric, after he announces in December 1974 that he will attend the University of Alabama. The family will receive friends from 12:00-1:30 pm, Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at . If all that notoriety affected Nathan, none of his teammates could tell. The next year, Nathan and Rutledge became teammates at the University of Alabama. While Nathan ran for 112 yards and scored a touchdown that night, the Colonels lost to the Jets 18-7, with Rutledge completing eight of nine passing for 185 yards and a touchdown. Louise Nathan, though, never was wild about her seeing her son get hit. But she's been through this every year. In 2013, he married Laura McKeeman (who took Rutledge's name upon marriage), a reporter and host for ESPN and the SEC Network. Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, grew up in a house divided. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. He is married to his wife Laura and has 3 children.[7]. I wanted him to have his degree. 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. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. (Birmingham News file) In the 1980s,. Football was going to be it. Some were easier. He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. All rights reserved (About Us). I will make you that promise. "And when they were picking teams, I wanted to get picked. 100.00 Down Payment and Houses with No Credit Check. 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. Internal communications and employee engagement pro with a tech focus and multi-disciplinary background. 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. And while most college players today are bigger, faster and stronger now than they were during Nathan's college days, Legg has no doubt that, had Nathan come along four decades later, Nick Saban would find a place for him with Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake in the Crimson Tide's current running back rotation. 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. Jeff Rutledge Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. 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. Jeff was in the flooring business and owned Vintage Wood Floors, Inc. We were playing in front of 20,000 people regularly, so we were getting some big crowds.". They attended some of the same churches and dated some of the same girls. He said he hadn't decided whether to keep two or three quarterbacks.''. 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. New York Giants. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. As depicted in the upcoming "Woodlawn" movie, droves of players, Nathan included, stepped forward to commit their lives to Christ that night. (Photo courtesy of Banks High School Facebook page). He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. 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. Rutledge and his wife had just moved into their dream house in Atlanta, but felt it was the best job available. ''I wanted to know what he was thinking. Menu Log In Sign Up Jeff Rutledge Biography. Since then, Rutledge has been mostly a backup. He had to meet with Coach Bryant to get him to sign off on it, too. 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. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. "The Woodlawn guys were like maniacs, and they were roaring all through their pre-game warm-ups. They've been married for going on 37 years now, with three children and nine grandkids. Commissioner Rutledge, a native of Newport, graduated from Newport High School and earned a B.S. On October 2, 2019, his wife gave birth to a daughter. Contact . Wore number 17 for the New York Giants. So he signed again with the Giants, but for less than the $400,000 he made last year. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). 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. Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama, where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. If it had been up to Louise Nathan, her son Tony never would have touched a football. Tony Nathan will sign copies of his new book, "Touchdown Tony: Running With a Purpose," at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at the Alabama Booksmith, 2626 19th Place South, Homewood. Center Dwight Stephenson and defensive back Don McNeal, who were a year behind him, would join the Dolphins the next year. "We were down 24-zip and nothing was going right, and that was the play that gave us the spark to come back. 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. 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. ''The first game Phil Simms goes down, they've got to get a quarterback. 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 wanted some kind of meat to serve him," William Nathan remembers. "Somewhere, there is a videotape of that game," Grefseng says. 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. By his senior year, it wasn't just folks in Birmingham talking about "Touchdown Tony." He was just a humble high school athlete. And the majority of us did that. Tony Nathan, left, and Jeff Rutledge talk following the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game at Legion Field in Birmingham. His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. White says he was assured by the Legion Field crew that it would be able to handle the crowd. "All I had ever seen of football games was everybody falling on each other and piling on each other," she says. He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Rutledge was born to Tony and Cheryl Rutledge in Cullman, Alabama, on April 21, 1989. "It was a culmination of really four years of building up to that point," Woodlawn quarterback Denny Ragland remembers. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. On one particular visit, Bryant brought his overnight bag, Tony's father remembers. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. '", So just think, if Louise Nathan hadn't put her foot down, maybe no one would have ever heard of "Touchdown Tony.". 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. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. A few years ago, though, Nathan realized one thing was missing in his life. "They do a great job of keeping us involved in what's going on and keeping us involved with the fans. 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. I did believe. Unbeknownst to either one of them at the time, she would later marry one of the game's biggest heroes. Even though the Dolphins eventually lost in overtime, the play lives on in Miami lore. (Birmingham News file/Robert Adams). We definitely love Miami. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. Once he started playing, though, she never let him quit. I don't remember that whole week. He played college football at Alabama, where he was the team's starting quarterback for their 1978 National . "If we needed him to throw the football, I knew he could definitely do that. 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. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. He was a devoted husband and father and his favorite hobby was fishing. 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. "But I was raised in the church anyway. 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. 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. Nathan scored Woodlawn's only touchdown on a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter. He will miss Saturday night's exhibition game against the Giants at Giants Stadium. "It's been home a long time," Nathan says. "Everywhere Tony lined up, there was Greg," Rutledge remembers. Welcome. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. 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. Continue with Recommended Cookies.

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