He would just tear it off and throw it up in the crowd. He had left the University of Alabama in the spring of 1979 without a diploma. The other day, Rutledge called his wife and told her to wait. They've been married for going on 37 years now, with three children and nine grandkids. 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. 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. 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. ''Maybe it will make them think a bit or at least make their decision tough. ', "She said, 'No, but even more so, you're not going to be a quitter. Newman serves as a criminal court judge in Miami-Dade County, and six years ago, he hired Nathan to be a bailiff in his courtroom. We definitely love Miami. "It was time for people to actually get along -- no matter what race or color you were," he says. He is from United States. He is now a bailiff for Miami-Dade County Court Judge Edward Newman, a former Dolphins teammate. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. "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. Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, grew up in a house divided. Jeff is survived by his wife, Dana; daughter, Payton Rutledge; son, Parker Rutledge; and several nieces and nephews. Gosh, that game was 40 years ago, which is unbelievable.". . He said he hadn't decided whether to keep two or three quarterbacks.''. 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. His parents met at the University of Arkansas, and when he was almost four his family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. "Greg was not very big but he had a huge heart and he gave Tony fits that night. "It really did.". 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. 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. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. 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. The kids are disappointed. Today, Ken O'Brien, the Jets' starter, broke a toe. By his senior season in 1974, Woodlawn running back Tony Nathan was one of the most sought-after high school football players in America. Jeff Rutledge date of birth: January 22, 1957. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). There are 90+ professionals named "Jeff Rutledge", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. 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. He is married to his wife Laura and has 3 children. Bold denotes league leader. 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. 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. "I wanted some kind of meat to serve him," William Nathan remembers. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. Center Dwight Stephenson and defensive back Don McNeal, who were a year behind him, would join the Dolphins the next year. At 65 years old, Jeff Rutledge height not available right now. Newton and football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant stand behind Tony Nathan as he signs his scholarship to attend the University of Alabama. ", RELATED: Turning back the clock at Legion Field. Alabama Crimson Tide football yearly statistical leaders, History of the New York Giants (19791993). 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. (Birmingham News file) In the 1980s,. 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. 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. Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). View Jeff Rutledge results in Munford, AL including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. He is currently the head football coach at Valley Christian High School (Chandler, Arizona) in Chandler, Arizona. So he signed again with the Giants, but for less than the $400,000 he made last year. Drafted in the ninth round of the 1979 NFL Draft (246th overall pick) by the Los Angeles Rams,[2] Rutledge played in 14 NFL seasons[3][5] from 1979 to 1992 for three different teams. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Jeff Rutledge Biography. You could call it inspiration, you could call it whatever you like. Although he was mostly used as a back-up, he has two Super Bowl rings - one from the New York Giants and another from the Washington Redskins. 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. And when that happened, that movement, I was touched in my heart to do so again.". View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. 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". 100.00 Down Payment and Houses with No Credit Check. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. 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. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). "When people say Tony Nathan, their ears go up. 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. UNEASY LIES THE HEAD OF NO. 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. From Banks, defensive lineman Freddie Knighton signed with Alabama, running back Jerry Murphree went to LSU, and linebacker Bob Grefseng played at Ole Miss. 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. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. [2] Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up quarterback and a holder on kicks. So it's tough for her to hear that she should wait. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. As the teams went through their pre-game drills, Woodlawn's Stearns noticed another assistant, Mike Logan, staring up into the stands with his mouth agape. 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,. 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. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. White says he was assured by the Legion Field crew that it would be able to handle the crowd. 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). White is now retired and living with his wife, June, in Helena. He is not dating anyone. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. Finished career at Alabama has the school's leading passer, surpassing Joe Namath. "But this particular year, we were both undefeated going in. But she's been through this every year. 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. 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. He was indeed a basketball guy, but Tony Nathan would be playing football for a long time. "They do a great job of keeping us involved in what's going on and keeping us involved with the fans. Where was Jeff Rutledge born? See the article in its original context from. 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. No One Else Wanted Him. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. It hardly seemed like a swan-song performance. I don't know exactly when, but I'll do it.'". There was no mortgage. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). "The touchdown was a busted play," he recalls. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge. That University of Alabama sorority girl who was in the stands at Legion Field that night? "It was weird," he says. "I had some professors walk up to me and say, 'Hey, we were around when you were playing.'. 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. "It was a culmination of really four years of building up to that point," Woodlawn quarterback Denny Ragland remembers. After working as an assistant at Vanderbilt University and with the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL, Rutledge is now the head coach at Valley Christian High School in Chandler, Ariz. After four years at Alabama, Woodlawn's Tony Nathan was drafted in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, where he played for nine seasons under Don Shula, including two Super Bowls. It took him 36 years, but Nathan kept that promise to his coach. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. ", Tony Nathan runs behind his Miami Dolphins teammate Jeff Toews in a game against the New York Jets. ", The Banks players huddle around head coach Shorty White during the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game at Legion Field in Birmingham. His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. On fourth down with a yard needed, he was sent by head coach Bill Parcells for a potential decoy play. Nathan is flanked by his parents William and Louise Nathan. "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. 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. (Photo courtesy of Banks High School Facebook page). And when the game finally did kick off a half-hour or so later, the crowd kept pouring in well into the second quarter. "Each gate had four openings in it for four lines of people," Garrett says, "but it still obviously wasn't enough.". 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. 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. The quiet, introverted Nathan didn't know quite what to make of all that attention. 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. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. The other day, Rutledge called his wife and told her to wait. He had to meet with Coach Bryant to get him to sign off on it, too. We have estimated About Jeff Rutledge is a 66 year old American Football (American) Player born on 22nd January, 1957 in Birmingham, AL. 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. We will update Jeff Rutledge's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. 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. "I just felt like I was the oldest cat in the house," he says. "All three kids were raised here. He is married to his wife Laura and has 3 children.[7]. So they put the pressure on him, too. 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. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. By his senior year, it wasn't just folks in Birmingham talking about "Touchdown Tony." He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. 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. Coach Bill Parcells will probably keep three this year, but there is no guarantee. 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. On one particular visit, Bryant brought his overnight bag, Tony's father remembers. ''My wife is frustrated,'' said Rutledge. 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. So you go all out and do what you can do just to fit in.". 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. "It was an amazing thing to see all of those kids -- who grew up together and went to church together, played at Wahouma Park together - in that room together that night," Stearns says. "It's . By WARNER HESSLER Staff Writer. Manage Settings Anyone can read what you share. Nov 09, 1990 at 12:00 am. 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. Jeff Rutledge. A title search shows that Mr. Rutledge and his wife bought a property in Naramata for $1.15-million on Oct. 31, 2016. Jeffrey Brooks Rutledge, Meg Rutledge, Christen Rutledge. 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. "It was Banks-Woodlawn. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. 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. Nathan says. He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. 6'1", 195 lbs. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. And I don't know when that will be.'' 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. "I've never known a Nathan to quit anything," she said. 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. The two schools were just 10 minutes and less than four miles apart. 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. 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. "We just sat up there and watched," Martin, now retired, recalls. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. He has established himself as a trusted advisor providing advice and direction to organizations in some of the most heavily regulated . I did believe. Something else special happened that week, too. He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. 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. Banks coach Shorty White had assigned Muse to shadow Woodlawn's Nathan everywhere he went, and although Nathan finished with 112 yards on 31 carries, Muse was all over him most of the night. 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. "I was like, 'What?'" ''I talked to Bill after practice Saturday,'' said Rutledge. 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. '", So just think, if Louise Nathan hadn't put her foot down, maybe no one would have ever heard of "Touchdown Tony.". "Well, Shula knew what talent was," Nathan says. 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. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. 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. 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. 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. 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. So the magic from that night continues to live on. "People drove up, saw the lines outside and just went on by. So I ended up saying, 'Thanks, coach, but no thanks.' 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. Once he started playing, though, she never let him quit. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. 6' 1" (185 cm) How much does Jeff Rutledge weigh? "I get to meet a ton of people -- lawyers, defendants, victims -- and they all are different," Nathan says. are hard-pressed to remember the final score. 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". Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. 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. Six years later, he led the Tigers to an undefeated 15-0 season and a 4A state championship. RELATED:See who plays Tony Nathan in 'Woodlawn'. DailyPress.com. "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 2006, the Birmingham Board of Education decided to close the deteriorating middle school, too, saying it was unsafe and an eyesore. Welcome. fatal car accident in tulare county / how to endorse a check for mobile deposit wells fargo / jeff rutledge wife. "It was the thrill of my life," Louise Nathan says. 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. 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. 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. . Tony Nathan, left, talks with Jeff Rutledge, right, after the famous Woodlawn-Banks high school football game at Legion Field in 1974. "He's very respected here," McNeal says of his old teammate. "I did accept Christ in my life at that time, they say," Nathan says. "The Woodlawn guys were like maniacs, and they were roaring all through their pre-game warm-ups. Though Rutledge was available, no other team signed him. The easygoing Nathan had the ideal temperament for the job, Newman told him. 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. But Norman, Okla., was cold and rainy when Nathan went to visit, and besides that, Switzer never bothered to come visit Nathan and his parents in Birmingham. Jeff Rutledge, Nathan's old rival from Banks, was now his teammate, quarterbacking the Tide. 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.