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. 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. The quiet, introverted Nathan didn't know quite what to make of all that attention. Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama, where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. After seven seasons at Vanderbilt, Rutledge became the head coach at Montgomery Bell Academy, a school for seventh to 12th grade boys in Nashville. 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. Now he is not sure what he is. He is married to his wife Laura and has 3 children. His wife, Laura, a former Miss . His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. I don't know exactly when, but I'll do it.'". Jeff Rutledge's net worth team protected 37 players during the off season and made the unprotected players available to other teams. ''Maybe it will make them think a bit or at least make their decision tough. In those days, the Banks-Woodlawn rivalry was like the Alabama-Auburn of Birmingham high school football, but maybe just a little friendlier. Tony Nathan, left, and Jeff Rutledge talk following the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game at Legion Field in Birmingham. The regular season game was played in . 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. But there was one catch. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Our defensive game plan was awesome.". I will make you that promise. This week, Birmingham filmmakers Jon and Andrew Erwin began shooting a movie, "Woodlawn," which takes place during Nathan's days at Woodlawn High School and focuses in on that 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game. 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. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. No One Else Wanted Him. 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. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. 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. ", Tony Nathan runs behind his Miami Dolphins teammate Jeff Toews in a game against the New York Jets. "It was time for people to actually get along -- no matter what race or color you were," he says. 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. Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, grew up in a house divided. His two older sisters went to Banks, but after the Birmingham schools were desegregated, he was zoned for Woodlawn. 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. On fourth down with a yard needed, he was sent by head coach Bill Parcells for a potential decoy play. Something like that. Nathan played nine years with the Dolphins and started in two Super Bowls. Jeff Rutledge Career Stats | StatMuse , money, salary, income, and assets. "If we needed him to throw the football, I knew he could definitely do that. 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. We definitely love Miami. of development through completion. Jeff Rutledge Biography. Jeff Rutledge Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge Position: QB Throws: Right 6-1 , 195lb (185cm, 88kg) Born: January 22 in Birmingham, AL (Age: 66-029d) More bio, uniform, draft, salary info 2x SB Champ 8 17 10 SUMMARY Career G 117 AV 8 QBrec 2-7-1 Cmp% 52.1 Yds 3628 Y/A 6.9 TD 16 Int 29 FantPt 151.0 Jeff Rutledge Overview Game Logs Career Postseason 1979 1980 I wanted him to have his degree. Like Jackson, Nathan excelled at just about any sport he played. Nov 09, 1990 at 12:00 am. fatal car accident in tulare county / how to endorse a check for mobile deposit wells fargo / jeff rutledge wife. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. His parents met at the University of Arkansas, and when he was almost four his family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They know they're going to get presents when they see me. "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. "But it didn't bother me that I was forced to go to Woodlawn because a lot of my friends were at Woodlawn, too.". So by the time he arrived at Woodlawn High School to start the ninth grade, his reputation as a wizard of the basketball court preceded him. 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. A creative problem solver with refined approach to crisis communications and media management. 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. By his senior year, it wasn't just folks in Birmingham talking about "Touchdown Tony." ", Alabama basketball coach C.M. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. He had left the University of Alabama in the spring of 1979 without a diploma. 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. Although Woodlawn had history on its side, Banks, by 1974, had the upper hand on the football field, winning state titles in 1965, 1972 and 1973 - all under Shorty White's leadership. 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. 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. He was a basketball guy.". 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. Simms is the Giants' starter and Jeff Hostetler is No. ''The first game Phil Simms goes down, they've got to get a quarterback. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). Stearns recalls. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). "That's a scary thought now," the 58-year-old Nathan says of what might have been. Carden Jefferson "Jeff" Rutledge - Wages and sons (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the team's starting quarterback for their 1978 National . And in the memories of those who were there. 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. Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up quarterback and a holder on kicks. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979.[4]. 100.00 Down Payment and Houses with No Credit Check. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Continue with Recommended Cookies. If they cut me and someone picks me up, they would have to get someone else not familiar with their system.'' And since Banks and Woodlawn were in the same region -- and both were competing in 4A, which was then the largest high school classification in the state -- only one of them would advance. 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. 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. Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. on November 25, 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child. Quarterback Jeff Rutledge played 13 seasons for 3 teams. 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. "We had a ball. 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. Not once, but twice, both teams were sent back to their respective locker rooms to allow the crowd to file into the stadium. Jeff Rutledge was born on 22 January, 1957 in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, is an American football coach and former quarterback. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. (Photo courtesy of Banks High School Facebook page). The purchase date corresponds with most of the transfers from Mr. Slaughter's account, according to the suit. Horgan III, Jeff Hart, Jim Rutledge of Canada, Gary Hallberg and Jeff Freeman pose together with their Qualifying cards during the Champions Tour. It's tough for me to tell her to wait. But, Knoxville, too, was a little too far from home for Nathan. Rutledge, 58, who was the quarterbacks coach of the Cardinals in their only Super Bowl season, said Alabama never stopped aspiring to the biggest heights in college football since he left. Anyone can read what you share. Jeff Rutledges income source is mostly from being a successful Player. "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. White is now retired and living with his wife, June, in Helena. RELATED:See who plays Tony Nathan in 'Woodlawn'. jeff.rutledge@mcmillanvantage.com. "So it was a great lesson for me. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. 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. Jeff Rutledge in Munford, AL - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages ----DeOssie and Roberts Out Steve DeOssie and William Roberts missed practice Wednesday. Fully committed to football now, Nathan became one of the key cogs in a wishbone offense that was clicking on all cylinders. I was so elated that he did it, and I thank the Lord that he did.". Jeffery Joseph Rutledge | Obituaries | koamnewsnow.com 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. "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.'''. 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. The main building, built in 1922, was a grand, three-story structure that always looked more like a palace than a schoolhouse. 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. A title search shows that Mr. Rutledge and his wife bought a property in Naramata for $1.15-million on Oct. 31, 2016. 1972 His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? "I was like, 'What?'" It took him 36 years, but Nathan kept that promise to his coach. Jeff Rutledge III - Facebook 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. I knew it even before that, when Plan B came along.'' [1], Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama,[2][3] where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. 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. 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. So it was almost like it was the state championship game that night.". In his teens, he acted in productions of the North Shore Children's Theater and, from 1942 to 1944, performed in . Hoover, Alabama. 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. 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. Banks came in riding a 34-game unbeaten streak, its last loss coming to Woodlawn, 21-18, three years before. The next year, I was on injured reserve. '", So just think, if Louise Nathan hadn't put her foot down, maybe no one would have ever heard of "Touchdown Tony.". They got at least part of that right. Manage Settings "It was odd to see people react and want a piece of cloth off of somebody else who was wearing it. 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. . So he signed again with the Giants, but for less than the $400,000 he made last year. "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. UNEASY LIES THE HEAD OF NO. 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. And I don't know when that will be.'' Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). 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. The other day, Rutledge called his wife and told her to wait. 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. "You wouldn't have known him to be any different from any of the other players on the team," Hendrix, who went on to play briefly with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers, says. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. "We were down 24-zip and nothing was going right, and that was the play that gave us the spark to come back. ''I talked to Bill after practice Saturday,'' said Rutledge. ''My wife is frustrated,'' said Rutledge. said Rutledge. They all came to see Tony.". He got permission from his academic advisers to drop his courses with a withdraw-passing grade and come back to finish his degree later. Efforts to reach him for this story were unsuccessful. He has established himself as a trusted advisor providing advice and direction to organizations in some of the most heavily regulated . ", RELATED:Remembering the 1974 Woodlawn-Banks game. ", 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. 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. Experienced backup quarterbacks can be valuable when injuries strike. The film builds to a finale where Woodlawn meets crosstown rival Banks, quarterbacked by Jeff Rutledge, who would eventually play at Alabama with Nathan. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. 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". 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. So I've never come to camp feeling confident I'd be in place. That 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game would be Shorty White's 100th win at Banks, and his last. 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. 1957 So you go all out and do what you can do just to fit in.". It was Geralds, Nathan would say later, who talked him out of quitting football, and for that, Nathan remained forever grateful. "That's what I always wanted. According to our records, Jeff Rutledge is possibly single. 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. Jeff Rutledge - Wikipedia We had a blast. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). It wasn't anything boastful for him. 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. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 63 years old? Following his senior season at Alabama in 1978, Banks' Jeff Rutledge went on to play 13 years in the National Football League. One of them said on the phone, 'What did you get me?' Jeff Rutledge: Bear Bryant promised a national championship at Alabama printers and related vendors. In 2013, he married Laura McKeeman (who took Rutledge's name upon marriage), a reporter and host for ESPN and the SEC Network. And Then There Were Three. Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009. 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. Jeff Rutledge Net Worth How tall is Jeff Rutledge? Josh Rutledge - Wikipedia "They had the best running back in the state and we had the best quarterback," former Banks head coach George "Shorty" White remembers. ", 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. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. "It's been home a long time," Nathan says. Jeff Rutledge, Nathan's old rival from Banks, was now his teammate, quarterbacking the Tide. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Unbeknownst to either one of them at the time, she would later marry one of the game's biggest heroes. (Birmingham News file) In the 1980s,. "To be a 16-, 17-year-old kid, I had never seen anybody run and do the things Tony did athletically. #Jeff #Rutledge #Wiki Biography #Age #Height #Wife #Net #Worth #Family Tags: Age Biography Family Height Jeff Net Rutledge Wife Wiki Worth "That was neat, that she had just come up (for the game), not knowing anything that was going to happen years later," Rutledge says. Jeff Rutledge. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. "I wanted to go home. Bryant sealed the deal by promising Tony he would get a shot at playing basketball at Alabama, too. | Learn more about Jeff . He is now a bailiff for Miami-Dade County Court Judge Edward Newman, a former Dolphins teammate. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. By Frank Litsky, Special To the New York Times. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. Add to that the fact that, back in those days, only one team from each region made the state playoffs. 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. "That Banks-Woodlawn game our senior year, that was all about Tony and Jeff Rutledge," Hendrix says. 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. 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. . Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The Colonels had something else going for them, too. 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. (Linebacker) Barry Krauss could play today. By WARNER HESSLER Staff Writer. [4], Rutledge is a Christian and attends Arizona Community Church in Chandler. 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.

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