YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Discover Jeff Rutledge's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. The quiet, introverted Nathan didn't know quite what to make of all that attention. And to himself. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. 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. 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. He had 274 completions in 526 attempts for 3,628 yards and 16 touchdowns. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. 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. "It really did.". View Jeff Rutledge results in Munford, AL including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Jeff Rutledge. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. They've been married for going on 37 years now, with three children and nine grandkids. Nathan, who wore number 22, went through as many as a dozen jerseys in some games. When the other team did not pick up on Rutledge, he took the snap and did a sneak up the middle for yardage that gave the Giants a first down that would eventually lead to a go-ahead score. Newton and football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant stand behind Tony Nathan as he signs his scholarship to attend the University of Alabama. 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. I will make you that promise. team protected 37 players during the off season and made the unprotected players available to other teams. I bought them last week. 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. "That's what I always wanted. 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. The family will receive friends from 12:00-1:30 pm, Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at . His most notable play with the Giants came in Super Bowl XXI in the third quarter. Nathan says. "I just felt like I was the oldest cat in the house," he says. On Sunday, the Jets lost their backup, Pat Ryan, for at least six to eight weeks with a sprained knee. [3][5][6] Rutledge led Montgomery Bell Academy to a 41-17 record from 20022006, with two state titles in 2002 and 2003 and a #15 ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 poll in 2003. His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. ", Tony Nathan strikes a Heisman-like pose as he tries to avoid a linebacker. Jeff is an experienced communications and public affairs professional with more than a decade working in government and the private sector. "I played with older guys, and I wanted to be able to play on their level," Nathan says. You could call it inspiration, you could call it whatever you like. 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). "'And you told me you didn't want me to play this game. "He looked like he had a jet pack on his back," Baumhower recalls. 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. Something like that. 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. Gosh, that game was 40 years ago, which is unbelievable.". It was Geralds, Nathan would say later, who talked him out of quitting football, and for that, Nathan remained forever grateful. The Nathans go to the same church, New Testament Baptist Church, with his former Alabama and Miami teammate McNeal and his wife, Rhonda. fatal car accident in tulare county / how to endorse a check for mobile deposit wells fargo / jeff rutledge wife. 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. Birmingham, Alabama. Menu Log In Sign Up Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up quarterback and a holder on kicks. My parents raised me that way. 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. ", 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. "I was like, 'What?'" "I didn't have to worry about cutting grass because they played all the time.". And when the game finally did kick off a half-hour or so later, the crowd kept pouring in well into the second quarter. The film builds to a finale where Woodlawn meets crosstown rival Banks, quarterbacked by Jeff Rutledge, who would eventually play at Alabama with Nathan. Contact . Rutledge and his wife had just moved into their dream house in Atlanta, but felt it was the best job available. "There wasn't anybody that came to see me play or any of the other guys. He had to meet with Coach Bryant to get him to sign off on it, too. ''My first year in the league, with the Rams, it was hairy because they had so many quarterbacks in camp. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. "They do a great job of keeping us involved in what's going on and keeping us involved with the fans. Once he started playing, though, she never let him quit. "I wanted to go home. A title search shows that Mr. Rutledge and his wife bought a property in Naramata for $1.15-million on Oct. 31, 2016. On October 2, 2019, his wife gave birth to a daughter. ", Alabama basketball coach C.M. 1-ranked Huffman Vikings -- Woodlawn fans started calling Nathan "Touchdown Tony" and began clamoring for pictures and autographs. Jeff Rutledge. "It was a miserable way to end your season.". Ragland recalls. I think Tony could definitely play today. Banks came in riding a 34-game unbeaten streak, its last loss coming to Woodlawn, 21-18, three years before. ''My wife is frustrated,'' said Rutledge. See the article in its original context from. 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. Charles Tillman Rutledge, Jr. Boiling Springs, SC Charles Tillman Rutledge, Jr., 80, of 2558 Old Furnace Road, passed away Thursday, June 20, 2019, at Spartanburg Hospital For Restorative Care . Quarterback Jeff Rutledge played 13 seasons for 3 teams. Tony is a very revered guy here in our community, here in our church community.". They all came to see Tony.". If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. By WARNER HESSLER Staff Writer. ''I wanted to know what he was thinking. Jeff Rutledge, Nathan's old rival from Banks, was now his teammate, quarterbacking the Tide. "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. "Some of the other running backs didn't want to be that lead blocker. "Almost everybody who played in that (1974) game, you may not have been close friends with them, but you knew who they were," Grefseng, the Banks linebacker, says. "I was like, 'All right, it's that time.'". So the magic from that night continues to live on. He is not dating anyone. He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. "It was one heck of a game. 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. Rutledge was born to Tony and Cheryl Rutledge in Cullman, Alabama, on April 21, 1989. Add to that the fact that, back in those days, only one team from each region made the state playoffs. The other day, Rutledge called his wife and told her to wait. Tony Nathan holds his youngest brother, Cedric, after he announces in December 1974 that he will attend the University of Alabama. "There is no doubt in my mind that the delay in the game helped us,'' Banks' Grefseng says. The athletic teams at Banks adopted the name Jets, and in 1961, the Alabama Air National Guard loaned the school a Korean War-era F-86D Sabre jet, which was painted in the school colors of Columbia blue and scarlet and prominently displayed on campus, making it an inviting target for practical jokers from rival schools. It was Grefseng's only touchdown catch of his Banks career. Newton stood behind Nathan as he sat next to his parents and got his picture taken signing his letter of intent. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). How old is Jeff Rutledge? It took him 36 years, but Nathan kept that promise to his coach. Jeff Rutledge, of Newport, represents the White River and his term expires in 2024. 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. "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. 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. "I knew some of those guys, and I'm like, 'Why would y'all be out here in the hot sun watching freshman football?'" His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. "It was always the biggest game of the year, for both sides," Rutledge says. Nathan played on the B-team his freshman year, and by his sophomore season, he earned a spot on the Woodlawn varsity as the starting free safety on defense. "Somewhere, there is a videotape of that game," Grefseng says. "It wasn't hard to grab a piece of it. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama, where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. 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. (Sugar Jets was a reference to a brand of cereal from the 1950s and '60s.). Rutledge is a Christian and attends Arizona Community Church in Chandler. Denny Ragland, who would become the Woodlawn starting quarterback during Nathan's senior season in 1974, knew something was up during freshman football practice, when most of the basketball team came out just to see what the 14-year-old Nathan could do on the football field. Bryant sealed the deal by promising Tony he would get a shot at playing basketball at Alabama, too. If it had been up to Louise Nathan, her son Tony never would have touched a football. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). With the arrival of head coach Tandy Gerelds in 1971, though, and the emergence of Nathan, who had a breakout junior season in 1973, Woodlawn started to level the playing field. 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. On fourth down with a yard needed, he was sent by head coach Bill Parcells for a potential decoy play. 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". "When people say Tony Nathan, their ears go up. He was indeed a basketball guy, but Tony Nathan would be playing football for a long time. All rights reserved (About Us). White is now retired and living with his wife, June, in Helena. He said, 'Well, make sure you promise me you're going to finish what you started. "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. Jeff Rutledge's net worth 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. They know they're going to get presents when they see me. After completing the eighth grade, those students who would have gone to Banks instead went to Woodlawn High School, Banks' old rival. He is now a bailiff for Miami-Dade County Court Judge Edward Newman, a former Dolphins teammate. UNEASY LIES THE HEAD OF NO. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. By Friday, the excitement was at full-tilt boogie. 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. 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. I still get chills thinking about it.". American football player and coach (born 1957), Alabama Crimson Tide starting quarterbacks, Washington Commanders starting quarterbacks, 1978 Alabama Crimson Tide footballAP national champions, Alabama Crimson Tide football yearly statistical leaders, History of the New York Giants (19791993), "High School Football Database - All-American (Parade 1974)", "Jeff Rutledge Named as Football Head Coach - Valley Christian High School", "NFL vet Rutledge returning as high school coach", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jeff_Rutledge&oldid=1134094507, High school football coaches in Tennessee, Coaches of American football from Alabama, Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama, Articles with dead external links from October 2010, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 00:15. 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. "The trouble is, it's on VHS cassette, and my VHS player died years ago.".
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