I knew it even before that, when Plan B came along.'' 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. In 2006, the Birmingham Board of Education decided to close the deteriorating middle school, too, saying it was unsafe and an eyesore. (Birmingham News file/Robert Adams). 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. The next year, Nathan and Rutledge became teammates at the University of Alabama. "I don't even know if he realized how good he was back then. . 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. 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. Mike Perez was waived Tuesday, leaving Rutledge as the only other quarterback on the roster. "I get to meet a ton of people -- lawyers, defendants, victims -- and they all are different," Nathan says. That University of Alabama sorority girl who was in the stands at Legion Field that night? He played college football at Alabama, where he was the team's starting quarterback for their 1978 National Championship victory, and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the ninth round of the 1979 NFL Draft. It 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. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. Gosh, that game was 40 years ago, which is unbelievable.". Trivia (4) Quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams (1979-1981), New York Giants (1983-1989) and Washington Redskins (1990-1992). "It was a miserable way to end your season.". . Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. 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. Jeff is an experienced communications and public affairs professional with more than a decade working in government and the private sector. (Birmingham News file). "This was before Bo Jackson," Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, says. We will update Jeff Rutledge's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jeff Rutledge, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. He was just a humble high school athlete. "They do a great job of keeping us involved in what's going on and keeping us involved with the fans. "I was like, 'All right, it's that time.'". "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. 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. It wasn't anything boastful for him. We definitely love Miami. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. "He looked like he had a jet pack on his back," Baumhower recalls. A few years ago, though, Nathan realized one thing was missing in his life. [3][6], Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009.[3]. According to our Database, He has no children. That was Laura Holmes, whom Rutledge later met when his Fellowship of Christian Athletes adviser suggested that he ask her to go with him to the team banquet following his freshman year at Alabama. We have estimated Nathan scored Woodlawn's only touchdown on a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter. 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). "That's a scary thought now," the 58-year-old Nathan says of what might have been. ", Tony Nathan strikes a Heisman-like pose as he tries to avoid a linebacker. "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. 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. The final count was an estimated 42,000 people -- roughly 10,000 more than the previous record crowd at the Crippled Children's Classic between Phillips and Woodlawn, also at Legion Field, in 1950. Jeff Rutledge Biography. But there was one catch. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. "He ate a few pieces of it, but he didn't eat much.". Once the game did start, Banks built an 18-0 lead on a pair of 21- and 16-yard touchdown runs by fullback Jerry Murphree and a 32-yard TD pass from Rutledge to Grefseng, who also doubled as a back-up tight end. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge. "We both started to laugh.". "That Banks-Woodlawn game our senior year, that was all about Tony and Jeff Rutledge," Hendrix says. Quarterback Jeff Rutledge played 13 seasons for 3 teams. "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 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. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. We felt like we were probably the two best teams in Alabama, but only one of us was going to get to go to the state. By his senior season in 1974, Woodlawn running back Tony Nathan was one of the most sought-after high school football players in America. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). 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. 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. The family will receive friends from 12:00-1:30 pm, Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at . ", Tony Nathan breaks free with his tear-away jersey flying in the breeze. 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. Newton stood behind Nathan as he sat next to his parents and got his picture taken signing his letter of intent. He had left the University of Alabama in the spring of 1979 without a diploma. 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. Everybody else was gone home for Christmas vacation, and I was like, 'What am I doing here?' 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. The attendance was out of this world.". As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. No One Else Wanted Him. View the profiles of professionals named "Jeff Rutledge" on LinkedIn. Probably, Tony Nathan never would have gone on to play for Paul "Bear" Bryant at the University of Alabama, and without him, it's possible the Crimson Tide might not have won that 1978 AP national championship. Jeff Rutledge date of birth: January 22, 1957. We prayed together, and from then on, I respected them and they respected me. The purchase date corresponds with most of the transfers from Mr. Slaughter's account, according to the suit. Efforts to reach him for this story were unsuccessful. They know they're going to get presents when they see me. ''It's an odd world, isn't it?'' On fourth down with a yard needed, he was sent by head coach Bill Parcells for a potential decoy play. As that 1974 season progressed and both teams kept winning week after week, that friendly rivalry between Banks and Woodlawn reached a new level, though. If they cut me and someone picks me up, they would have to get someone else not familiar with their system.'' (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). team protected 37 players during the off season and made the unprotected players available to other teams. [1], Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama,[2][3] where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. But she's been through this every year. Not once, but twice, both teams were sent back to their respective locker rooms to allow the crowd to file into the stadium. 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'm 57 years old, and I'll run into people that I haven't seen in years and years and years and they talk about that game, that they were there. A Valuable Commodity. Wasn't it 14-0? "We knew each other from grammar school.". 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. So you go all out and do what you can do just to fit in.". Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama, where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Jeff Rutledge, of Newport, represents the White River and his term expires in 2024. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. , money, salary, income, and assets. Banks came in riding a 34-game unbeaten streak, its last loss coming to Woodlawn, 21-18, three years before. "It really did.". "People drove up, saw the lines outside and just went on by. Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. on November 25, 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child. "The other thing about the wishbone, if you were a truly good back in the wishbone, you had to block, too,'' says Murray Legg, who, as a defensive back on those Alabama teams, often went up against Nathan in practice. 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. He is from United States. "'And you told me you didn't want me to play this game. The quiet, introverted Nathan didn't know quite what to make of all that attention. fatal car accident in tulare county / how to endorse a check for mobile deposit wells fargo / jeff rutledge wife. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. After seven seasons at Vanderbilt, Rutledge became the head coach at Montgomery Bell Academy, a school for seventh to 12th grade boys in Nashville. Some of the choices Jeff Rutledge made during his journey to become an NFL assistant coach were difficult. It was Grefseng's only touchdown catch of his Banks career. The main building, built in 1922, was a grand, three-story structure that always looked more like a palace than a schoolhouse. How old is Jeff Rutledge? 1957 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. "It was a culmination of really four years of building up to that point," Woodlawn quarterback Denny Ragland remembers. of development through completion. ", RELATED:Remembering the 1974 Woodlawn-Banks game. BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Forty years later, the details have gotten fuzzier and the legends have grown larger. He had 274 completions in 526 attempts for 3,628 yards and 16 touchdowns. Experienced backup quarterbacks can be valuable when injuries strike. 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. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. ''But this is tough on the family. Now he is here and his family is there, and no one is happy. 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. Since then, Rutledge has been mostly a backup. Something like that. "It was supposed to be a quick pass but somebody got in there and almost sacked Jeff. . 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. Jeff Rutledge, Nathan's old rival from Banks, was now his teammate, quarterbacking the Tide. (Photo courtesy of Banks High School Facebook page). When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. 6' 1" (185 cm) How much does Jeff Rutledge weigh? 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. Nathan is flanked by his parents William and Louise Nathan. (Sugar Jets was a reference to a brand of cereal from the 1950s and '60s.). "I wanted some kind of meat to serve him," William Nathan remembers. Birmingham police guessed another 20,000 gave up and went back home when they saw the long lines. We were playing in front of 20,000 people regularly, so we were getting some big crowds.". 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. He got permission from his academic advisers to drop his courses with a withdraw-passing grade and come back to finish his degree later. Tony Nathan holds his youngest brother, Cedric, after he announces in December 1974 that he will attend the University of Alabama. "I was like, 'What?'" Bill Battle, the young coach at Tennessee, wanted Nathan to come play for him in Knoxville, and Vols star quarterback Condredge Holloway showed him around on his official visit. That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. It's tough for me to tell her to wait. 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. 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. Rutledge and his wife had just moved into their dream house in Atlanta, but felt it was the best job available. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. By his senior year, it wasn't just folks in Birmingham talking about "Touchdown Tony." 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. Simms is the Giants' starter and Jeff Hostetler is No. Nathan, who wore number 22, went through as many as a dozen jerseys in some games. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. 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. This Korean War-era Sabre jet, which was loaned to Banks High School in 1961, was repainted in school colors and prominently displayed on campus. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. [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. Like Jackson, Nathan excelled at just about any sport he played. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember anything about it. fdar charting for blood transfusion $ 0.00 Cart. Our defensive game plan was awesome.". 1972 His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. And when that happened, that movement, I was touched in my heart to do so again.". By WARNER HESSLER Staff Writer. ", 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." Six years later, he led the Tigers to an undefeated 15-0 season and a 4A state championship. He said he hadn't decided whether to keep two or three quarterbacks.''. "His jersey would just be hanging on him," Woodlawn teammate Brad Hendrix says. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. ''My wife is frustrated,'' said Rutledge. Jeff Rutledges income source is mostly from being a successful Player. The next Christmas, Santa Claus brought Tony his first official football. Center Dwight Stephenson and defensive back Don McNeal, who were a year behind him, would join the Dolphins the next year. ', "She said, 'No, but even more so, you're not going to be a quitter. So it was almost like it was the state championship game that night.". He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. DeOssie, who has been starting at inside linebacker, strained his back lifting weights. 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. 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. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. "When people say Tony Nathan, their ears go up. . "But at that time, I had a concussion. "It was Banks-Woodlawn. A couple of weeks before their game, Banks' White alerted the Legion Field staff to expect a monster crowd. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "There is no doubt in my mind that the delay in the game helped us,'' Banks' Grefseng says. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). QB Born: January 22, 1957 in Birmingham, AL Drafted: 1979 Rnd 9, Pick 246 by LA: College: Alabama: Career Stats Career Stats Game Log Game Log Splits Splits. Rivals in high school, Nathan and Rutledge were teammates for four years at Alabama. Ragland recalls. '", So just think, if Louise Nathan hadn't put her foot down, maybe no one would have ever heard of "Touchdown Tony.". "He wasn't too pleased," Nathan recalls. 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. If it had been up to Louise Nathan, her son Tony never would have touched a football. William Nathan was sold, though, and eventually, so was his son Tony. There was no mortgage. 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. How tall is Jeff Rutledge? 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. That iconic Banks jet was turned over to the Southern Museum of Flight, where it has been restored to its Korean War glory days. 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. 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. ", 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. So they put the pressure on him, too. 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. ''The first game Phil Simms goes down, they've got to get a quarterback. That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. 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. And I don't know when that will be.'' 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. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. He is married to his wife Laura and has 3 children.[7]. . 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. (Birmingham News file) In the 1980s,. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. "That was neat, that she had just come up (for the game), not knowing anything that was going to happen years later," Rutledge says. "We just sat up there and watched," Martin, now retired, recalls. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979.[4]. On fourth down with a yard needed, he was sent by head coach Bill Parcells for a potential decoy play. But, Knoxville, too, was a little too far from home for Nathan. From Banks, defensive lineman Freddie Knighton signed with Alabama, running back Jerry Murphree went to LSU, and linebacker Bob Grefseng played at Ole Miss. "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. Bold denotes league leader. I still get chills thinking about it.". "It was always the biggest game of the year, for both sides," Rutledge says. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He is currently the head football coach at Valley Christian High School (Chandler, Arizona) in Chandler, Arizona. 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. 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. They attended some of the same churches and dated some of the same girls. Following his senior season at Alabama in 1978, Banks' Jeff Rutledge went on to play 13 years in the National Football League. You could call it inspiration, you could call it whatever you like. His most notable play with the Giants came in Super Bowl XXI in the third quarter. ", Tony Nathan runs behind his Miami Dolphins teammate Jeff Toews in a game against the New York Jets.