The legend of Tony Nathan: From Woodlawn to Alabama to the NFL His parents met at the University of Arkansas, and when he was almost four his family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ABOUT | Jeff Rutledge He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. 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. Jeff Rutledge Stats | The Football Database After games, fans mobbed Nathan to get a piece of his jersey. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). On Sunday, the Jets lost their backup, Pat Ryan, for at least six to eight weeks with a sprained knee. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. 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. He was just a humble high school athlete. Now he is not sure what he is. 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. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. 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. He is from United States. 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. So I had never beaten them.". 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. 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. That University of Alabama sorority girl who was in the stands at Legion Field that night? RELATED:See who plays Tony Nathan in 'Woodlawn'. 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". "It was Banks-Woodlawn. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. "I wanted to go home. 195 lbs (88.5 kg) "It was always the biggest game of the year, for both sides," Rutledge says. How old is Jeff Rutledge? 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. We were playing in front of 20,000 people regularly, so we were getting some big crowds.". He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. 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. Everybody else was gone home for Christmas vacation, and I was like, 'What am I doing here?' 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. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. At the age of 32, starting his 11th season as a National Football League quarterback, Rutledge was not sure he would make the. It wasn't anything boastful for him. 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. Efforts to reach him for this story were unsuccessful. Anyone can read what you share. "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. Jeff Rutledges income source is mostly from being a successful Player. Meanwhile, the recruiting letters continued to pour in from schools such as USC, Notre Dame, Texas and Oklahoma, as well as SEC schools Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee. Jeff Rutledge - Wikipedia By Friday, the excitement was at full-tilt boogie. The easygoing Nathan had the ideal temperament for the job, Newman told him. Wore number 17 for the New York Giants. 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,[5] with direct charge over Kurt Warner. 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. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. ''My wife is frustrated,'' said Rutledge. So, how much is Jeff Rutledge worth at the age of 65 years old? | Learn more about Jeff . Jeff Rutledge Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family "I was like, 'What?'" I told Coach Gerelds that I didn't want him to be anywhere near the ball.". His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. Something like that. While it has been reported that only one gate was open that night, Walter Garrett, who was the stadium manager at Legion Field for 38 years, says that both gates 7A and 7B at the south entrance to the stadium were open, as was customary at all Birmingham high school games there. 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. Tony started playing pickup basketball games with some older boys in the neighborhood, and he was good enough that he was recruited to play in a rec league at Huffman Park. All rights reserved (About Us). The year before, Logan had coached at rural Locust Fork High School in Blount County. "They had the best running back in the state and we had the best quarterback," former Banks head coach George "Shorty" White remembers. 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 remember it was good we didn't start when we were supposed to because they were at their peak. 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. 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. 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. Jeff Rutledge. So they put the pressure on him, too. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. "That's what I always wanted. said Rutledge. Jeff is an experienced communications and public affairs professional with more than a decade working in government and the private sector. [3][6], Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009.[3]. That same night, Banks' 35-game unbeaten streak came to an abrupt end when Rutledge blew out an ankle and the banged-up Jets lost 34-27 to West End. "You go through life carrying that (lesson): If you start it, you better try to be the best at it, and finish what you've got to finish," he adds. "But at that time, I had a concussion. (Sugar Jets was a reference to a brand of cereal from the 1950s and '60s.). 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. UNEASY LIES THE HEAD OF NO. 3 QUARTERBACK - The New York Times Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama, where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. 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 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. He had to meet with Coach Bryant to get him to sign off on it, too. 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. Jeff Rutledge | American Football Database | Fandom New York Giants. "It was one heck of a game. 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. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. His most notable play with the Giants came in Super Bowl XXI in the third quarter. Jeff Rutledge: Bear Bryant promised a national championship at Alabama 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. Bryant sealed the deal by promising Tony he would get a shot at playing basketball at Alabama, too. Birmingham, AL. He got permission from his academic advisers to drop his courses with a withdraw-passing grade and come back to finish his degree later. The film builds to a finale where Woodlawn meets crosstown rival Banks, quarterbacked by Jeff Rutledge, who would eventually play at Alabama with Nathan. He played college football at Alabama, where he was the team's starting quarterback for their 1978 National . Birmingham, Alabama. 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. Center Dwight Stephenson and defensive back Don McNeal, who were a year behind him, would join the Dolphins the next year. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. 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. If all that notoriety affected Nathan, none of his teammates could tell. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). 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 Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. Simms is the Giants' starter and Jeff Hostetler is No. Jeff Rutledge III - Facebook "Somewhere, there is a videotape of that game," Grefseng says. Senior Consultant. Jeff Rutledge Position: QB Birthdate: January 22, 1957 College: Alabama Draft: Selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 9th round (246th overall) of the 1979 NFL Draft Stats Gamelogs 300-Yard Passing Jeff Rutledge Stats Jeff Rutledge career stats with the Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants and Washington Redskins. ", 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. In his teens, he acted in productions of the North Shore Children's Theater and, from 1942 to 1944, performed in . It took him 36 years, but Nathan kept that promise to his coach. I knew when I came to training camp that it would be tough. And in the memories of those who were there. ", Alabama basketball coach C.M. "It was a miserable way to end your season.". The regular season game was played in . Even though the Dolphins eventually lost in overtime, the play lives on in Miami lore. Tony is a very revered guy here in our community, here in our church community.". ", The Banks players huddle around head coach Shorty White during the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game at Legion Field in Birmingham. His wife, Laura, a former Miss . 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. Woodlawn never beat Banks during Nathan's three years on the varsity. They all came to see Tony.". I don't remember that whole week. ''You gear up for a time when you're going to get together as a family. Former Giant Jeff Rutledge Talks Playing and Coaching 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. Rutledge and his wife had just moved into their dream house in Atlanta, but felt it was the best job available. Gosh, that game was 40 years ago, which is unbelievable.". 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. Add to that the fact that, back in those days, only one team from each region made the state playoffs. And much to the surprise of probably everybody who was there that night -- fans, players, coaches, cheerleaders and sportswriters -- neither one of the teams would go on to win it all that year. Rutledge 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. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. 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. I was so elated that he did it, and I thank the Lord that he did.". 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. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). "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. UNEASY LIES THE HEAD OF NO. Jeff Rutledge date of birth: January 22, 1957. If all of the gates had been open, they would have had 60,000 people.". Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? By his senior season in 1974, Woodlawn running back Tony Nathan was one of the most sought-after high school football players in America. But she's been through this every year. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama.