One of them said on the phone, 'What did you get me?' He is married to his wife Laura and has 3 children.[7]. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 63 years old? (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). 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. He started taking online courses through the University of Alabama's Bama by Distance degree program, and this past May, at 58, he graduated. (Birmingham News file). Banks came in riding a 34-game unbeaten streak, its last loss coming to Woodlawn, 21-18, three years before. 1957 . Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. He played college football at Alabama, where he was the team's starting quarterback for their 1978 National . Rutledge is a Christian and attends Arizona Community Church in Chandler. In those days, the Banks-Woodlawn rivalry was like the Alabama-Auburn of Birmingham high school football, but maybe just a little friendlier. Rivals in high school, Nathan and Rutledge were teammates for four years at Alabama. 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. Nose tackle Bob Baumhower, who was two years ahead of Nathan at Alabama, was already there when Nathan arrived for his first camp. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). It hardly seemed like a swan-song performance. I don't remember that whole week. View Jeff Rutledge results in Munford, AL including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. After the Tide slipped to an uncharacteristic 9-3 in Nathan's sophomore season -- Alabama's worst record in his four years there -- the team bounced back to go 11-1 and finish runner-up to national champs Notre Dame in 1977 and to go 11-1 again and win it all in 1978. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. 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. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. ''That may make the Giants think,'' said Rutledge. "There wasn't anybody that came to see me play or any of the other guys. [4], Rutledge is a Christian and attends Arizona Community Church in Chandler. He was just a humble high school athlete. He had left the University of Alabama in the spring of 1979 without a diploma. The night after that chat, in an exhibition game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Rutledge completed all 8 of his passes for 156 yards. The year before, Logan had coached at rural Locust Fork High School in Blount County. 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. Coach Bill Parcells will probably keep three this year, but there is no guarantee. The stoic Nathan even teared up as walked across the Coleman Coliseum stage to receive his diploma from outgoing UA President Judy Bonner. So, when Tony was in the 10th grade, and he came home one day and told his mother he had left the Woodlawn High School football team, she replied, in no uncertain terms, no, he had not. 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. "I did accept Christ in my life at that time, they say," Nathan says. "Including his wife. Now he is not sure what he is. 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. Finished career at Alabama has the school's leading passer, surpassing Joe Namath. Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, grew up in a house divided. They made great souvenirs, too, and fans mobbed him after the games to get a piece of Nathan's jersey. I bought them last week. 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. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. "This was before Bo Jackson," Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, says. "I don't even know if he realized how good he was back then. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. By his senior season in 1974, Woodlawn running back Tony Nathan was one of the most sought-after high school football players in America. No One Else Wanted Him. William Nathan asked, referring to Bryant's bag. All rights reserved (About Us). We had a blast. 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. From Banks, defensive lineman Freddie Knighton signed with Alabama, running back Jerry Murphree went to LSU, and linebacker Bob Grefseng played at Ole Miss. That University of Alabama sorority girl who was in the stands at Legion Field that night? RELATED:See who plays Tony Nathan in 'Woodlawn'. "It was supposed to be a quick pass but somebody got in there and almost sacked Jeff. They got at least part of that right. Louise Nathan, though, never was wild about her seeing her son get hit. 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. of development through completion. 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. . We just couldn't put the icing on the cake.". "We don't have any of the highlight reels from the '70s that they have from Bo Jackson's day, but Tony did some phenomenal things on the football field and on the basketball court. 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. ", 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. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. "We knew each other from grammar school.". He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. Contact . They've been married for going on 37 years now, with three children and nine grandkids. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. 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. There was no mortgage. 195 lbs (88.5 kg) 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. "In high school, he was the best quarterback in the state of Alabama, and Coach Bryant did his job and the recruiters did their jobs to get him to go to Alabama," Nathan says. Fully committed to football now, Nathan became one of the key cogs in a wishbone offense that was clicking on all cylinders. By WARNER HESSLER Staff Writer. "It was weird," he says. Following his senior season at Alabama in 1978, Banks' Jeff Rutledge went on to play 13 years in the National Football League. 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. 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. And in the memories of those who were there. 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. team protected 37 players during the off season and made the unprotected players available to other teams. 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. "That's why, for two years, we had a lot of focus and attention on Woodlawn. "And you're not going to be the first.". The next year, they got Bert Jones. (Birmingham News file/Robert Adams). Woodlawn students used to yell, ''Rip those Sugar Jets," which was a reference to this brand of cereal. 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. "I've never known a Nathan to quit anything," she said. (Linebacker) Barry Krauss could play today. He said, 'Well, make sure you promise me you're going to finish what you started. WIFE'S SUGGESTION OF RETIREMENT LOST ON RUTLEDGE. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. Soon enough, though, Tony would be all around the ball. "It's been home a long time," Nathan says. 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. I did believe. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. ', "I said, 'I will do that. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. 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. 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. At the age of 32, starting his 11th season as a National Football League quarterback, Rutledge was not sure he would make the Giants. Wore number 17 for the New York Giants. After the season ended, he accepted an assistant coaching position on Paul "Bear" Bryant's staff at Alabama, where he was part of back-to-back national championships in 1978 and 1979 -- the first of which featured Rutledge and Nathan in the starting backfield. 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. You could call it inspiration, you could call it whatever you like. "But it didn't bother me that I was forced to go to Woodlawn because a lot of my friends were at Woodlawn, too.". Former Buyer/Planner at Rutledge Properties LLC. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Rutledge was born to Tony and Cheryl Rutledge in Cullman, Alabama, on April 21, 1989. 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). '", So just think, if Louise Nathan hadn't put her foot down, maybe no one would have ever heard of "Touchdown Tony.". At the age of 32, starting his 11th season as a National Football League quarterback, Rutledge was not sure he would make the. 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. 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. Even though the Dolphins eventually lost in overtime, the play lives on in Miami lore. 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. Relationships We have no records of past relationships for Jeff Rutledge. 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. "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. Where was Jeff Rutledge born? "We both started to laugh.". Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge. 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. And the majority of us did that. But he made a great play and I just kept running, and he threw it and I caught it.". He will miss Saturday night's exhibition game against the Giants at Giants Stadium. Senior Consultant. "I get to meet a ton of people -- lawyers, defendants, victims -- and they all are different," Nathan says. "The trouble is, it's on VHS cassette, and my VHS player died years ago.". 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. New York Giants. "They do a great job of keeping us involved in what's going on and keeping us involved with the fans. It helped, too, that both Banks and Woodlawn were also blessed with some enormously talented athletes who weren't named Rutledge or Nathan and who also went on to play in the SEC and the NFL. There's something always new at the courthouse.". Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979.[4]. Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up quarterback and a holder on kicks. Nathan, who wore number 22, went through as many as a dozen jerseys in some games. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. And when the game finally did kick off a half-hour or so later, the crowd kept pouring in well into the second quarter. Mike Perez was waived Tuesday, leaving Rutledge as the only other quarterback on the roster. 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 Jeff Rutledge, Nathan's old rival from Banks, was now his teammate, quarterbacking the Tide. 6' 1" (185 cm) How much does Jeff Rutledge weigh? ", In the lunchroom, the Woodlawn students would break into impromptu pep rallies, standing in their chairs and yelling, "Rip Jets, rip Jets, rip those Sugar Jets." Tony Nathan will sign copies of his new book, "Touchdown Tony: Running With a Purpose," at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at the Alabama Booksmith, 2626 19th Place South, Homewood. 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. His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. [1], Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama,[2][3] where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. 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. So I've never come to camp feeling confident I'd be in place. ''You gear up for a time when you're going to get together as a family. "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. About Jeff Rutledge is a 66 year old American Football (American) Player born on 22nd January, 1957 in Birmingham, AL. 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. "They all looked at me like, 'OK, don't you think it's your time?'" If all of the gates had been open, they would have had 60,000 people.". 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. "I came to stay until Tony makes up his mind," Bryant replied. White says he was assured by the Legion Field crew that it would be able to handle the crowd. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Efforts to reach him for this story were unsuccessful. Since then, Rutledge has been mostly a backup. "We were out there playing in the mud and the rain," Woodlawn's Ragland says. If it had been up to Louise Nathan, her son Tony never would have touched a football. "We were just talking about it. 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. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. "He looked like he had a jet pack on his back," Baumhower recalls. "It was odd to see people react and want a piece of cloth off of somebody else who was wearing it. 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. Trivia (4) Quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams (1979-1981), New York Giants (1983-1989) and Washington Redskins (1990-1992).
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