(Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). Woodlawn never beat Banks during Nathan's three years on the varsity. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. 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. Quarterback Jeff Rutledge played 13 seasons for 3 teams. 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. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). 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. 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. Ragland, the former Woodlawn quarterback, recently watched an ESPN documentary about another Birmingham-area sports legend, Bessemer's Bo Jackson, and it reminded of that 14-year-old kid he first met at freshman football practice. Many of the players on both teams grew up playing pee-wee football together at East Lake and Wahouma parks, and as teenagers, they hung out together at Eastwood Mall. ", Alabama basketball coach C.M. 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. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. "We were down 24-zip and nothing was going right, and that was the play that gave us the spark to come back. 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. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. The main building, built in 1922, was a grand, three-story structure that always looked more like a palace than a schoolhouse. (Sugar Jets was a reference to a brand of cereal from the 1950s and '60s.). So they put the pressure on him, too. 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. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Our defensive game plan was awesome.". [1], Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama,[2][3] where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. 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. 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. People around the country were starting to notice him, too. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 1972 His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. His parents met at the University of Arkansas, and when he was almost four his family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jeff Rutledge date of birth: January 22, 1957. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). 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 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. And when the game finally did kick off a half-hour or so later, the crowd kept pouring in well into the second quarter. Roberts, the starting left guard, has a slightly sprained left knee, which was reported improved. Bryant paid several visits to the Nathan home, and he often brought with him an entourage of assistants and past and current Tide players, including Joe Namath, Johnny Musso and Ozzie Newsome. Rutledge lived up to his star billing that night, completing 9 of 10 passes for 188 yards and that touchdown to Grefseng. So I ended up saying, 'Thanks, coach, but no thanks.' DailyPress.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. "What are you doing with that grip?'" 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. ''My wife is frustrated,'' said Rutledge. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). Welcome. Ragland recalls. On fourth down with a yard needed, he was sent by head coach Bill Parcells for a potential decoy play. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. Bold denotes league leader. 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. Jeff Rutledge, Nathan's old rival from Banks, was now his teammate, quarterbacking the Tide. There's something always new at the courthouse.". Tony Nathan holds his youngest brother, Cedric, after he announces in December 1974 that he will attend the University of Alabama. 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. "I said, 'What's wrong, Mike, they didn't have crowds like this at Locust Fork?'" We just couldn't put the icing on the cake.". How tall is Jeff Rutledge? "We let them run and play," Tony's father, whom the family calls "Pops," says. I bought them last week. "That's what I always wanted. Stearns recalls. 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. I was so elated that he did it, and I thank the Lord that he did.". 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. 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. 6'1", 195 lbs. If all of the gates had been open, they would have had 60,000 people.". Tony Nathan, left, talks with Jeff Rutledge, right, after the famous Woodlawn-Banks high school football game at Legion Field in 1974. It was Grefseng's only touchdown catch of his Banks career. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Now he is not sure what he is. In 2006, the Birmingham Board of Education decided to close the deteriorating middle school, too, saying it was unsafe and an eyesore. The Nathans go to the same church, New Testament Baptist Church, with his former Alabama and Miami teammate McNeal and his wife, Rhonda. Established network of influencers, political staff, department officials and media, supporting sound execution of public affairs initiatives. 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. 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. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. on November 25, 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child. 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. He was a two-time all-state guard on the Woodlawn basketball team, and as a centerfielder and first baseman on the baseball team, he got drafted by the Montreal Expos. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. What is Jeff Rutledge's full name? According to our records, Jeff Rutledge is possibly single. Former Realtor at ReallivingAdavanceRealty. There was no mortgage. 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. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. They attended some of the same churches and dated some of the same girls. "I think I had lost to Banks four times in three years because my freshman year, I played them as a freshman and on the B-team. Following his senior season at Alabama in 1978, Banks' Jeff Rutledge went on to play 13 years in the National Football League. Some of the choices Jeff Rutledge made during his journey to become an NFL assistant coach were difficult. "People drove up, saw the lines outside and just went on by. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. Newton stood behind Nathan as he sat next to his parents and got his picture taken signing his letter of intent. ', "She said, 'No, but even more so, you're not going to be a quitter. I knew when I came to training camp that it would be tough. | Learn more about Jeff . If all that notoriety affected Nathan, none of his teammates could tell. 66. "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. 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". That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. Jeffrey Brooks Rutledge, Meg Rutledge, Christen Rutledge. Where was Jeff Rutledge born? "That Banks-Woodlawn game our senior year, that was all about Tony and Jeff Rutledge," Hendrix says. 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. Not once, but twice, both teams were sent back to their respective locker rooms to allow the crowd to file into the stadium. 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. He had 274 completions in 526 attempts for 3,628 yards and 16 touchdowns. ", 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. The Colonels had something else going for them, too. A creative problem solver with refined approach to crisis communications and media management. An estimated 42,000 people poured into Legion Field that night -- a state high-school attendance record that still stands -- but as big as the game was, just as many people were curious to see its two superstars, Woodlawn's Nathan and Banks' Rutledge. 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. 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.
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