The two schools were just 10 minutes and less than four miles apart. 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 bought them last week. Tony Nathan talks about racism, 'Woodlawn' Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge. In his teens, he acted in productions of the North Shore Children's Theater and, from 1942 to 1944, performed in . Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up quarterback and a holder on kicks. See the article in its original context from. He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. 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. 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. "It was weird," he says. That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). (Photo courtesy of Banks High School Facebook page). Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. on November 25, 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child. 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. On Nov. 8, 1974 -- 40 years ago this Saturday - the two-time defending state champion Banks Jets met their eastern Birmingham rivals the Woodlawn Colonels in front of what was then and remains today the biggest crowd to ever watch a high school football game in Alabama. People around the country were starting to notice him, too. New York Giants. "But I was raised in the church anyway. 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. There are 90+ professionals named "Jeff Rutledge", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. 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. "He ate a few pieces of it, but he didn't eat much.". "In high school, he was the best quarterback in the state of Alabama, and Coach Bryant did his job. 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. 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. I don't know exactly when, but I'll do it.'". (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). "They all looked at me like, 'OK, don't you think it's your time?'" UNEASY LIES THE HEAD OF NO. 3 QUARTERBACK - The New York Times Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. By his senior year, it wasn't just folks in Birmingham talking about "Touchdown Tony." It wasn't anything boastful for him. That 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game would be Shorty White's 100th win at Banks, and his last. 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. "The touchdown was a busted play," he recalls. Another, a little fireplug of a linebacker who had moved to Birmingham from Texas the year before, became the surprise defensive star of the game. "I knew some of those guys, and I'm like, 'Why would y'all be out here in the hot sun watching freshman football?'" Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. 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. I knew it even before that, when Plan B came along.'' Menu Log In Sign Up 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 Skins last game of the regular season, again against the Philadelphia Eagles. ", RELATED: Turning back the clock at Legion Field. And when that happened, that movement, I was touched in my heart to do so again.". "It's . "It's been home a long time," Nathan says. he recalls. . Hoover, Alabama. I don't remember that whole week. Bryant sealed the deal by promising Tony he would get a shot at playing basketball at Alabama, too. 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. A Valuable Commodity. Jeff was in the flooring business and owned Vintage Wood Floors, Inc. . Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. "I was like, 'What?'" Jeff Rutledge Biography. "It was supposed to be a quick pass but somebody got in there and almost sacked Jeff. 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. Jeff Rutledges income source is mostly from being a successful Player. The quiet, introverted Nathan didn't know quite what to make of all that attention. Dunn and Anthony Murray and that would go on to make it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, losing to eventual champion Indiana. 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. 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. ''My first year in the league, with the Rams, it was hairy because they had so many quarterbacks in camp. He is married to his wife Laura and has 3 children.[7]. Nathan, who wore number 22, went through as many as a dozen jerseys in some games. We prayed together, and from then on, I respected them and they respected me. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. On signing day, both Bryant and Alabama basketball coach C.M. Carden Jefferson "Jeff" Rutledge - Wages and sons fatal car accident in tulare county / how to endorse a check for mobile deposit wells fargo / jeff rutledge wife. They've been married for going on 37 years now, with three children and nine grandkids. "We both started to laugh.". 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. 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". Trivia (4) Quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams (1979-1981), New York Giants (1983-1989) and Washington Redskins (1990-1992). Now he is not sure what he is. "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. 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. 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. 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. 6'1", 195 lbs. Jeff Rutledge Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family "And then they told me that that guy (Nathan) was an All-American basketball player, and he wasn't going to be playing football. DeOssie, who has been starting at inside linebacker, strained his back lifting weights. Jeff is an experienced communications and public affairs professional with more than a decade working in government and the private sector. 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. Woodlawn High School had a much longer history that went back to 1916, when the community of Woodlawn was annexed into Birmingham. By Frank Litsky, Special To the New York Times. I do believe. Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up quarterback and a holder on kicks. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Jeff Rutledge Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. Jeff Rutledge - Head of Internal Communications - LinkedIn One of them said on the phone, 'What did you get me?' "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. How tall is Jeff Rutledge? So I ended up saying, 'Thanks, coach, but no thanks.' I was so elated that he did it, and I thank the Lord that he did.". Rutledge and his wife had just moved into their dream house in Atlanta, but felt it was the best job available. Jeff Rutledge Net Worth I did believe. The attendance was out of this world.". He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Some were easier. "They had the best running back in the state and we had the best quarterback," former Banks head coach George "Shorty" White remembers. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. ''You gear up for a time when you're going to get together as a family.
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