He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. 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. Continue with Recommended Cookies. ", 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." His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. On one particular visit, Bryant brought his overnight bag, Tony's father remembers. 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". Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, grew up in a house divided. The quiet Nathan, who teammates say tried to shy away from all of the attention, was one of Birmingham's first superstar black athletes in a city that was still adjusting to integration. 6' 1" (185 cm) How much does Jeff Rutledge weigh? Jeff is survived by his wife, Dana; daughter, Payton Rutledge; son, Parker Rutledge; and several nieces and nephews. Woodlawn, meanwhile, had a nice streak going, too, winning 11 in a row since it fell to Banks 17-7 in 1973. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. . As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. "What are you doing with that grip?'" ''I talked to Bill after practice Saturday,'' said Rutledge. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. 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. "That's a scary thought now," the 58-year-old Nathan says of what might have been. 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. Menu Log In Sign Up Center Dwight Stephenson and defensive back Don McNeal, who were a year behind him, would join the Dolphins the next year. Woodlawn never beat Banks during Nathan's three years on the varsity. "We dedicated our season to the glory of the Lord, and we played at a much higher level those two years (1973-74) than we probably should have. "We had a ball. But he made a great play and I just kept running, and he threw it and I caught it.". We had a blast. . We just couldn't put the icing on the cake.". 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. 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. 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. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. From Banks, defensive lineman Freddie Knighton signed with Alabama, running back Jerry Murphree went to LSU, and linebacker Bob Grefseng played at Ole Miss. 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. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. Even though the Dolphins eventually lost in overtime, the play lives on in Miami lore. | Learn more about Jeff . I wanted him to have his degree. Rutledge lived up to his star billing that night, completing 9 of 10 passes for 188 yards and that touchdown to Grefseng. He also led the Crimson Tide to two Sugar Bowl appearances and two SEC Championships. 6'1", 195 lbs. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. I was so elated that he did it, and I thank the Lord that he did.". Anyone can read what you share. 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. Banks came in riding a 34-game unbeaten streak, its last loss coming to Woodlawn, 21-18, three years before. "I've never known a Nathan to quit anything," she said. I remember it was good we didn't start when we were supposed to because they were at their peak. In those days, the Banks-Woodlawn rivalry was like the Alabama-Auburn of Birmingham high school football, but maybe just a little friendlier. His zodiac sign is Aquarius More about Jeff Rutledge Photo Gallery Jeff Rutledge Jeff Rutledge (Sugar Jets was a reference to a brand of cereal from the 1950s and '60s.). "I said, 'What's wrong, Mike, they didn't have crowds like this at Locust Fork?'" He said he hadn't decided whether to keep two or three quarterbacks.''. It was Grefseng's only touchdown catch of his Banks career. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Jeff Rutledge was born on January 22, 1957 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. He has established himself as a trusted advisor providing advice and direction to organizations in some of the most heavily regulated . "I knew some of those guys, and I'm like, 'Why would y'all be out here in the hot sun watching freshman football?'" "He ate a few pieces of it, but he didn't eat much.". "We were down 24-zip and nothing was going right, and that was the play that gave us the spark to come back. 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. The Nathans go to the same church, New Testament Baptist Church, with his former Alabama and Miami teammate McNeal and his wife, Rhonda. ''It's an odd world, isn't it?'' White says he was assured by the Legion Field crew that it would be able to handle the crowd. But, Knoxville, too, was a little too far from home for Nathan. After games, fans mobbed Nathan to get a piece of his jersey. A creative problem solver with refined approach to crisis communications and media management. 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. That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. I did believe. His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. Now he is not sure what he is. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). They made great souvenirs, too, and fans mobbed him after the games to get a piece of Nathan's jersey. And Then There Were Three. Efforts to reach him for this story were unsuccessful. Jeff Rutledge's net worth 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. Established network of influencers, political staff, department officials and media, supporting sound execution of public affairs initiatives. "I remember going back and forth to get more tickets to sell. 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. So they put the pressure on him, too. "That was neat, that she had just come up (for the game), not knowing anything that was going to happen years later," Rutledge says. "I don't even know if he realized how good he was back then. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. 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 the majority of us did that. He and his wife, Johnnie, who was his high school sweetheart at Woodlawn and his college sweetheart at Alabama, still live in the same house they bought in 1983. In 2013, he married Laura McKeeman (who took Rutledge's name upon marriage), a reporter and host for ESPN and the SEC Network. There was no mortgage. "Up until my eighth-grade year, I had been going to Banks games all my life, watching Jeff Rutledge's older brother, Gary, and Johnny Musso play,'' Ragland says. He was a basketball guy.". 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. Former Realtor at ReallivingAdavanceRealty. Tony is a very revered guy here in our community, here in our church community.". 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. And I don't know when that will be.'' "I said, 'If we win (the next game) and they win, we are both going to be undefeated when we play each other, and it's going to be the biggest high school crowd there ever will be,'" White recalls. "There wasn't anybody that came to see me play or any of the other guys. Senior Consultant. Gerelds' plan to move Nathan to running back was paying off handsomely, too.Sometime during that junior season -- maybe it was after he ran for 231 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-12 upset of the No. When the teams ran back onto the field for the third time, the lower bowl of Legion Field was practically full. They all came to see Tony.". Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? The easygoing Nathan had the ideal temperament for the job, Newman told him. 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. "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. Manage Settings By his senior season in 1974, Woodlawn running back Tony Nathan was one of the most sought-after high school football players in America. ''I wanted to know what he was thinking. 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. The quiet, introverted Nathan didn't know quite what to make of all that attention. "We just sat up there and watched," Martin, now retired, recalls. 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. By his senior year, it wasn't just folks in Birmingham talking about "Touchdown Tony." Once he started playing, though, she never let him quit. 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. At the age of 32, starting his 11th season as a National Football League quarterback, Rutledge was not sure he would make the. There's something always new at the courthouse.". ''Maybe it will make them think a bit or at least make their decision tough. "It was odd to see people react and want a piece of cloth off of somebody else who was wearing it. "'And you told me you didn't want me to play this game. 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. "Some of the other running backs didn't want to be that lead blocker. Nathan says. "And then they told me that that guy (Nathan) was an All-American basketball player, and he wasn't going to be playing football.