jeff rutledge wife

That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23. Center Dwight Stephenson and defensive back Don McNeal, who were a year behind him, would join the Dolphins the next year. That 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game would be Shorty White's 100th win at Banks, and his last. 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. So after his freshman football season -- while his football teammates were enjoying their break -- Nathan was on the basketball court the next day, trying to break into an Alabama lineup that featured Leon Douglas, Reggie King, T.R. 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. "And then they told me that that guy (Nathan) was an All-American basketball player, and he wasn't going to be playing football. That was Laura Holmes, whom Rutledge later met when his Fellowship of Christian Athletes adviser suggested that he ask her to go with him to the team banquet following his freshman year at Alabama. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. He was indeed a basketball guy, but Tony Nathan would be playing football for a long time. Now he is not sure what he is. He was a backup in Super Bowl XIV as a member of the Los Angeles Rams, he was a backup to Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms in Super Bowl XXI as a member of the New York Giants, and was a backup in Super Bowl XXVI as a member of the Washington Redskins. Place kicker Ali Haji-Sheikh of the New York Giants kicks a field goal during a game against the New Orleans Saints at Giants Stadium on December 15,. ''You gear up for a time when you're going to get together as a family. The easygoing Nathan had the ideal temperament for the job, Newman told him. "It was supposed to be a quick pass but somebody got in there and almost sacked Jeff. Six years later, he led the Tigers to an undefeated 15-0 season and a 4A state championship. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. Nathan played nine years with the Dolphins and started in two Super Bowls. [3][6], Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009.[3]. "I wanted to go home. That iconic Banks jet was turned over to the Southern Museum of Flight, where it has been restored to its Korean War glory days. Soon enough, though, Tony would be all around the ball. Tandy Gerelds left Woodlawn after the 1975 season to join his father in the family insurance business, but in 1984, he returned to coaching at Deshler High School in Tuscumbia. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. If they cut me and someone picks me up, they would have to get someone else not familiar with their system.'' It hardly seemed like a swan-song performance. Another one of football's coaching greats, Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins, drafted Nathan in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft, and even though it was a long way from Birmingham or Tuscaloosa, Miami was like a home away from home for Nathan. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. There are 90+ professionals named "Jeff Rutledge", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. Rivals in high school, Nathan and Rutledge were teammates for four years at Alabama. The Nathans go to the same church, New Testament Baptist Church, with his former Alabama and Miami teammate McNeal and his wife, Rhonda. Nathan says. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. [3][5][6] 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. "You wouldn't have known him to be any different from any of the other players on the team," Hendrix, who went on to play briefly with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers, says. 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. 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, with direct charge over Kurt Warner. A few years ago, though, Nathan realized one thing was missing in his life. Nose tackle Bob Baumhower, who was two years ahead of Nathan at Alabama, was already there when Nathan arrived for his first camp. The final count was an estimated 42,000 people -- roughly 10,000 more than the previous record crowd at the Crippled Children's Classic between Phillips and Woodlawn, also at Legion Field, in 1950. 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. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. Later, while at Belmont High School in Mississippi, Gerelds was diagnosed with brain cancer, and he died in 2003, coaching right up until the end. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Fast learner, critical thinker with an eye for efficiency, and generally fun guy. I think Tony could definitely play today. But he made a great play and I just kept running, and he threw it and I caught it.". He said, 'Well, make sure you promise me you're going to finish what you started. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. 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. [4], Rutledge is a Christian and attends Arizona Community Church in Chandler. Jeff Rutledge takes a breather during the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game at Legion Field in Birmingham. "I don't even know if he realized how good he was back then. The main building, built in 1922, was a grand, three-story structure that always looked more like a palace than a schoolhouse. "We knew each other from grammar school.". 2. 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. 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. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 63 years old? Experienced backup quarterbacks can be valuable when injuries strike. QB Born: January 22, 1957 in Birmingham, AL Drafted: 1979 Rnd 9, Pick 246 by LA: College: Alabama: Career Stats Career Stats Game Log Game Log Splits Splits. Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009. "But at that time, I had a concussion. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. I bought them last week. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. 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. Unbeknownst to either one of them at the time, she would later marry one of the game's biggest heroes. 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. Even though the Dolphins eventually lost in overtime, the play lives on in Miami lore. 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. "People drove up, saw the lines outside and just went on by. "He looked like he had a jet pack on his back," Baumhower recalls. He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. "It was a culmination of really four years of building up to that point," Woodlawn quarterback Denny Ragland remembers. But there was one catch. 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. 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. "And I didn't like that. "Some do come in with attitudes, and you just have to diffuse them before they go in front of the judge. See the article in its original context from. 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. Jeff Rutledge was born on 22 January, 1957 in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, is an American football coach and former quarterback. His two older sisters went to Banks, but after the Birmingham schools were desegregated, he was zoned for Woodlawn. 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. ", During his senior season at at Woodlawn High School in 1974, Tony Nathan was a Parade All-American and featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd." William Nathan asked, referring to Bryant's bag. 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 BUY HOUSES ANY PRICE ANY CONDITION CALL 205 966 4880 NOW. 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. Banks High School - named for school superintendent L. Frazier Banks - opened in 1957 in Birmingham's South East Lake neighborhood and fielded its first football team three years later. He would just tear it off and throw it up in the crowd. 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. View the profiles of professionals named "Jeff Rutledge" on LinkedIn. So, how much is Jeff Rutledge worth at the age of 65 years old? "We have, I think, one of the best alumni associations in the NFL," Nathan says. But she's been through this every year. All rights reserved (About Us). "'And you told me you didn't want me to play this game. 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. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. 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). In his teens, he acted in productions of the North Shore Children's Theater and, from 1942 to 1944, performed in . We will update Jeff Rutledge's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. "I didn't have to worry about cutting grass because they played all the time.". And Then There Were Three. "It was odd to see people react and want a piece of cloth off of somebody else who was wearing it. ", Tony Nathan strikes a Heisman-like pose as he tries to avoid a linebacker. So the magic from that night continues to live on. 1957 Contents 1 Early years 2 College career 3 Playing career 4 Coaching career 5 Personal life 6 See also 7 References Early years Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. "Including his wife. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state *les at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. "I was running down the baseline trying to follow my guy around, and, all of a sudden, they set a pick and this guy's elbow hit me in the eye and that cured my basketball desire," Nathan says. | Learn more about Jeff . "It was time for people to actually get along -- no matter what race or color you were," he says. UNEASY LIES THE HEAD OF NO. "To be a 16-, 17-year-old kid, I had never seen anybody run and do the things Tony did athletically. Only two practice sessions remain at the Fairleigh Dickinson campus here. Our defensive game plan was awesome.". And I don't know when that will be.'' "All three kids were raised here. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. According to our Database, He has no children. A Valuable Commodity. "It was a miserable way to end your season.". On one particular visit, Bryant brought his overnight bag, Tony's father remembers. He was the starting quarterback on the 1978 National Championship team. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. 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. "That's what I always wanted. 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. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). He is from United States. They've been married for going on 37 years now, with three children and nine grandkids. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. "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. And to himself. 1-ranked Huffman Vikings -- Woodlawn fans started calling Nathan "Touchdown Tony" and began clamoring for pictures and autographs. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. If it had been up to Louise Nathan, her son Tony never would have touched a football. And in the memories of those who were there. "I said, 'What's wrong, Mike, they didn't have crowds like this at Locust Fork?'" 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. Trivia (4) Quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams (1979-1981), New York Giants (1983-1989) and Washington Redskins (1990-1992). "The Woodlawn guys were like maniacs, and they were roaring all through their pre-game warm-ups. . 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. ", RELATED: Turning back the clock at Legion Field. The following Friday night, Woodlawn closed out its season on a cold, rainy night at Fair Park, defeating Carver 12-0. ", 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. What is Jeff Rutledge's full name? He is currently single. He is married to his wife Laura and has 3 children. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. 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. 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. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. And the majority of us did that. The purchase date corresponds with most of the transfers from Mr. Slaughter's account, according to the suit. (Birmingham News file) In the 1980s,. We had a blast. "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. "I told him, me being so far behind, I didn't want to flunk out. Following his senior season at Alabama in 1978, Banks' Jeff Rutledge went on to play 13 years in the National Football League. Rutledge was born to Tony and Cheryl Rutledge in Cullman, Alabama, on April 21, 1989. They got at least part of that right. Wore number 17 for the New York Giants. "It was the thrill of my life," Louise Nathan says. "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. Welcome. 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. He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. 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. WIFE'S SUGGESTION OF RETIREMENT LOST ON RUTLEDGE. "All I had ever seen of football games was everybody falling on each other and piling on each other," she says. They made great souvenirs, too, and fans mobbed him after the games to get a piece of Nathan's jersey. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). We have estimated Though Rutledge was available, no other team signed him. "That was neat, that she had just come up (for the game), not knowing anything that was going to happen years later," Rutledge says. 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. 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. Jeff Rutledge's net worth They all came to see Tony.". His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. 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. "When people say Tony Nathan, their ears go up. He got permission from his academic advisers to drop his courses with a withdraw-passing grade and come back to finish his degree later. Birmingham, AL. . Rutledge is a Christian and attends Arizona Community Church in Chandler. Not once, but twice, both teams were sent back to their respective locker rooms to allow the crowd to file into the stadium. "It's been home a long time," Nathan says. 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. Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, grew up in a house divided. He has been a Giant since 1982, when he was obtained from the Los Angeles Rams after Phil Simms suffered a season-ending knee injury. ", The Banks players huddle around head coach Shorty White during the 1974 Banks-Woodlawn game at Legion Field in Birmingham. "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. If all that notoriety affected Nathan, none of his teammates could tell. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). 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. "In high school, he was the best quarterback in the state of Alabama, and Coach Bryant did his job. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. "I think (defensive lineman) Marty Lyons could play today. After games, fans mobbed Nathan to get a piece of his jersey. "I played with older guys, and I wanted to be able to play on their level," Nathan says. Louise Nathan, though, never was wild about her seeing her son get hit. Jeff Rutledge Biography. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. "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. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). Gosh, that game was 40 years ago, which is unbelievable.". And when that happened, that movement, I was touched in my heart to do so again.". The kids are disappointed. One of them said on the phone, 'What did you get me?' Jeff is an experienced communications and public affairs professional with more than a decade working in government and the private sector. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jeff Rutledge, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. "We were just talking about it. He will miss Saturday night's exhibition game against the Giants at Giants Stadium. Drafted in the ninth round of the 1979 NFL Draft (246th overall pick) by the Los Angeles Rams,[2] Rutledge played in 14 NFL seasons[3][5] from 1979 to 1992 for three different teams. 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. In those days, the Banks-Woodlawn rivalry was like the Alabama-Auburn of Birmingham high school football, but maybe just a little friendlier. "Before I signed to go to Alabama, Coach Bryant told me, 'Well, look, you can try out (for basketball), but if you're not within the top six, you've got to come back out for spring ball.'''. 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. We prayed together, and from then on, I respected them and they respected me. "It wasn't hard to grab a piece of it. . (Sugar Jets was a reference to a brand of cereal from the 1950s and '60s.). Manage Settings In 2013, he married Laura McKeeman (who took Rutledge's name upon marriage), a reporter and host for ESPN and the SEC Network. 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. Newton and football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant stand behind Tony Nathan as he signs his scholarship to attend the University of Alabama. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. of development through completion. "It's . are hard-pressed to remember the final score. 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. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 22 January. 6' 1" (185 cm) How much does Jeff Rutledge weigh? Or was it 17-7? Commissioner Rutledge, a native of Newport, graduated from Newport High School and earned a B.S. You look at the schedule, and that was the one you've got marked down that you want to win. "If we needed him to throw the football, I knew he could definitely do that. He started taking online courses through the University of Alabama's Bama by Distance degree program, and this past May, at 58, he graduated. RELATED:See who plays Tony Nathan in 'Woodlawn'. People around the country were starting to notice him, too. Hoover, Alabama. I said, 'You have to wait until you see me.' According to our records, Jeff Rutledge is possibly single. It all built up to Nov. 8, 1974, when Woodlawn, which had won 11 games in a row, met its old nemesis Banks, which was riding a 34-game unbeaten streak, at Legion Field. Jeff Rutledges income source is mostly from being a successful Player. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. "There wasn't anybody that came to see me play or any of the other guys. 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. By Friday, the excitement was at full-tilt boogie. 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. He had left the University of Alabama in the spring of 1979 without a diploma. ", Tony Nathan breaks free with his tear-away jersey flying in the breeze. 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. Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. "That's a scary thought now," the 58-year-old Nathan says of what might have been. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. 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. 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. On signing day, both Bryant and Alabama basketball coach C.M. ', "I said, 'I will do that. He had to meet with Coach Bryant to get him to sign off on it, too. The family will receive friends from 12:00-1:30 pm, Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at . 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. 1972 His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. "I came to stay until Tony makes up his mind," Bryant replied. 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. 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.