George Gerhard Ruetz was a professional football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 coach in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 for the Racine Legion. Prior to that he had been one of Racine's finest amateur players from about 1910-1920. In June 1922 George traveled to Canton, Ohio

Canton, Ohio

Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 and made a $100.00 payment to secure the Legion franchise in the newly formed NFL. He also served as the team's general manager

General manager

General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...

 in 1922 and 1923. Outside of football, George owned and operated a gocery store in Racine. He scheduled the Legion's very first NFL game, played against the Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

.

Family

George's son, Howard

Howie Ruetz

Howard "Howie" Peter Ruetz was a professional American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for the Green Bay Packers . He played at the collegiate level at Loras College.-References:...

, would go on to play for the Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

 from 1951–1953 and his other son, Joe

Joe Ruetz

Joseph Hubert Ruetz was a professional football player in the All-America Football Conference for the Chicago Rockets in 1946 and 1948. Prior to that he played at the collegiate level while attending the University of Notre Dame. He played guard for the Irish with the exception of playing one...

, would play guard

Guard (American football)

In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....

 for the Chicago Rockets

Chicago Rockets

The Chicago Rockets was an American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. During the 1949 season, the team was known as the Chicago Hornets...

 of the All-America Football Conference

All-America Football Conference

The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...

.