Jeff Rutledge
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football
coach and former professional quarterback
. He is currently the head football coach at Pope John Paul II High School
in Hendersonville, Tennessee
.
. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School
in Birmingham, Alabama
.
, where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams and a National Championship
team under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.
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. He was a backup in Super Bowl XIV
as a member of the Los Angeles Rams
, he played 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
.
Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up QB and a holder on kicks. 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. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries
and led a great comeback. He completied 30 of 42 passes for 363 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 12 yards for the game tying touchdown with only 24 seconds remaining. 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.
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". 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. Rutledge would never start an NFL game again but he did see spot duty in relief of returning starter Mark Rypien
in the Skins 1991 Super Bowl
Championship season, including some playing time in the Skins last game of the regular season, again against the Philadelphia Eagles.
, with direct charge over Kurt Warner. That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth
, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers
, 27-23. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired.
Rutledge served as the quarterbacks
and tight ends coach
for the New York Sentinels
of the United Football League in 2009.
In April 2010, Rutledge agreed to become the head football coach at Pope John Paul II High School
in Hendersonville, Tennessee
. Rutledge led Montgomery Bell Academy to a 41-17 record from 2002-2006, with two state titles in 2002 and 2003 and a #15 ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 poll in 2003.
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 and former professional quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
. He is currently the head football coach at Pope John Paul II High School
Pope John Paul II High School (Hendersonville, Tennessee)
Pope John Paul II High School is a coeducational Catholic high school in Hendersonville, Tennessee just north of Nashville. It is administered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville.-History:...
in Hendersonville, Tennessee
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Hendersonville is a city in Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 51,372 at the 2010 census. Hendersonville is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located 18 miles northeast of downtown Nashville. The city was settled around 1784 by...
.
Early years
Rutledge was born and reared in Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School
L. Frazier Banks Middle School
L. Frazier Banks Middle School was a former high school and middle school in the Birmingham Public School System in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. The school, which was named for former superintendent L...
in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
.
College career
Rutledge played collegiately at AlabamaAlabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
, where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams and a National Championship
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
team under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.
Playing career
DraftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the ninth round of the 1979 NFL Draft
1979 NFL Draft
The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1979...
(246th overall pick) by the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, Rutledge played in 14 NFL
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...
seasons from 1979 to 1992 for three different teams. He was a backup in Super Bowl XIV
Super Bowl XIV
Super Bowl XIV was an American football game played on January 20, 1980 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1979 regular season...
as a member of the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, he played in Super Bowl XXI
Super Bowl XXI
Super Bowl XXI was an American football game played on January 25, 1987 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1986 regular season. The National Football Conference champion New York Giants won their first Super Bowl by defeating...
as a member of the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and was a backup in Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game played on January 26, 1992 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota to decide the National Football League champion following the 1991 regular season...
as a member of the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
.
Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up QB and a holder on kicks. 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
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in 1990. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries
Stan Humphries
William Stanley "Stan" Humphries is a former professional American football quarterback. He played for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He played college football at Northeast Louisiana...
and led a great comeback. He completied 30 of 42 passes for 363 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 12 yards for the game tying touchdown with only 24 seconds remaining. In overtime, he hit Art Monk
Art Monk
James Arthur "Art" Monk is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles...
with a vital 40 yard pass on third and 15 to help set up Chip Lohmiller
Chip Lohmiller
John McLeod "Chip" Lohmiller is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, and the St. Louis Rams...
's game winning field goal.
That game meant that Rutledge got the nod to start the following week on Monday Night against the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in a game that was to become infamously known as the "Body Bag Game". 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. Rutledge would never start an NFL game again but he did see spot duty in relief of returning starter Mark Rypien
Mark Rypien
Mark Robert Rypien is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He is the first Canadian-born quarterback to start in the NFL.-Biography:...
in the Skins 1991 Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
Championship season, including some playing time in the Skins last game of the regular season, again against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Coaching career
In the spring of 2007 Rutledge got his first NFL coaching job when he was hired as quarterbacks coach with the NFL's Arizona CardinalsArizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, with direct charge over Kurt Warner. That year, the Cardinals made a late season run and earned a Super Bowl berth
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, 27-23. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired.
Rutledge served as the quarterbacks
Quarterbacks coach
A quarterbacks coach is a coach in charge of the quarterbacks in gridiron football. The quarterbacks coach typically operates under the offensive coordinator on a team's coaching staff....
and tight ends coach
Tight ends coach
A tight ends coach is a coach in charge of the tight ends in American football. The tight ends coach typically operates under the team's offensive coordinator....
for the New York Sentinels
New York Sentinels
The New York Sentinels and Hartford Colonials are a currently inactive professional American football team that played in the United Football League in its 2009 and 2010 seasons...
of the United Football League in 2009.
In April 2010, Rutledge agreed to become the head football coach at Pope John Paul II High School
Pope John Paul II High School (Hendersonville, Tennessee)
Pope John Paul II High School is a coeducational Catholic high school in Hendersonville, Tennessee just north of Nashville. It is administered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville.-History:...
in Hendersonville, Tennessee
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Hendersonville is a city in Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 51,372 at the 2010 census. Hendersonville is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located 18 miles northeast of downtown Nashville. The city was settled around 1784 by...
. Rutledge led Montgomery Bell Academy to a 41-17 record from 2002-2006, with two state titles in 2002 and 2003 and a #15 ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 poll in 2003.