Joe Ruetz
Encyclopedia
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 season at quarterback
. In 1938, he graduated from Notre Dame with cum laude honors. Ruetz played in the 1938 College All-Star Game
and his team upset Sammy Baugh
and the Washington Redskins
. During World War II
, he was a Navy
physical education instructor and pilot. During that time he played for the famed St. Mary's preflight football team. He was named an All-Navy All-American by sportswriter Grantland Rice
in 1942. After the war, Ruetz studied at the University of Chicago
and played two seasons with the Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference. In 1950, he then was an assistant and head coach at St. Mary's before joining Chuck Taylor's football staff at Stanford University
and helping guide the team to the 1952 Rose Bowl
. Ruetz later worked as a fund-raiser for Cardinal athletics, before succeeding Taylor as athletic director in 1972. He then "saved" the East-West Shrine Game
by convincing Stanford to allow it to be played at the school, where it remained until its move to Pacific Bell Park in 2001. Joe also launched the head coaching career of Bill Walsh in 1977, when he hired him as Stanford's football coach. He also instituted a long football series with Notre Dame, before retiring in 1979. He later served as a fund-raising consultant to the Psoriasis Research Institute in Palo Alto, California
.
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...
player in 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...
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...
in 1946 and 1948. Prior to that he played at the collegiate level
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
while attending the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. He played 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 Irish with the exception of playing one season at 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...
. In 1938, he graduated from Notre Dame with cum laude honors. Ruetz played in the 1938 College All-Star Game
College All-Star Game
The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played annually from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year...
and his team upset Sammy Baugh
Sammy Baugh
Samuel Adrian "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the Horned Frogs at Texas Christian University, where he was a two-time All-American. He then played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952...
and 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,...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he was a Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
physical education instructor and pilot. During that time he played for the famed St. Mary's preflight football team. He was named an All-Navy All-American by sportswriter Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice was an early 20th century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.-Biography:...
in 1942. After the war, Ruetz studied at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and played two seasons with the Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference. In 1950, he then was an assistant and head coach at St. Mary's before joining Chuck Taylor's football staff at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and helping guide the team to the 1952 Rose Bowl
1952 Rose Bowl
The 1952 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1952 at the end of the 1951 college football season. It was the 38th Rose Bowl Game. It holds the distinction of being the first nationally televised college football game...
. Ruetz later worked as a fund-raiser for Cardinal athletics, before succeeding Taylor as athletic director in 1972. He then "saved" the East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
by convincing Stanford to allow it to be played at the school, where it remained until its move to Pacific Bell Park in 2001. Joe also launched the head coaching career of Bill Walsh in 1977, when he hired him as Stanford's football coach. He also instituted a long football series with Notre Dame, before retiring in 1979. He later served as a fund-raising consultant to the Psoriasis Research Institute in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
.