"Including his wife. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. If they cut me and someone picks me up, they would have to get someone else not familiar with their system.'' (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). ''My wife is frustrated,'' said Rutledge. Quarterback Jeff Rutledge played 13 seasons for 3 teams. Jeffrey Brooks Rutledge, Meg Rutledge, Christen Rutledge. Meanwhile, Woodlawn High School stands majestically in the same location on First Avenue North, just like it has since 1922, and the football team is still sending players to the NFL, including Chris Davis, the Auburn cornerback who was the last-second hero of the 2013 Iron Bowl. "That Banks-Woodlawn game our senior year, that was all about Tony and Jeff Rutledge," Hendrix says. View the profiles of professionals named "Jeff Rutledge" on LinkedIn. How old is Jeff Rutledge? Jeff Rutledge Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family Though Rutledge was available, no other team signed him. "To be a 16-, 17-year-old kid, I had never seen anybody run and do the things Tony did athletically. Sports Illustrated featured him in its "Faces in the Crowd" section after he ran for 228 yards and scored seven touchdowns against Ramsay, and late in the season, along with Banks quarterback Jeff Rutledge, he was named a Parade All-American. The kids are disappointed. So, how much is Jeff Rutledge worth at the age of 65 years old? But, Knoxville, too, was a little too far from home for Nathan. We prayed together, and from then on, I respected them and they respected me. Coach Bill Parcells will probably keep three this year, but there is no guarantee. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember anything about it. 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. Tony is a very revered guy here in our community, here in our church community.". We have estimated I wasn't too sure about him running the wishbone at that time, but he did a very good job and it was great to play with him.". It was Grefseng's only touchdown catch of his Banks career. RELATED:See who plays Tony Nathan in 'Woodlawn'. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979.[4]. By Frank Litsky, Special To the New York Times. . Former Giant Jeff Rutledge Talks Playing and Coaching They all came to see Tony.". "We knew each other from grammar school.". When the other team did not pick up on Rutledge, he took the snap and did a sneak up the middle for yardage that gave the Giants a first down that would eventually lead to a go-ahead score. White is now retired and living with his wife, June, in Helena. So, when Tony was in the 10th grade, and he came home one day and told his mother he had left the Woodlawn High School football team, she replied, in no uncertain terms, no, he had not. According to our Database, He has no children. Mike Perez was waived Tuesday, leaving Rutledge as the only other quarterback on the roster. By Friday, the excitement was at full-tilt boogie. Jeff Rutledge, of Newport, represents the White River and his term expires in 2024. 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. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). Rutledge served as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009. "I get to meet a ton of people -- lawyers, defendants, victims -- and they all are different," Nathan says. 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. And to himself. Rutledge's road back to NFL as Cards QB coach filled with ups and downs 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. By his senior season in 1974, Woodlawn running back Tony Nathan was one of the most sought-after high school football players in America. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). He would just tear it off and throw it up in the crowd. On one particular visit, Bryant brought his overnight bag, Tony's father remembers. , money, salary, income, and assets. There was no mortgage. What is Jeff Rutledge's full name? 1972 His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. "Before Bo, there was Tony," Ragland says. It wasn't anything boastful for him. Today, Ken O'Brien, the Jets' starter, broke a toe. He played college football at Alabama, where he was the team's starting quarterback for their 1978 National . 195 lbs (88.5 kg) 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. It wasn't so much the football I wanted. Jeff Rutledge III - Facebook By his senior year, it wasn't just folks in Birmingham talking about "Touchdown Tony." 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. Gerelds, recognizing Nathan's underutilized potential, thought he needed to have the ball in his hands more often and moved him to offense his junior year.Before the start of that 1973 season, something else happened that changed the Woodlawn football team's fortunes. Jeff Rutledge Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. are hard-pressed to remember the final score. ", Tony Nathan runs behind his Miami Dolphins teammate Jeff Toews in a game against the New York Jets. 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. Birmingham, Alabama. "But at that time, I had a concussion. 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. The attendance was out of this world.". 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. Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge (born January 22, 1957) is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. "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. "What are you doing with that grip?'" 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. The stoic Nathan even teared up as walked across the Coleman Coliseum stage to receive his diploma from outgoing UA President Judy Bonner. (Birmingham News file) In the 1980s,. "Greg was not very big but he had a huge heart and he gave Tony fits that night. 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. 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. So it's tough for her to hear that she should wait. They know they're going to get presents when they see me. Rutledge earned MVP honors at the 1978 Sugar Bowl and also earned All-SEC honors in 1978 and 1979. 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. "All three kids were raised here. jeff rutledge wife - holyfamily.schoolmerchcanada.com At 65 years old, Jeff Rutledge height not available right now. 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. After working as an assistant at Vanderbilt University and with the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL, Rutledge is now the head coach at Valley Christian High School in Chandler, Ariz. After four years at Alabama, Woodlawn's Tony Nathan was drafted in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, where he played for nine seasons under Don Shula, including two Super Bowls. (Birmingham News file). 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. When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. "They had the best running back in the state and we had the best quarterback," former Banks head coach George "Shorty" White remembers. 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. But he made a great play and I just kept running, and he threw it and I caught it.". "We were just talking about it. "That's why, for two years, we had a lot of focus and attention on Woodlawn. Woodlawn High School had a much longer history that went back to 1916, when the community of Woodlawn was annexed into Birmingham. "I knew some of those guys, and I'm like, 'Why would y'all be out here in the hot sun watching freshman football?'" ", 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. Horgan III, Jeff Hart, Jim Rutledge of Canada, Gary Hallberg and Jeff Freeman pose together with their Qualifying cards during the Champions Tour. "Some do come in with attitudes, and you just have to diffuse them before they go in front of the judge. Trailing 35-14 with 10:37 left in the third quarter Rutledge replaced an ineffective Stan Humphries and led a great comeback. His breakout moment came against Montgomery's Robert E. Lee Generals, when, late in the game, he scooped up a fumble and ran 38 yards for the winning touchdown. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? It took him 36 years, but Nathan kept that promise to his coach. Manage Settings 1957 In his teens, he acted in productions of the North Shore Children's Theater and, from 1942 to 1944, performed in . "I said, 'What's wrong, Mike, they didn't have crowds like this at Locust Fork?'" William Nathan asked, referring to Bryant's bag. UNEASY LIES THE HEAD OF NO. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Their two-year reign as 4A state champs also ended with a 12-0 shutout loss to eventual champion Homewood in the first round of the playoffs. 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. 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. 66. PI Financial sued over unauthorized $1.5M withdrawal [2] Rutledge spent most of his career as a back-up quarterback and a holder on kicks. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. And I don't know when that will be.'' 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. 6' 1" (185 cm) How much does Jeff Rutledge weigh? "People drove up, saw the lines outside and just went on by. "The Woodlawn guys were like maniacs, and they were roaring all through their pre-game warm-ups. See also [ edit] Rule 5 draft results References [ edit] That same night, Banks' 35-game unbeaten streak came to an abrupt end when Rutledge blew out an ankle and the banged-up Jets lost 34-27 to West End. At the age of 32, starting his 11th season as a National Football League quarterback, Rutledge was not sure he would make the. [1], Rutledge played collegiately at Alabama,[2][3] where he was a member of three SEC Championship teams under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. "I didn't have to worry about cutting grass because they played all the time.". As that 1974 season progressed and both teams kept winning week after week, that friendly rivalry between Banks and Woodlawn reached a new level, though. (Photo courtesy of Tony Nathan). Jeff Rutledge. 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. BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Forty years later, the details have gotten fuzzier and the legends have grown larger. 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. The quiet, introverted Nathan didn't know quite what to make of all that attention. "It was a miserable way to end your season.". The unsung hero, though, was a little linebacker named Greg Muse, who had transferred to Banksafter living in Texas. Gosh, that game was 40 years ago, which is unbelievable.". DeOssie, who has been starting at inside linebacker, strained his back lifting weights. The following Friday night, Woodlawn closed out its season on a cold, rainy night at Fair Park, defeating Carver 12-0. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. On fourth down with a yard needed, he was sent by head coach Bill Parcells for a potential decoy play. A backup for most of his career, he was a member of the New York Giants team that won a Super Bowl in Super Bowl XXI and the Washington Redskins team that won Super Bowl XXVI. "Each gate had four openings in it for four lines of people," Garrett says, "but it still obviously wasn't enough.". We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. He was worn out, and he was just tearing the rest of his jersey off.". The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. In overtime, he hit Art Monk with a vital 40-yard p* on third and 15 to help set up Chip Lohmiller's game-winning field goal. New York Giants. Jeff Rutledge - Facts, Bio, Favorites, Info, Family 2021 - Sticky Facts Jeff Rutledge Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge Position: QB Throws: Right 6-1 , 195lb (185cm, 88kg) Born: January 22 in Birmingham, AL (Age: 66-029d) More bio, uniform, draft, salary info 2x SB Champ 8 17 10 SUMMARY Career G 117 AV 8 QBrec 2-7-1 Cmp% 52.1 Yds 3628 Y/A 6.9 TD 16 Int 29 FantPt 151.0 Jeff Rutledge Overview Game Logs Career Postseason 1979 1980 Louise Nathan, though, never was wild about her seeing her son get hit. He resigned in the Spring of 2012 to return to Arizona to spend time with his family. He received his degree from Alabama in Business Administration and in 2011, was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. "Well, Shula knew what talent was," Nathan says. Like Jackson, Nathan excelled at just about any sport he played. American football player and coach (born 1957) 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. No One Else Wanted Him. "It was odd to see people react and want a piece of cloth off of somebody else who was wearing it. A backup for most of his career, he was a member of the New York Giants team that won a Super Bowl in Super Bowl XXI and the Washington Redskins team that won Super Bowl XXVI. Jeff Rutledge - Senior Consultant - McMillan Vantage Policy Group Jeff Rutledge - McMillan Vantage Charles Tillman Rutledge, Jr. Boiling Springs, SC Charles Tillman Rutledge, Jr., 80, of 2558 Old Furnace Road, passed away Thursday, June 20, 2019, at Spartanburg Hospital For Restorative Care . The family will receive friends from 12:00-1:30 pm, Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at . (Photo courtesy of Banks High School Facebook page). I think Tony could definitely play today. Established network of influencers, political staff, department officials and media, supporting sound execution of public affairs initiatives. 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 both started to laugh.". 1-ranked Huffman Vikings -- Woodlawn fans started calling Nathan "Touchdown Tony" and began clamoring for pictures and autographs. I knew it even before that, when Plan B came along.'' Jeff Rutledge - Pro-Football-Reference.com If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. The easygoing Nathan had the ideal temperament for the job, Newman told him. Tony started playing pickup basketball games with some older boys in the neighborhood, and he was good enough that he was recruited to play in a rec league at Huffman Park. Jeff Rutledge Stats | The Football Database "And then they told me that that guy (Nathan) was an All-American basketball player, and he wasn't going to be playing football. ''I talked to Bill after practice Saturday,'' said Rutledge. "We let them run and play," Tony's father, whom the family calls "Pops," says. As big as it was, though, even in these days where everything is just a Google or YouTube search away, only a few accounts and descriptions from that night are available, mainly in school yearbooks and newspaper archives. #Jeff #Rutledge #Wiki Biography #Age #Height #Wife #Net #Worth #Family Tags: Age Biography Family Height Jeff Net Rutledge Wife Wiki Worth Jeff Rutledge Biography. Nathan played his entire NFL career with the Dolphins - retiring in 1987 after nine seasons in the aqua and orange - and he has continued to make Miami his home, even when NFL assistant coaching jobs took him to Tampa Bay, Baltimore and San Francisco. Jeff was in the flooring business and owned Vintage Wood Floors, Inc. Trivia (4) Quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams (1979-1981), New York Giants (1983-1989) and Washington Redskins (1990-1992). We were playing in front of 20,000 people regularly, so we were getting some big crowds.". The week of the game, Jerry Stearns, who was an assistant coach at Woodlawn that year and later became the head coach there, recalls selling advance tickets at the school, something he says never happened before. Former Realtor at ReallivingAdavanceRealty. Jeffery Joseph Rutledge | Obituaries | koamnewsnow.com Unbeknownst to either one of them at the time, she would later marry one of the game's biggest heroes. Jeff Rutledge, Nathan's old rival from Banks, was now his teammate, quarterbacking the Tide. he recalls. ''But this is tough on the family. Contact . team protected 37 players during the off season and made the unprotected players available to other teams. They got at least part of that right. He is currently the head football coach at Valley Christian High School (Chandler, Arizona) in Chandler, Arizona. 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. "And you're not going to be the first.". I still get chills thinking about it.". Jeff Rutledge, Nathan's old rival from Banks, was now his teammate, quarterbacking the Tide. . Nathan scored Woodlawn's only touchdown on a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 22 January. Wife'S Suggestion of Retirement Lost on Rutledge He is now a bailiff for Miami-Dade County Court Judge Edward Newman, a former Dolphins teammate. The night after that chat, in an exhibition game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Rutledge completed all 8 of his passes for 156 yards. White says he was assured by the Legion Field crew that it would be able to handle the crowd. Jeff Rutledge - Head of Internal Communications - LinkedIn 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. "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. On signing day, both Bryant and Alabama basketball coach C.M. 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. Carden Jefferson "Jeff" Rutledge - Wages and sons 90+ "Jeff Rutledge" profiles | LinkedIn When the Cardinals hired a new offensive coordinator at the end of that season, Rutledge and most of the offensive staff were fired. "All I had ever seen of football games was everybody falling on each other and piling on each other," she says. The Colonels had something else going for them, too. The legend of Tony Nathan: From Woodlawn to Alabama to the NFL "I wanted some kind of meat to serve him," William Nathan remembers. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. I bought them last week. Woodlawn never beat Banks during Nathan's three years on the varsity. "Everywhere Tony lined up, there was Greg," Rutledge remembers. Rutledge was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. When the other team did not pick up on Rutledge, he took the snap and did a sneak up the middle for yardage that gave the Giants a first down that would eventually lead to a go-ahead score. A three-year starter, he also led Alabama to the #2 National ranking in 1977. Banks alums included Jimmy Sidle, an All-American quarterback at Auburn; Johnny Musso, an All-American running back at Alabama; and David Cutliffe, who became the head coach at Ole Miss and later, Duke. So he signed again with the Giants, but for less than the $400,000 he made last year. They got in the car, and she drove him back to the football field, where she told Woodlawn coach Tandy Gerelds to do whatever he needed to discipline her boy for skipping practice, just as long as he was allowed back on the team. Meanwhile, the recruiting letters continued to pour in from schools such as USC, Notre Dame, Texas and Oklahoma, as well as SEC schools Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee. Perhaps that epic 1974 showdown at Legion Field between Birmingham high-school heavyweights Woodlawn and Banks would have been just another Friday night football game. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). 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. Woodlawn, meanwhile, had a nice streak going, too, winning 11 in a row since it fell to Banks 17-7 in 1973. They included touchdown passes of 29, 20 and 43 yards. "It was weird," he says. Jeff Rutledge Biography | HowOld.co Now he is not sure what he is. "I had some professors walk up to me and say, 'Hey, we were around when you were playing.'. "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. 3 QUARTERBACK, https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/24/sports/uneasy-lies-the-head-of-no-3-quarterback.html, Frank Litsky, Special To the New York Times. And when that happened, that movement, I was touched in my heart to do so again.". . Not once, but twice, both teams were sent back to their respective locker rooms to allow the crowd to file into the stadium. Ragland recalls. The year before, Logan had coached at rural Locust Fork High School in Blount County. "I played with older guys, and I wanted to be able to play on their level," Nathan says. ''The first game Phil Simms goes down, they've got to get a quarterback. On the bus ride to Legion Field, the Woodlawn players knew it was a big deal when they got a police escort to the game, which was also a first for them. So by the time he arrived at Woodlawn High School to start the ninth grade, his reputation as a wizard of the basketball court preceded him. 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. The next year, they got Bert Jones. . 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. As a senior, he was a member of the 1974 Parade High School All-American team. 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. In those days, the Banks-Woodlawn rivalry was like the Alabama-Auburn of Birmingham high school football, but maybe just a little friendlier. Where was Jeff Rutledge born? (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). Although he was mostly used as a back-up, he has two Super Bowl rings - one from the New York Giants and another from the Washington Redskins. His brother Gary Rutledge was also a quarterback at Alabama from 1972 to 1974. "It touched me," he says. Jeff Rutledge date of birth: January 22, 1957. Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, grew up in a house divided. He was part of a team that earned back-to-back state titles at L. Frazier Banks High School in Birmingham, Alabama. jeff.rutledge@mcmillanvantage.com. Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. on November 25, 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child. "It wasn't hard to grab a piece of it. Those were the days when running backs wore tear-away jerseys, which ripped when opposing players tried to bring down the ball carrier by grabbing ahold of his jersey. "This was before Bo Jackson," Ragland, the Woodlawn quarterback, says. 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.