Ken Ruettgers

Last updated

Ken Ruettgers
No. 75
Position: Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1962-08-20) August 20, 1962 (age 62)
Bakersfield, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:280 lb (127 kg)
Career information
High school: Garces Memorial (Bakersfield)
College: USC
NFL draft: 1985  / round: 1 / pick: 7
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:156
Games started:140
Fumble recoveries:11
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Kenneth Francis Ruettgers (born August 20, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1985 to 1996. He played college football for the USC Trojans. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

Contents

Early life

Ruettgers attended Garces Memorial High School (Bakersfield, California) and was a good student and a standout in football. His two younger brothers, Steven and Paul, graduated from Garces Memorial as well, while his younger sister Laura Jane Ruettgers graduated from Highland many years later.

College career

Ruettgers played college football at the University of Southern California, where he was named to the All-Pac-10 Conference Team in 1984. He blocked for Rodney Peete and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen.

Professional career

After graduating from USC, Ruettgers was drafted in the first round of the 1985 NFL draft (seventh pick) by Green Bay where he remained throughout his professional career. [1] He was the Green Bay Packers' 1989 offensive MVP. He began the 1996 season on the Physically Unable to Perform List. He was activated after four games, but injuries had taken their toll and he could not finish the season.

In December 2013, Ruettgers was named as an inductee into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. [2] The induction ceremony took place on July 19, 2014, at the Lambeau Field Atrium. He became the 150th member to be inducted into the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame, along with Ahman Green. [3]

Post football

After a successful career in the NFL, Ruettgers moved to Oregon. After a brief stint in the publishing industry, he founded GamesOver.org, a non-profit group dedicated to help former professional athletes cope with the stresses of retirement.

Ruettgers has a B.A. in business administration from USC's Marshall School of Business, and an MBA from California State University, Bakersfield. [4] He received a Ph.D. in sociology from Oxford Graduate School in Dayton, Tennessee, in 2007. [5] Later, he began teaching sociology classes part-time at Central Oregon Community College. [6] Students found out that he had been a football player when they found his Wikipedia entry. [7] He has also begun coaching football at a local high school in Sisters, Oregon. [8]

Personal life

Ruettgers is married with three children. His oldest son, Matthew, died in a motorcycle accident in 2012. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahman Green</span> American gridiron football player (born 1977)

Ahman Rashad Green is an American former football running back who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning second-team All-American honors in 1997. Green was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft, playing there for two seasons before being traded to the Green Bay Packers, with whom he played for eight of the next ten seasons. Green also played for the Houston Texans, and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection with the Packers, where he holds the franchise record for rushing yards. He was the head esports coach at Lakeland University until the end of 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay Matthews Jr.</span> American football player (born 1956)

William Clay Matthews Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Cleveland Browns and the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the first round of the 1978 NFL draft by the Browns and played in 278 games over 19 NFL seasons, which initially ranked him at number 17 among most games played. Matthews had 1,561 tackles in his career, unofficially the third most in NFL history trailing Jessie Tuggle and Ray Lewis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Canadeo</span> American football player (1919–2003)

Anthony Robert Canadeo was an American professional football player who was a back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers from 1941 to 1952, although he missed most of the 1944 season and the entire 1945 season while serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, played football for the Bulldogs, and earned the nickname "Gray Ghost of Gonzaga".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Wolf</span> American football general manager (born 1938)

Ronald Wolf is an American former professional football executive who was a general manager (GM) of the National Football League (NFL)'s Green Bay Packers. Wolf is widely credited with bringing success to a Packers franchise that had rarely won during the two decades prior to Wolf joining the organization. He also played a significant role in personnel operations with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders from 1963 to 1975 and again from 1978 to 1990. He joined Green Bay's front office in November 1991 from a personnel director's job with the New York Jets. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August 2015.

John Spiegel Michels is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garces Memorial High School</span> Private, coeducational school in Bakersfield, California, United States

Garces Memorial High School, commonly shortened to Garces High School, is a Catholic high school in Bakersfield, California.

Jerry Lee Tagge is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), World Football League (WFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, leading them to consecutive national championships in 1970 and 1971. Tagge played professionally with the Green Bay Packers of the NFL from 1972 to 1974, the San Antonio Wings of the WFL in 1975, and the BC Lions of the CFL from 1977 to 1979.

Hearst Randolph Duncan Jr. was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuzzy Thurston</span> American football player (1933–2014)

Frederick Charles "Fuzzy" Thurston was an American professional football player who was an offensive guard for the Baltimore Colts and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Valparaiso.

The 2000 season was the Green Bay Packers' 80th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 82nd overall. It was the first season for which Mike Sherman was the head coach of the team. Sherman was the thirteenth head coach in franchise history. The Packers finished 9–7, failing to qualify for the playoffs. Both the Packers' total offense and total defense ranked 15th in the league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Bowman</span> American football player (1942–2023)

Kenneth Brian Bowman was an American professional football player who played 10 seasons as a center for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 to 1973. Bowman was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

Randel Edward Vataha, is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Stanford Indians. Vataha was selected in the 17th round of the 1971 NFL draft and spent the first six years of his NFL career with New England. He finished his career after a season with the Green Bay Packers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marger Apsit</span> American football player (1909–1988)

Marger "Migs" Apsit was an American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, the Green Bay Packers, and the Boston Redskins. He played college football at the University of Southern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tar Schwammel</span> American football player (1908–1979)

Adolphe John "Tar" Schwammel was an American football tackle who played collegiately for the Oregon State College Beavers. He was named an All-American in 1933.

Robert Alan McCaffrey is a former National Football League (NFL) center who had a notable career while a student athlete on the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay Matthews III</span> American football player (born 1986)

William Clay Matthews III, primarily known as Clay Matthews, is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). The six-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro played 10 seasons for the Green Bay Packers and 1 season for the Los Angeles Rams. He is the all-time official sack leader for the Packers, with 83.5. He was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2024.

Erik Konrad Affholter is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). As a 16-year-old place kicker during his junior season of high school he broke a national record with a 64-yard field goal, which at the time was the longest field goal kicked at any level. Playing college football for the USC Trojans, he was an All-American and established school records for most receptions in a season, and in a career. In 2020, he wrote a book named "America's Miracle".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Vander Kelen</span> American football player (1939–2016)

Ronald Vander Kelen was an American football quarterback. He played at the collegiate level at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is best known for his MVP performance in the 1963 Rose Bowl, where he broke several Rose Bowl records, some of which still stand. In that game, he orchestrated a legendary fourth quarter comeback attempt against the USC Trojans in the first #1 (USC) versus #2 (Wisconsin) bowl game in college football history. Vander Kelen was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1991.

The 1962 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin as member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1962 NCAA University Division football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Milt Bruhn, the Badgers compiled an overall record of 8–2 with a mark of 6–1 in conference play, winning the Big Ten title. Wisconsin was ranked second in both final major polls, released in early December. This remains the highest season-ending ranking in program history. Wisconsin met the No. 1 USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl, the first bowl game in college football history to pair the top two ranked teams in the nation.

References

  1. ↑ "1985 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  2. ↑ Christl, Cliff. "Ken Ruettgers". Packers.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  3. ↑ Spofford, Mike (December 10, 2013). "Ahman Green, Ken Ruettgers are next to go into Packers Hall of Fame". Packers.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  4. ↑ Sports Illustrated, August 2, 2010, Where are they Now?, p.86, Published by Time Inc.
  5. ↑ Sports Illustrated, August 2, 2010, Where are they Now?, p.86-87, Published by Time Inc.
  6. ↑ Sports Illustrated, August 2, 2010, Where are they Now?, p.87, Published by Time Inc.
  7. ↑ "Good Morning Wisconsin". Good Morning Wisconsin. Green Bay, Wisconsin. December 11, 2013. Event occurs at 07:25. WLUK-TV.
  8. ↑ Nickel, Lori (December 17, 2011). "Where are they now? Ken Ruettgers". JSOnline. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  9. ↑ Leeds, Tyler (January 16, 2014). "From the NFL to COCC". The Bulletin. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.