Ken Ruettgers

Last updated

Ken Ruettgers
No. 75
Position: Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1962-08-20) August 20, 1962 (age 61)
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
Player stats at PFR

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

High school career

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.

Personal life

Ruettgers is married with three children. His oldest son, Matthew, died in a motorcycle accident in 2012. [8]

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">William Henderson (American football)</span> American football player (born 1971)

William Terrelle Henderson is an American former professional football player who was a fullback for 12 seasons with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), with whom he won Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots. He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and was chosen by the Packers in the third round of the 1995 NFL draft.

<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">Willie Davis (defensive end)</span> American football player (1934–2020)

Willie D. Davis was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). Davis played college football for the Grambling State Tigers before being drafted 181st in the 1956 NFL draft. He spent 12 seasons in the NFL, playing for the Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Austin (American football, born 1928)</span> American football player and coach (1928–2013)

William Lee Austin was an American football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a lineman for the New York Giants for seven seasons, was the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for three seasons, (1966–1968) and one for the Washington Redskins in 1970.

<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.

The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks.

Mike Merriweather is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pacific Tigers and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1982 NFL Draft. He played for professionally for the Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, and Green Bay Packers during the 1980s and 1990s.

Johnnie Lee Gray is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cal State Fullerton Titans. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike McCoy (defensive tackle)</span> American football player (born 1948)

Michael Patrick McCoy is a former American football player. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers, the Oakland Raiders, the New York Giants, and the Detroit Lions.

<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.

<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.

George William Forester was a professional American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played 11 seasons for the Green Bay Packers (1953–1963) and was selected to four Pro Bowls. He was selected to the Packers Hall of Fame in 1974.

<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.

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 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 primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He is the all-time official sack leader for the Green Bay Packers.

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.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Vainisi</span> American football scout

Jack Vainisi was an American scout and personnel director for the Green Bay Packers from 1950 to 1960. At the age of 23, he was hired by Packers head coach Gene Ronzani to lead the team's player personnel department. In a time when most professional football teams relied on the media for information on college players, Vainisi enlisted college coaches to provide scouting reports on not only their own players, but also opposition players. During his time in charge of player personnel, the Packers drafted or acquired eight future Pro Football Hall of Fame players. Vainisi also was instrumental in attracting Vince Lombardi to the vacant head coaching job in Green Bay in 1959. Vainisi did not live to see the success of the teams he helped assemble though, as he died from a heart attack in 1960 at the age of 33.

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. ↑ "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. ↑ 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.