Randy Reutershan

Last updated
Randy "the Rat" Reutershan
No. 40
Position: Wide receiver / Return specialist / Defensive back
Personal information
Born: (1955-06-30) June 30, 1955 (age 67)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:182 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school: Mahwah (Mahwah, New Jersey)
College: Pittsburgh
NFL Draft: 1978  / Round: 6 / Pick: 160
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:11
Punt returns:20
Punt return yards:148
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Randy Reutershan (born June 30, 1955) is a former American football player who performed in a single season in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a member of teams that won a college football national championship and Super Bowl XIII over the Dallas Cowboys.

Contents

Early life

Reutershan was born in New York City to Warren and Doris Reutershan. [1] He attended Mahwah High School in Mahwah, New Jersey where he earned letters three years in football, basketball and track. [2]

Football career

Reutershan attended the University of Pittsburgh. In his junior season he was a wide receiver and special teams ace [2] on the Panthers team which won the national championship. He had 17 catches for 311 yards in his senior season at Pitt in 1977. [3] His tenacity as a special teams player, particularly his love of tackling on the coverage team, earned him the nickname "the Rat." [4] His college coach, Johnny Majors called Reutershan, "the most dynamic special teams performer I have ever seen." [5]

Reutershan was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round of the 1978 NFL Draft. He made the team as a defensive back after switching back and forth from wide receiver during training camp. [6] He played in eleven games in his rookie season, contributing primarily on special teams. His season was cut short in mid-November by a single vehicle roll-over automobile accident that left him with severe head injuries for which he was hospitalized for a full month. [2] [7] Although he would eventually recover from his injuries, he was advised to discontinue his professional football career. [8]

Reutershan returned to his alma mater, Pittsburgh, as a wide receivers coach under Jackie Sherrill in 1979. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Dorsett</span> American football player (born 1954)

Anthony Drew Dorsett Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynn Swann</span> American football player and politician (born 1952)

Lynn Curtis Swann is an American former football player, broadcaster, politician, and athletic director, best known for his association with the University of Southern California and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He served on the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition from 2002 to 2005. In 2006, he was the Republican nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hines Ward</span> American football player and coach (born 1976)

Hines Edward Ward Jr. is a South Korean-born American former professional football wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL), who is the current head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL. He played college football at the University of Georgia and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. Ward played his entire professional career for the Steelers and he became the team's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yardage and touchdown receptions. Ward was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL and upon retirement was one of eleven NFL players to have at least 1,000 career receptions. Ward is often regarded as one of the best wide receivers of the 2000s, as well as one of key figures for the Steelers’ success during the 2000s. Aside from his career in the NFL, Ward has appeared in various forms of film and television media, including the reality TV series Dancing With The Stars and brief cameos in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises and in the television series The Walking Dead. He was a studio analyst for NBC's Football Night in America from 2012 to 2015. Ward joined CNN and HLN in May 2016. He was the player relations executive of the Alliance of American Football. In 2019, Ward began his coaching career as an offensive assistant for the New York Jets, working with wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson. In 2021, Ward was hired by Florida Atlantic as special assistant to the head coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antwaan Randle El</span> American football player and coach (born 1979)

Antwaan Randle El is an American football coach and former player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He is currently the wide receivers coach for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He attended Indiana University where he played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers, and also played basketball and baseball as well. For a time, he was also a sideline reporter for the Big Ten Network for interconference games that the Indiana football team plays.

Scottie Austin Montgomery is an American football coach who is the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He most recently was the running back coach for the Indianapolis Colts. Prior to that he was the offensive coordinator at the University of Maryland. Prior to his tenure with Maryland, he was the head football coach at East Carolina University. He had previously served as an assistant at Duke University and for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Montgomery grew up in North Carolina and played wide receiver at Duke and in the NFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butch Johnson (American football)</span> American football player (born 1954)

Michael McColly "Butch" Johnson is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. He played college football at the University of California, Riverside and was drafted in the third round of the 1976 NFL Draft.

Rod Rutherford is an American football coach and former quarterback. Rutherford spent time on both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Carolina Panthers rosters, mostly as a practice squad player. Rutherford entered the National Football League (NFL) when he was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Steelers the following year in Super Bowl XL as a practice team player over the Seattle Seahawks.

Michael Robert Wagner is an American former professional football player who was a safety for 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He won four Super Bowls as a member of the famed Steel Curtain defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Butler (American football)</span> American football player (1927–2013)

John Bradshaw Butler was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). In 2012, he was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Jefferson</span> American football player (born 1943)

Roy Lee Jefferson is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Colts, and Washington Redskins. During 162 regular season games, he had 451 receptions for 7,539 yards and 52 touchdowns.

Randel Edward Vataha, is a former American football player, a wide receiver for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL), the first six with the New England Patriots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Varrichione</span> American football player (1932–2018)

Frank Joseph Varrichione was an American athlete. Varrichione was best remembered for being part of the 1953 University of Notre Dame football team that shared the collegiate national championship with a 9-0-1 record and for having played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

Randy Fichtner is an American football coach. He spent 14 seasons as part of the Pittsburgh Steelers' coaching staff from 2007 to 2020. He most recently served as their offensive coordinator, a position he held for three seasons.

The 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Football League (NFL). The season concluded with the team winning Super Bowl XIII to become the first franchise in the NFL to win three Super Bowl titles. The championship run was led by quarterback Terry Bradshaw and the team's vaunted Steel Curtain defense. This team is regarded as one of the greatest defensive teams of all time and one of the greatest teams in NFL history. Bradshaw put together the best year of his career to that point, becoming only the second Steeler to win the NFL MVP award. Ten Steelers players were named to the Pro Bowl team, and four were judged as first-team All-Pros by the AP. Head coach Chuck Noll returned for his tenth season—moving him ahead of Walt Kiesling as the longest tenured head coach in the team's history to that point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darrius Heyward-Bey</span> American football player (born 1987)

Darrius Ramar Heyward-Bey is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at the University of Maryland, and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders seventh overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Baldwin</span> American football player (born 1989)

Jonathan Dupree Baldwin is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh. Baldwin also played for the San Francisco 49ers.

The 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 78th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL), the eleventh season under the leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert, and the fourth under head coach Mike Tomlin.

Ernest Leon "Ernie" Pough is a former American football player who performed in three seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants.

Thomas Francis Brzoza is a former American football player. He played college football at the center and guard positions for the University of Pittsburgh from 1974 to 1977. He was a consensus first-team center on the 1977 College Football All-America Team. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 11th round of the 1978 NFL Draft, but he was injured and released in August 1978. Brzoza hired an attorney and made a claim that the practice session in which he was injured violated NFL off-season regulations against conducting practices with shoulder pads; he reached a settlement with the Steelers in March 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Harrison (American football coach)</span> American football player and coach (1941–2022)

Robert Harrison was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Kent State and later served as a coach for John Adams High School, Kent State, Iowa, Cornell, NC State, Tennessee, the Atlanta Falcons, the Washington Commandos, Georgia, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Boston College.

References

  1. ↑ "Doris Reutershan obituary". The Journal News. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "Steeler Player Critically Injured". Tyrone (Pa.) Daily Herald. UPI. November 18, 1978. p. 5. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  3. ↑ Boyles, Bob; Guido, Paul (August 1, 2007). Fifty years of college football : a modern history of America's most colorful sport. New York: Skyhorse Pub. p. 1130. ISBN   978-1-60239-090-4 . Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Reutershan is Pitt's Specialty". Galveston Daily News . UPI. December 24, 1977. p. 2-B. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  5. ↑ Livingston, Pat (May 4, 1978). "Randy's Special". Pittsburgh Press . p. C-1. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  6. ↑ Stellino, Vito (October 13, 1978). "Reutershan Shifts in Numbers Game". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . p. 11,13. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Reutershan Progressing Slowly at Home". Tyrone (Pa.) Daily Herald. UPI. December 20, 1978. p. 10. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Reutershan Hurt in 2-Car Wreck". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . March 2, 1981. p. 5. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  9. ↑ Isler, Jim (August 24, 1979). "Reutershan Joins Pitt Staff". The News-Dispatch (Jeannette, Pa.). p. 9. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
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.