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.
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| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
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| Born: | August 20, 1962 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 | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Early life
editRuettgers 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
editRuettgers 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
editAfter 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
editAfter 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
editRuettgers is married with three children. His oldest son, Matthew, died in a motorcycle accident in 2012.[8]
References
edit- ^ "1985 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Christl, Cliff. "Ken Ruettgers". Packers.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Sports Illustrated, August 2, 2010, Where are they Now?, p.86, Published by Time Inc.
- ^ Sports Illustrated, August 2, 2010, Where are they Now?, p.86-87, Published by Time Inc.
- ^ Sports Illustrated, August 2, 2010, Where are they Now?, p.87, Published by Time Inc.
- ^ "Good Morning Wisconsin". Good Morning Wisconsin. Green Bay, Wisconsin. December 11, 2013. Event occurs at 07:25. WLUK-TV.
- ^ Leeds, Tyler (January 16, 2014). "From the NFL to COCC". The Bulletin. Retrieved April 23, 2019.