Ad Rutschman, Linfield football
Originally posted at Wildcatville.blogspot.com Thursday, June 18, 2008.
Updated and re-posted 1/15/2020. Same text posted here:
…
AD RUTSCHMAN, Linfield football information compiled by Tim Marsh in October
2005 from stories in the Oregonian, other sources, and from Ad Rutschman. Updated
January 2020.
A -- CAME FROM HILLSBORO
Ad Rutschman – born Oct. 30, 1931, in Hillsboro,
Oregon -- came to Linfield in the fall of 1950, after an outstanding career as
a student-athlete (football, basketball, baseball) at Hillsboro, Ore., High
School, also known as Hilhi. He played the same three sports at Linfield.
B-- BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN
1954, M.Ed. in 1958
In
1954, he earned a Linfield bachelor's degree in physical education. In 1958, he
earned a Linfield Master of Education degree.
After
graduating from Linfield in 1954, he was drafted as "Dolph Rutschman"
as the 337th pick in the 28th round of the NFL/National Football League draft
by the Detroit Lions. He signed a contract with the Lions. But, instead of a
pro football career, he decided to teach and coach at his alma mater, Hillsboro
High School. The Lions were not the only pro team interested in Ad. He was also
offered contracts by the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and
the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. Married -- June 7, 1952 at St.
Cecilia Catholic Church in Beaverton -- to Joan (Joan Louise Mason Rutschman) --
and with the first of their five children born, he turned down the professional
sports offers, earned a master's degree at Linfield and went on to teach and
coach at Hillsboro High School.
As
a Hilhi coach, he led teams to state championships in both football and
baseball. Specifically, there was one football state champ and two baseball state
champs. In addition, there was one baseball state champ tie. Tie? Yes, the game
was rained out and there was no provision to make it up. At Linfield, he would
repeat the feat, leading Wildcat teams to national titles in baseball (one) and
football (three). He
is the only coach at any college level to have teams winning both baseball and
football national championships.
C -- AMONG AD'S MANY HONORS AS A PLAYER
Ad
was a Northwest Conference all-star selection his sophomore, junior and senior
years and, according to Linfield’s 1953 football press guide, he was honorable mention
Little All-American in the 1951 and 1952 seasons. In his senior season, 1953,
he was honorable mention Associated Press Little All-American. After his senior
football season, the Linfield student body took a vote and retired his jersey,
number 32. It was the first football jersey number ever to be retired by the
college.
During
his playing career, he had nicknames including, The Flying Dutchman, Air Foam
Ad, and The Slippery Swiss. His Linfield football coach, Paul Durham, said,
according to the Oregonian, while fully appreciating Ad's running, passing and
kicking talents: "Greater than any of his accomplishments was his eternal
desire to win and his inspirational leadership of the team."
1-- SHRINE GAME AT
MULTNOMAH STADIUM
After graduating from Hilhi in 1950 and before he
entered Linfield in 1950, he was a left halfback on the Oregon team (versus the city of
Portland team) in the 3rd annual Shrine high school All-Star football game at
Multnomah Stadium in Portland. Ad said he primarily played defense in the game.
2-- FIRST GAME WITH AD
RUTSCHMAN AS A LINFIELD FOOTBALL PLAYER
In
McMinnville on Linfield's Maxwell Field, Saturday evening Sept. 16, 1950, a
37-7 win over Eastern Oregon College of Education, Linfield scored five touchdowns
in the game... Linfield’s win was “sparked by 164-pound Ad Rutschman, freshman
from Hillsboro,” said the Oregonian. “Rutschman, who played in the recent
Shrine game, tallied two of Linfield’s touchdowns and set up two others. His
first score came on a three-yard blast in the third period, and his other on a
like smash in the fourth quarter.”
3 -- DESPITE AN ACHING BACK, AD RUTSCHMAN SPARKED LINFIELD WILDCATS TO
20-6 UPSET WIN IN FOREST GROVE OVER PACIFIC BADGERS AT McCREADY STADIUM ON
SATURDAY NIGHT, OCT 31, 1963
(In 2002, Ad said cracked ribs were
the reason for his “aching back.”)
In a story, sportswriter Pat Frizzell
in the Sunday, Nov. 1, 1953, Oregonian,
recounted the Oct. 31, 1963, Saturday night game, Linfield at Pacific:
“Indomitable Ad Rutschman, playing
with his aching back strapped in a protective corset, sparked Linfield’s
fired-up football forces to an astounding 20-to-6 triumph over heavily favored
here Saturday night.
“Rutschman, the Wildcats’ 5-foot
9-inch and 182-pound Little All-America candidate, did heavy duty all the way
and it was his 69-yard touchdown gallop in the fourth quarter the finished
Pacific.
“Rutschman Rolls Again
“It was Rutschman, too, who flipped a
23-yard pass to tiny Al Tarpenning for a second-period TD that proved the only
score until the closing chapter of this surprising Northwest Conference story.”
He wrote that nine of Linfield’s
starters “went the full distance in a near iron-man performance.”
Just when it looked like Pacific might
be gaining the upper hand then “came Rutschman – again. On third down, from
Linfield’s 31, the irrepressible senior from Hillsboro tore through a hole at
left guard, sidestepped a couple of defenders, found off another, and was
almost in the clear. Tarpenning, Ad’s 5-foot 6-inch 155-pound mate from
Gresham, supplied a key block that eliminated the last frantic (Pacific
player), and Rutschman broke free completely to race all 69 yards into the end
zone.”
Wrote Frizzell, “Guard Chuck Harriman
was a tremendous power in the Linfield line. Five other ‘cat forwards also
played all 60 minutes and played them well – ends Marv Scherpf and Bill Gearin,
tackles Ray Olsen and Russ Morris, and center Cliff Engel.”
“It was a brilliant showing by
Linfield which fell 21-20 before Southern Oregon only past week.”
“Rutschman packed the ball 21 times,
and, even though Pacific usually expected him to have it, he gained 138 yards.
Subtracting 23 lost, this gave Ad a net of 115.
“This amounted to a lion’s share of
Linfield’s total net of 150 from rushing. The Wildcats were out gained slightly
both on the ground and in the air, and they trained in first downs – but not in
touchdowns.”
In Frizzell’s “Northwest Notes” sports
column in the Nov. 4, 1953, Oregonian, he wrote of the compliment “By Paul
Durham, Linfield coach, after irrepressible Ad Rutschman led the fighting
Wildcats to an entirely unexpected 20-to-6 win over Pacific Saturday night.
‘They don’t make ‘em any better than Rutschman. That boy always gives
everything he has, even when he’s a mass of aches and pains, as he was in this
game. He’s the best!”
“In comparing Rutschman with College
of Idaho’s hard-running Ted Martin, the nation’s No. 1 small college ground
gainer, be sure to keep in mind the difference in strengths of their teams,
particularly in the line…While Linfield’s near iron-man line made a magnificent
showing against Pacific, Rutschman on some occasions was almost forced to make
his own holes.” Meanwhile, “Martin continually has benefited from the power
generated by the juggernaut like Coyote forward wall … Although Rutschman played
fullback and Martin half, they’re of similar size: Rutsch stands 5-9, weighs
182, to Martin’s 5-10 and 175. Both are seniors.”
Continuing in the column with a
subhead reading, “Pro Clubs Notice
Linfield’s Rutschman.” … As for Linfield’s Rutschman, you can’t say too much
for the plucky guy. In addition to passing to Al Tarpenning for one touchdown
and racing 69 yards himself for another against Pacific, agile Ad, despite his
ailing back, did much other valuable ground gaining, performed efficiently as a
defensive halfback, took a turn as linebacker and got off some good punts. One
of Rutschman’s boots was a second-down quick kick that traveled 57 yards from
the line of scrimmage, a beautiful spiral on which Pacific’s Larry Geherts was
downed in his tracks. This came near game’s end, after Linfield possessed its
10-to-6 lead.
Even the pro clubs have begun to
notice Rutschman. At least one is reportedly interested. But Ad hopes to be a
teacher and coach. He’s a good student, mathematically inclined. And what an
athlete, good at basketball and baseball, as well as football!
Linfield’s win over Pacific was only
its seventh in 33 games played by the two schools. Pacific has finished on top
21 times, and there’ve been five ties … Not only Rutschman, but every Wildcats
who participated, and particularly little Al Tarpenning, rate kudos for
Linfield’s performance last Saturday. Tarpenning was terrific all the way, from
the time he caught Rutschman’s pass for the opening touchdown, through his key
black of Rutschman’s 69-yard scoring run, to his interception and 45-yard
gallop for Linfield’s third TD, following which he made still another
interception.”
4 -- AD RUTSCHMAN’S LAST GAME AS A LINFIELD VARSITY FOOTBALL PLAYER WAS
SATURDAY NIGHT NOV. 14, 1953, ON LINFIELD MAXWELL FIELD VERSUS WILLAMETTE
This
game is remembered in Linfield sports yore as the game in which Linfield
President Harry Dillin, fulfilling a promise, stood on his head on the 45-yard
line after the Wildcats won in an upset. But, it was also Ad's last football
game as a Linfield varsity player. According to the McMinnville News-Register,
the game was billed as "Win One for Ad." It was the final game of
Linfield's 1953 football season.
Pat Frizzell of the Oregonian reported on the game in the
Sunday Oregonian, Nov. 15, 1953. Linfield won in an upset, 21-6.
“MEMORIAL STADIUM, Linfield College,
McMinnville (Special) -- “Linfield’s absolutely irrepressible Wildcats climaxed
a fantastic football season here by rocketing from behind to score three
touchdowns in an almost incredible fourth quarter and topple favorite
Willamette 21 to 6.
“It couldn’t happen, but it did. Paul
Durham’s fired-up Wildcats, tabbed for the cellar when the year began, become
the terrors of the Northwest conference, upsetting all other Oregon members to
wind up in second place.
“Prexy Stands on Head
“Ad Rutschman, Linfield’s brilliant senior
fullback, was the leader again as the McMinnville ‘Cats produced their fifth
victory in history over Willamette, but Rutschman was tremendous help from a
whole team of fierce Wildcats.
“Linfield touchdowns were coming so
thick and fast in the last few minutes that delirious Wildcat rooters would
hardly keep up with them. When it was all over, the home wants went stark,
raving crazy.
“Dr. Harry L. Dillin, the college
president, stood on his head on the 45-yard line, no less in the midst of a
ring of frenzied Linfield students.
“The blue-clad Wildcats carried
Rutschman, and the other seniors – tackle Ray Olson, halfback Ted Nicholson,
and injured guard Virgil Elkinton – off the field on their shoulders. The
Wildcat band played long and loud – and, well, the Linfields may never get over
it.
“This unexpected win, their fifth in
nine starts, came so suddenly and sensationally that it was all the more wonderful
for the fans.
Later in the story, Frizzell wrote:
Willamette led 6-0 initially in the
second quarter. It led 6-0 at halftime and by the same score after three
quarters of play.
Linfield finally responded in the
fourth quarter on a TD in which Rutschman “plowed across” the goal line.
Wildcat teammate Al Tarpenning kicked the PAT with 12:43 left in the game and
it was a lead (7-0 at this point) which Linfield would never relinquish.
With the clock ticking, Linfield
scored two more TDs and kicked two more PATs for a 21-6 lead.
“The game was won, the Linfield
partisans among the 2000 spectators went berserk.
“Wildcats Fight Foes
“ ‘I still don’t believe it,’ declared
happy Coach Durham after the final gun. ‘I don’t know how it happened.’
“It happened because the Wildcats
fought what appeared to be a superior Willamette team tooth and nail through
three long quarters, in which Linfield didn’t so much as emerge from its own
territory, then took full advantage of …. Two Bearcat fumbles.
“And when once the Wildcats stepped
head, they were ‘in,’ ”
“Rutschman didn’t travel far on the
ground, but he did everything that could have been asked of him.” His
statistics included “some beautiful” punts, including a “couple of third-down
quick kicks, and his average of 36.4.” Also, he intercepted a Willamette pass
on the goal line.
Frizzell said the Linfield third
quarter was “phenomenal” and the win “Linfield’s greatest triumph of a great
(1953) season.”
In Frizzell’s “Northwest Notes” sports
column in the Nov 19, 1953, Oregonian,
he said, “Despite his natural disappointment at the outcome of that
Linfield-Willamette whing-ding, Bearcat coach Ted Ogdahl made a point after the
game of shaking the hand of every Linfield senior – Ad Rutschman, Ray Olson,
Ted Nicholson and Virge Elkinton.”
5 -- AD RUTSCHMAN PLAYED FOR ALUMNI IN HIS FIRST LINFIELD VARSITY vs
ALUMNI FOOTBALL GAME ON MAXWELL FIELD SATURDAY NIGHT SEPT 10, 1960. AND, IT WAS
THE FIRST EVER VARSITY vs. ALUMNI FOOTBALL GAME FOR LINFIELD, TOO
According to the “Northwest Notes”
sports column by Don Fair, in the Oregonian
Wed., Sept. 14, 1960, edition:
“You know, Ad Rutschman, can still run
like he did in college (1950, 1951, 1952, and 1953 seasons). That statement
came from Dallas (High School, Polk County, Ore. football) coach Ray Olson, who
played in Linfield’s first annual Varsity-Alumni football game Saturday night,
Sept. 10, 1960. “And run Rutschman did, with the Hillsboro High coach score one
touchdown and ramming across two extra points.”
“All told, he gained 48 yards with his
‘dip-boom’ style in 12 carries. Although it’s been seven years since Rutschman
closed out his Linfield career with 3,390 yards gained from rushing, he hasn’t lost
his technique.”
Winner of the 1960 game was the
Varsity, 30-20.
A story in the Sunday Oregonian, Jan. 11, 1960, says a “crowd of 800” watched the
game.
6 -- Ad and Joan Rutschman and Linfield Varsity
vs. Alumni Football games (1960, 1961 and 1962) mentioned in Paul Durham
'Dodging with Durham' sports column in April 18, 1962, issue of McMinnville News-Register:
MENTION OF (1962) ANNUAL Linfield
Varsity-Alumni football game reminds of what Joan Rutschman told us after the
1960 game when hubby Ad played (Hillsboro high had a game the same night as the
alumni game last fall, 1961, so Ad couldn’t come over for the big battle here
in McMinnville.)
Said Joan: “Ad felt pretty good after
the game that Saturday night and we went to the new Dillin Hall to eat with
players and their wives. In fact he didn’t feel badly when we got home and went
to bed that night.
“But the next time he got up was
Monday morning!”
Of course, reasons for Ad’s stiffness
was that he played most of the game when the Alumni were on offense … And he
show a lot of that old-time ability to carry the football almost as well as
anybody you’ve ever seen.”
7 -- AD RUTSCHMAN PLAYED FOR ALUMNI IN HIS LAST LINFIELD VARSITY vs.
ALUMNI FOOTBALL GAME ON MAXFIELD ON SATURDAY NIGHT, SEPT. 15, 1962
Don Fair’s story, with Maxwell Field
in McMinnville dateline, in Sunday, Sept. 16, 1962 Sunday Oregonian.
“A crowd of 1,500 saw the (varsity)
Wildcats, decked out in flashy cardinal uniforms” lose 14-6 to the Alumni.
One of the Alumni touchdowns was
“sparked by the passing of Bill Parrish and the running of Al Tarpenning and Ad
Rutschman. Tarpenning ripped off 28 yards in four carries. Rutschman gained 19
in four carries …” That TD came with “only 29 seconds showing and Rutschman
wrapped up the Alumni win by sweeping the end for the extra point.”
8 -- FIRST GAME WITH AD
RUTSCHMAN AS LINFIELD HEAD FOOTBALL COACH
Saturday, Sept.
21, 1968, in Boise, Idaho, at the original Bronco Stadium, the Wildcats beat
Boise State College, 17-7, in the Bronco's first game as a four-year school
after being a junior college. Linfield led 14-0 at halftime.
9 -- LAST GAME WITH AD
RUTSCHMAN AS LINFIELD HEAD FOOTBALL COACH
Saturday,
Dec 7, 1991, at Sparks Stadium, Puyallup, Wash., 23-0 loss to Pacific Lutheran
in NAIA quarterfinal playoff game. Linfield was Columbia Football Association
Mt. Hood League co-champ.
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