Snapshot
of Notre Dame teammates
All
photos courtesy of Angelo Coniglio
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Rutkowski strategizing
with Jack Kemp
A running back and defensive back at Notre Dame,
where he was a teammate of a fellow Bill, Daryle
Lamonica,
Ed Rutkowski went
un-drafted in 1963, but became a valuable member of
the two-time
AFL Champion Bills. From
1963 to 1968, he played defensive back, punt and
kickoff return man, and backup quarterback. He was
selected to play in the 1965 American Football
League All-Star game.
Bills backfield coach John Mazur prepared Ed
so that he had only three or four play options for
any defensive formation. Rutkowski still has the
special playbook that was prepared for those games.
He estimates that he audibled 60% per cent of the
time. In a memorable 1968 Thanksgiving day game
against the powerhouse Raiders, with his old college
chum Daryle Lamonica in opposing colors, Rutkowski
and the Bills played a scrappy game and were
threatening with the tying or go-ahead score when
Rutkowski fumbled, sealing a 13 – 10 victory by the
Raiders. That loss secured last place for the
Bills, who used that position in the next draft to
take O. J. Simpson. For years afterwards, Rutkowski
would rib owner Ralph Wilson that but for him, the
Bills would not have had O. J.
In his career with the Bills, he rushed for 250
yards,
had 63 catches for 981 yards, returned 53 kickoffs
for 1,270 yards, and returned 68 punts for an
additional 514 yards, including a 73-yard punt
return (a team record) for a touchdown against the
Chiefs in 1966. In 1968, he was voted as the Bills’
MVP on offense, as well as the team’s overall Most
Valuable Player.
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At
this writing, long-time Buffalo Bills fans
again are
watching their team’s playoff chances slip away.
Fans longingly remember the last (and only) major
league championships achieved by a team
representing Buffalo: the back-to- back American
Football League titles won by the Buffalo Bills in
1964 and 1965. Last month I featured Bills All-Star
cornerback
Booker
Edgerson. This month’s spotlight is on
jack-of-all-trades Ed Rutkowski, who
was also a valuable member of those championship
teams. |
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These columns
were inspired by my meeting
a number of
those 1960’s heroes at the
Buffalo Bills Alumni
Foundation’s
annual gala in September, celebrating the
Fiftieth Anniversary of those championships.
Like Edgerson,
Rutkowski remained in
Western New York after
his football career ended, and also like Booker, Ed
has been very active in the Alumni Foundation,
presently serving as its president.
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Rutkowski began as a defensive cornerback,
then progressed to running back; wide receiver;
tight end for two games when star Ernie Warlick was
out injured; and punt and kickoff returner.
Rutkowski also played special teams on two-point
conversions after touchdowns. He was the team’s
emergency quarterback, and in 1968 when Jack Kemp,
Tom Flores, Dan Darragh, and Kay Stephenson were all
hurt, he started several games at quarterback. This
was despite the fact that he hadn't played the
position in 8 years.
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