Kenneth Ruettgers is a former National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 offensive lineman who played for the Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

 from 1985 to 1996.

High school career

Ruettgers attended Garces Memorial High School

Garces Memorial High School

Garces Memorial High School, commonly shortened to Garces High School, is a Catholic high school in Bakersfield, California.Founded in 1947, the school is named after Father Francisco Garcés, a Spanish Franciscan friar and missionary who explored much of the southwestern part of North America,...

 (Bakersfield, CA) 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 graduated from Highland many years later.

College career

Ruettgers played college football under scholarship at the University of Southern California

University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...

, where he was named to the All-Pac 10 Conference Team in 1984. He blocked for Rodney Peete

Rodney Peete

Rodney Peete is a former American football quarterback from the University of Southern California who played in the National Football League for 16 years. He retired in 2004 and is now in broadcasting.-Early life:...

 and Heisman Trophy

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...

 winner Marcus Allen

Marcus Allen

Marcus LeMarr Allen is a former American football player and, until recently, was affiliated with CBS as a game analyst. As a professional, Allen ran for 12,243 yards and caught 587 passes for 5,412 yards during his career for both the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1982 to 1997...

.

Professional career

After graduating from USC, Ken was drafted in the first-round of the 1985 NFL Draft

1985 NFL Draft

The 1985 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 30 and May 1, 1985...

 (7th pick) by Green Bay where he remained throughout his professional career. Ken 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.

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 now teaches Sociology at Central Oregon Community College in Bend. He now coaches High school football at Sisters High School.

Personal

He is married with three children. Their names are Matt, Katherine and Susan.

Ruettgers has a B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in Business Administration from USC's Marshall School of Business

Marshall School of Business

The USC Marshall School of Business is a private research and academic institution at the University of Southern California. It is the largest of USC's 17 professional schools. The current Dean is James G. Ellis. In 1997 the school was renamed following a US$35 million donation from alumnus Gordon S...

, and an MBA from California State University, Bakersfield

California State University, Bakersfield

California State University, Bakersfield is a public university located in Bakersfield, California, United States which was founded in 1965. CSUB opened in 1970 on a campus, becoming the 19th school in the California State University system...

. He recently received a Ph.D in sociology from Oxford Graduate School in Dayton, Tennessee in 2007. More recently he has begun teaching Sociology classes part time at Central Oregon Community College. He has also began coaching football at a local high school in Sisters, Oregon.