Ken Ruettgers

Kenneth Ruettgers (born August 20, 1962 in Bakersfield, CA) is a former National Football League offensive tackle who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1985 to 1996.

High school career
Ruettgers attended Garces Memorial High School (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, 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
After graduating from USC, Ken was drafted in the first-round of the 1985 NFL Draft (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.

Matthew Francis Ruettgers, 24, of Bend, died tragically in a motorcycle accident August 9, 2012.

Ruettgers has a B.A. in Business Administration from USC's Marshall School of Business, and an MBA from California State University, Bakersfield. 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.