1960-1965
JACK RUDOLPH   LB

Jack Rudolph was born February 22, 1940, in St. Louis. A graduate of Henry Grady High School in Georgia, where he starred in football, basketball and track, he became a standout linebacker at Georgia Tech from 1957 to 1959.

He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 17th round of the 1959 NFL Draft but decided to play with the Boston Patriots in the newly formed American Football League in 1960.

He spent six seasons in Boston, during which he appeared in a combined 66 games for the team as a linebacker. During his tenure with the club, the Patriots went 40-26-4 and also made the AFL Championship Game to cap the 1963 season.

After his 1965 campaign, the original Patriot joined another newly founded team, the Miami Dolphins. He spent one season in Miami before retiring from actively participating in the game.

Jack spent the next 31 years teaching and coaching at Valdosta High School in Georgia. He served as the team's defensive coordinator, earning eleven state and five national titles. His defenses recorded 111 shutouts and held the opponents to 8.3 points per game and was inducted into the Valdosta/Lowndes County Sports Hall of Fame.

Jack Rudolph died on June 23, 2019, at 82 years old in Valdosta, Georgia.