D. W. Rutledge

{{Short description|American football player and coach}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = D. W. Rutledge

| image =

| alt =

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| birth_date = c. 1951

| birth_place = Houston, Texas

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater =

| player_years1 = 1971–1974

| player_team1 = Texas Lutheran

| player_positions = Linebacker

| coach_years1 = 1980–1983

| coach_team1 = Judson HS (TX) (DC)

| coach_years2 = 1984–2000

| coach_team2 = Judson HS (TX)

| overall_record = 198–31–5

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships = 4 Texas 5A (1988, 1992, 1993, 1995)

| awards =

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}}

D. W. Rutledge is a former high school football coach and current executive director of the Texas High School Coaches Association. Rutledge is one of the most successful coaches in Texas high school football history, winning four state championships in the state's highest classification.[http://lonestargridiron.com/history-records/coaching-wins-all-time-leaders/ Texas All-Time Coaching Wins] Lone Star Gridiron

A native of Houston, Texas, Rutledge attended Sam Houston High School and later the Texas Lutheran University, where he captained the school's 1974 NAIA Division II National Championship team and was a Kodak All-American linebacker for head coach Jim Wacker.{{cite web|url=http://www.tlu.edu/torchlite_may_2009 |title=Torchlite May 2009 |publisher=Texas Lutheran University |date=March 2009 |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129082242/http://tlu.edu/torchlite_may_2009 |archivedate=November 29, 2010 }} Upon his graduation in 1975, he made several stops, following his college football coach, James Wacker, from school to school, over the course of five years before finally becoming an assistant coach at Judson High School in Converse, Texas in 1980, serving as defensive coordinator for the 1983 5A state championship squad. Rutledge was named head coach in 1984, guiding Converse Judson to a 198–31–5 record in 17 seasons.

Rutledge co-authored a book titled Coaching To Change Lives with Dennis Parker, former offensive coordinator at Converse Judson.{{cite book | title=Coaching to Change Lives | isbn=1585189936 }} The Judson football stadium in Converse was renamed in his honor.{{cite web | url=http://www.texasbob.com/stadium/stadium.php?id=1149 | title=D.W. Rutledge Stadium | publisher=TexasBob.com | accessdate=April 15, 2011}}