Hall of Fame
Adolph "Ad" Rutschman was head football coach at Linfield
College in McMinnville, Oregon, 24 years, 1968-1991.
He won three national championships in NAIA Division II in
1982, 1984, 1986.
He was Linfield baseball coach 13 years, 1971-83, and won
NAIA national championship in 1971. He is the only coach
who won national championships in both football and baseball.
He served 25 years as Linfield director of athletics. In
1995 Linfield built Rutschman Field House, named for Ad and
his wife, Joan, for their service to the school.
In his 24 years as Linfield head coach, Rutschman had 24
winning seasons. This helped Linfield tie a national record
by producing 42 consecutive winning seasons. The Linfield
streak covers 1956-97. Harvard had 42 in a row 1881-1923.
Notre Dame had 42 in 1889 and 1892-1932. (No team in 1890-91).
Rutschman won 15 conference championships. His record was
183-48-4, a percentage of .787 . He was in the NAIA playoffs
12 times.
In 1984 Linfield trailed Northwestern (Iowa) 22-0 in the title
game and won 33-22. Linfield won in 1982 over William Jewell
33-15 and in 1986 over Baker 17-0.
Ad Rutschman was born Oct. 30, 1931, in Hillsboro, Oregon.
He was a 3-sport star at Hillsboro High School, enrolled at
Linfield in 1950 and won 12 letters in football, basketball,
and baseball. In football he set a school rushing record,
3,761 yards in his career, and it still stands.
He returned to Hillsboro High School as a teacher and a coach
in 1954. He won one state championship in football, three in
baseball and moved to Linfield.
He was named to the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1988, the Oregon
Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
He added a master's degree in 1983.
Rutschman's philosophy is contained in his quotes;
"We can teach integrity, trust, accountability, getting along
with each other, and living within a set of rules."
"I hope I've had a positive effect on people. The most
satisfying thing is to see your kids have success after they
graduate."
