He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected in the first round of the 1961 NFL draft with the third overall pick.
Rutgens was also selected in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1961 AFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders.
In 2008 Rutgens was selected as one of the top 10 defensive lineman in the history of University of Illinois.
[1] Rutgens was an All-American in 1960 and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the Associated Press in 1959 and 1960.
This biographical article relating to an American football defensive lineman born in the 1930s is a stub.