Former ASU lineman Grey Ruegamer speaks at an awards luncheon on Friday, Oct. 17, 2014 at the Phoenix Country Club. Ruegamer, along with five other former standout Sun Devil athletes, was inducted into the ASU Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday. (Photo by Ben Moffat)Grey Ruegamer played with some of the best quarterbacks the game of football had to offer during his career, he also enjoyed as much success a football player could ever ask for. But being inducted into the Sun Devil Athletic Hall of Fame may be his highest honor yet.
Ruegamer was a four-year starter at offensive line for the Sun Devils and was a member of the 1997 Rose Bowl team; he was then drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 1999 draft. He played with Dan Marino in his final year in the NFL.
After spending a year on the Steelers practice squad in 2000, he was signed by the New England Patriots and made an appearance in the team’s first Super Bowl victory in 2001.
Ruegamer would win another Super Bowl as a member of the New York Giants when they won it in 2007 against his former team, the Patriots. During his NFL career, Ruegamer played with Marino, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers in his rookie season.
Despite all his success away from the university, when Ruegamer was inducted into his alma mater’s athletic hall of fame of Friday, he was still humbled by the honor.
“It’s the hall of fame,” Ruegamer said. “It’s an historical part of a university that’s been engrained in the west forever. The history of ASU goes back a long time so to be able to be a part of that is humbling.”
Ruegamer was quick to give the credit to his success to all of those around him during his playing years.
“I think it’s a huge testament to my teammates, coaches, family, my wife,” Ruegamer said. “I met her at Arizona State after my sophomore year. She’s supported me throughout my career and I think that was definitely one of my rocks.”
Ruegamer has stayed in the game since his retirement after the 2009 season, including working as a strength and conditioning coach at the University of Washington and offensive line coaching on the side.
“I gained a lot of great knowledge playing football, from a lot of great coaches,” Ruegamer said. “Just trying to pass that knowledge along. If I can help another athlete get to the next level with just a word of advice or encouragement, that’s what I’d like to do.”
He’s also stayed involved with the football program at ASU, visiting the team on occasion and talking with players on the offensive line like Jamil Douglas who is hoping to make it to the next level.
If there was one thing that Ruegamer brought to any locker room in his career it was the ability to diffuse situations with his humor. He was known somewhat as a prankster during his NFL career.
“I had a lot of fun,” Ruegamer said. “It was all situational. Some of it was just on a whim; some of it was well planned, well thought out.”
Rugamer said he managed to “piss off” a lot of teammates, but it always came back around.
“It was more of a series of events to win a war, if you will,” Ruegamer said.
Ruegamer even played some pranks on a young Tom Brady, who was a rookie in Ruegamer’s second year with the Patriots.
“That was always fun,” Ruegamer said. “Because the rookies never really expected that.”
Looking back at his career at ASU just minutes before he took the stage to make his speech as he was inducted into the school’s hall of fame, he fondly remembered the simple things about the time at the university.
“I’m proud that I got to drink beers, play football and go to school in the southwest. Especially at Arizona State,” Ruegamer said.
You can reach the reporter at wslane@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @bill_slane
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