John Edward Nutting Jr. (February 8, 1939 – May 20, 2022) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

and the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

Early years

Nutting attended Northside High School before moving on to

, where he was a two-way tackle. He was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity, and also set an SEC

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

record in 1960. He left school before his college eligibility was over, in order to join the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Nutting was selected in the second round (27th overall) of the

1961 NFL Draft The 1961 National Football League draft took place at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia on December 27–28, 1960. The league would later hold an expansion draft for the Minnesota Vikings expansion franchise. This draft was also the first regula ...

by the

. He was also drafted in the 15th round (114th overall) of the

1961 AFL Draft Because another league was in competition for the class of 1961 college stars, the American Football League draft for 1961 graduates was held in 1960, with a six-round telephone draft on November 21 and 22, that saw the Buffalo Bills select Aubu ...

by the

Dallas Texans Dallas Texans may refer to: American football *Dallas Texans (NFL), 1952 team in the National Football League *Dallas Texans (AFL), 1960–1962 team that is now the Kansas City Chiefs * Dallas Texans (arena), 1990–1993 Arena Football League team ...

. On June 19,

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

, signed a professional contract with the

. As a rookie, he suffered a knee injury in the fourth game of the season against the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

and was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. On July 22,

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

, he was traded to the

in exchange for

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

Merrill Douglas Merrill George Douglas (born March 15, 1936 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at the Un ...

Dallas Cowboys

On July 30,

, he suffered a serious right knee injury and was lost for the season after being placed on the

. The next year, he started the first seven games at

right tackle Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, o ...

, until losing his spot to

Bob Fry Robert Moellering Fry (November 11, 1930 – November 10, 2019) was a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University ...

, who was moved to the right side to allow

Tony Liscio Anthony Liscio (July 2, 1940 – June 18, 2017) was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Tulsa. Early years Liscio attended Westinghouse Hig ...

to start at

left tackle Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, o ...

. In

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

, he announced his retirement to devote more time to his advertising business.

Personal life

Nutting married Forrest Armstrong and had two children, a daughter Forrest and a son, Bradford, as well as grandchildren, Madeline, Conner, Darby, and Savannah. He was married to his wife for 51 years. He was a member of

Sigma Nu Sigma Nu () is an undergraduate Fraternities and sororities in North America, college fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute on January 1, 1869. The fraternity was founded by James Frank Hopkins, Greenfield Quarles and James McIlva ...

Fraternity. He attended the Woodrow Wilson School of Law and passed the Georgia Bar. He had a long career in commercial real estate. He received the Silver Phoenix Award through the Atlanta Board of Realtors.https://www.ajc.com/news/obituaries/nutting-john/6WF5QO7SBZBWXEJY3Y3IZUEWXE/

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nutting, Ed 1939 births Living people Players of American football from Atlanta American football offensive tackles American male shot putters Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's track and field athletes Cleveland Browns players Dallas Cowboys players