Russell Todd Hilger (May 9, 1962 – December 24, 2019) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

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). He played eight seasons for the

Los Angeles Raiders The Los Angeles Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural 1960 season to the 1981 season and then agai ...

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

and

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

Oklahoma State University

Hilger played college football at

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in Oklahoma State history. As a Sophomore in 1981, Hilger guided the Cowboys to its first post-season bowl since 1976 against Texas A&M in the

Independence bowl The Independence Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually each December at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Independence Bowl ...

. In 1982, Hilger suffered a shoulder injury prior to the start of season earning him a redshirt as the Cowboys fell to a 4-5-2 record. Returning to the starting lineup in 1983, the Cowboys finished 8-4 and Hilger was recognized as the

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

in the 1983

Bluebonnet Bowl The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 ...

. In 1984, Hilger and the OSU Cowboys would change the course of Oklahoma State football. The Cowboys opened the season with a 45-3 victory over top ranked

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

, earning Hilger Big-8 "Player of the Week" honors. The Cowboys only losses came on the road against #1 ranked Nebraska and #2 ranked Oklahoma to finish with a 10-2 record, the best finish and highest ranking (#6) in school history. The Cowboys final come-from-behind touchdown drive in the

Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...

against the University of South Carolina remains as one of the most memorable moments in Cowboy football history.

East–West Shrine Game

Hilger was selected to play in the 60th

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

Stanford Stadium Stanford Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium on the west coast of the United States, located on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California. It is the home of the Stanford Cardinal and hosts the university's commencemen ...

in Palo Alto, California in January 1985. Hilger and

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes the S ...

quarterback

Randall Cunningham Randall Wade Cunningham Sr. (born March 27, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles and is also known for ...

were teamed with (1984 National Champion) head coach

LaVell Edwards Reuben LaVell Edwards (October 11, 1930 – December 29, 2016) was an American football head coach for Brigham Young University (BYU). With 257 career victories, he ranks as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time. Among ...

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

. For the first time, Hilger's skills were on display in a pro-style offense and under the watchful eyes of NFL owners, coaches, and scouts.

NFL career

With the 143rd pick of the

1985 NFL Draft The 1985 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft was held April 30 and May 1, 1985, at the Omni Park Central Hotel in New York City, New York. The league also hel ...

Al Davis Allen Davis (July 4, 1929 – October 8, 2011) was an American football coach and executive. He was the principal owner and general manager of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) for 39 years, from 1972 until his death in ...

and the

selected Rusty Hilger. Hilger, at the time, was the only Raider rookie quarterback to ever enter a regular season game and throw a touchdown pass. After two seasons as a backup to

Jim Plunkett James William Plunkett (born December 5, 1947) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for sixteen seasons. He achieved his greatest professional success during his final eight seasons with the ...

and Marc Wilson, Al Davis named Hilger as the starting quarterback for the 1987 season making him the youngest starting quarterback in Raider franchise history. Hilger and the Raiders opened the season 2-0 before the 1987 NFL Players Association strike halted play, and replacement players took the field. The Raiders would finish the 1987 season with a 5-10 record, their worst since 1963. In 1988, Hilger underwent a knee surgery that changed the course of his career and led to his termination from the Raiders. After missing the first five games of the 1988 season, Hilger signed with the

despite failing his physical. Only six days after arriving in Detroit, Hilger was forced into action. Without a grasp of the playbook, Hilger managed to call plays, attempt a career-high 43 passes, and toss a touchdown in the 24-7 loss against the Chicago Bears. By seasons end, Hilger was named as the Lions Offensive MVP for the 1988 season. In 1989, the Lions released Hilger due to his bone-on-bone knee condition. In 1990, Hilger teamed with former Raiders Head Coach

Tom Flores Thomas Raymond Flores (born March 21, 1937) is a former American football coach and quarterback. After his retirement as a coach, he was a radio announcer for more than twenty years. Flores won a total of four Super Bowls in his playing and c ...

and the

. The Seahawks released Hilger prior to the season opener and he was picked up by former Raiders Offensive Coordinator

Larry Kennan Lawrence W. Kennan (born June 13, 1944) is an American football coach and former player. Kennan was most recently the head football coach for the University of the Incarnate Word from 2012 to 2017. He was also the head coach at Lamar University f ...

and the

. Hilger signed with the

and spent the remainder of the season with the Colts. At season's end, Coach

joined former Raider Head Coach

in Seattle. Hilger remained under contract with the Colts until being released just days before the 1991 season opener. He then re-signed with the Seahawks for the 1991 and 1992 seasons. Chronic arthritis forced Hilger to retire after the 1992 season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilger, Rusty 1962 births 2019 deaths American football quarterbacks Detroit Lions players Indianapolis Colts players Los Angeles Raiders players Oklahoma State Cowboys football players Players of American football from Oklahoma Seattle Seahawks players Sportspeople from Oklahoma City