La Salle-Peru honored alumnus Joe Rutgens between the first and second quarters of the Cavaliers’ 32-20 loss to Metamora on Friday at Howard Fellows Stadium.

Rutgens is a 1957 L-P graduate who went on to play football at the University of Illinois and in the NFL for Washington.

He was recently selected for the University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame and will be honored Oct. 10 in Champaign. In 2008, Rutgens was named one of the top 10 defensive linemen in Illinois history. He’s also a member of the Shaw Media Illinois Valley Hall of Fame.

Rutgens was a two-time All-Big Ten selection for the Illini and was voted All-American in 1960. He was the third overall pick in the 1961 NFL draft.

Rutgens played nine seasons in the NFL and was a Pro Bowl selection in 1963 and 1965.

“When yo

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