| Date of birth: | May 9, 1962 |
| Place of birth: | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): | Quarterback |
| College: | Oklahoma State |
| NFL Draft: | 1985 / Round: 6/ Pick 143 |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1985-87 1988-89 1990-1992 |
Los Angeles Raiders Detroit Lions Indianapolis Colts Seattle Seahawks |
| Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
Rusty Hilger (pronounced "hil jer", born May 9, 1962, in Oklahoma City) is a former professional National Football League American football player who played quarterback eight seasons for the Los Angeles Raiders (1985–1987), Detroit Lions (1988–1989), Indianapolis Colts (1990–1991) and Seattle Seahawks (1990 and 1992).
He attended Southeast High School (1977–1980) where he was a standout football and baseball player, and Oklahoma State University (1980–1985), where he was again a standout football player.
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In 1980, Hilger was awarded the 29th and final scholarship by Oklahoma State University's (OSU) head coach Jimmy Johnson. As a freshman, Hilger was a scout team player for the OSU defense which consisted of future NFL standouts Dexter Manley, Gregory Johnson, Mike Green, Ricky Young, Chris Rockins, and others. In 1981, the quarterback picture at OSU changed. Senior QB Houston Nutt graduated and began his coaching career and Jim Traber opted for a professional baseball career. In the 1981 game against University of Nebraska, Hilger got a chance to play and went on to lead the Cowboys to the Independence Bowl game against Texas A&M (the Cowboys first bowl game since 1976). In 1982, Hilger was red-shirted when a pre-season separated shoulder sidelined him for the season. The Cowboys finished 4-5-2. In 1983, Hilger was named Most Valuable Player in the Bluebonnet Bowl. In 1984, Hilger and the Cowboys opened the season with a 45-3 victory over Arizona State University, earning Hilger Big-8 "Player of the Week" honors which he would earn 3 more times that season. The 1984 Cowboys finished the season with a 10-2 record, were ranked #7 in the AP Polls and ranked #5 in the UPI National polls after their final drive victory in the Gator Bowl against University of South Carolina.
The morning after the Gator Bowl, Hilger teamed with Randall Cunningham in the East vs. West Shrine Game. The West squad was coached by the 1984 National Championship winning coach LaVell Edwards of Brigham Young University.
In the 1985 NFL draft, the Los Angeles Raiders selected Hilger in the 6th round. Hilger was named starter for the 1987 season, however after two victories, the NFL Players Union went on strike against the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement, halting the season. In 1988, playing for the Detroit Lions, Hilger was awaded the Most Valuable Player trophy. In 1990, Hilger was signed by Seattle Seahawks general manager and former Raider coach Tom Flores. In 1991, Hilger played for the Indianapolis Colts, pairing with former Raider quarterback coach Larry Kennan. In 1992, Hilger and Kennan would join Flores back in Seattle, after which season Hilger retired from professional football.
While in high school, Hilger worked summer jobs in the roofing and construction industry. In college, he also worked summer construction jobs in Tulsa, Stillwater, and Lawton, Oklahoma. After retiring from football, Hilger helped found Acme Construction, LLC, a leading "Green" Design/Build company that markets off the grid energy saving solutions for residential and commercial clients. The company emphasises spray foam insulation, spray foam roofing, rubber coatings, Polyurea coatings, and specialty coatings, as well as solar energy and geothermal energy installations.
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