NFL alum Tom Nutten probably would not have benefitted from any NIL policy when he was a young athlete.
Nutten was born in Toledo but raised in Oelde, Germany. His family relocated to Montreal when he was a teenager. Nutten impressed on the offensive line when he attended Western Michigan University and the Bills took a chance on him in the last round of the 1995 Draft. He played one game in Buffalo.
Nutten resurfaced with the CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1997 and he stood out on an undermanned 2-16 team. His travels continued when he was signed by the Rams and assigned to the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe in the spring of 1998.
The Rams decided to add him to their own roster after the NFL Europe season ended but he finished that 1998 NFL season worn down and on injured reserve. All his hard work and travels were rewarded, however, when he was the starting left guard for the Super Bowl XXXIV Champion Rams the following season.
Nutten then was on his way to starting 69 of 77 games for the Rams before retiring after the 2005 season. The highlight of his career was that Super Bowl victory.
“It’s always fun to come back together with teammates from that year,” Nutten told Jim Gehman of Rams.com last winter, “because we have one commonality and that is a championship ring. I always tried to give it my best when I played and I never battled anyone. I just tried to stay true to myself and be a good team player throughout my injury-riddled career.”
Nutten, 52, now lives in Tampa and he and his wife Allison have three children. He owns Lamoraga, a successful restaurant in down-state Naples (FL) which celebrated its 10th anniversary last month.
“I love my life and live it one day at a time,” Nutten says. “I have angels on both shoulders looking over me. I use this word very, very sparingly but I am ‘blessed’.”
We at NFL Alumni also are fortunate to have Tom Nutten in our ranks. We wish him, his family and the staff at his Mediterranean-style restaurant only the best for at least a minimum of ANOTHER 10 years. Go Rams!
