Santa Clara Athletics Hall of Fame
Ruffo was both a standout athlete and student while at Santa Clara. He graduated with degrees in political science, electrical engineering, and literature. He played four years of football at SCU, and continued with the program as a coach to pay his way through Law School. While on his way to be top of his class, Ruffo was the assistant football coach for Buck Shaw and helped the Broncos win two Sugar Bowls against LSU (1937 & 1938). Ruffo helped set up the legal framework for the 49ers, acted as assistant coach to the Niners during their first two years of operation, was Mayor of San Jose for 2 years, started his own business which eventually sold to Debartolo, and was voted one of the 10 most powerful men in San Jose by a San Jose State University study in 1979.
