It's the news .. no family ever wants to hear.

Friends of the family tell us that Lieutenant Christopher Rutherford's family was notified yesterday that their son was killed by a roadside bomb.

At this time, the military is still investigating so we do not have many details right now.

Football fields have always been arenas for people to dream big.. and for Christopher Rutherford, the sky was the limit for his ambitions.
And this outlook appropriately earned him a nickname from one of the silver screen's football greats.

"When I think of Chris, I think of Rudy. We called him Rudy. The world needs more Chris Rutherfords," said Russ Morris, former Frontier High School football coach.

The story was much the same off the field, as well.

"He was always smiling. I don't know that I ever saw him when he wasn't smiling and he brought that mood to everyone," said Kay Collins, former Frontier High School teacher.

Friends say he was also always there to lighten the mood.

"At one time we were taking pictures of the Quiz Team and Chris was above one of the students like he was cutting their hair. He was always joking," said Kay Collins, former Frontier High School Teacher.

Friends of Chris, or rather Rudy, say his determined attitude carried him off the field at Frontier High and into the battlefield in Iraq.

A battlefield into which they say he courageously entered into and from which he ultimately left.

A world they say will not be the same with out him.

"If you were around him for five minutes you wanted to be around him for two hours. He was always positive, he was just a joy to be around," said Russ Morris, former Frontier High School Football Coach.

A joy that friends say will now inspire them off the field and in their memories for years to come.

Funeral arrangements are pending at this time.