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According to Reggie White the laid-back style of the Memphis Showboats reflected the personality of Coach Pepper Rodgers.
"Everything about Coach Rodgers was laid back - his wildly mismatched clothes, his unruly hair, and his shoes worn without socks. He had a laid-back way of talking, a laid-back style of coaching and a friendly inspiring style of motivating his players which contratsed with the loud, raucous and even abusive style of many other coaches."
(Reggie White: In The Trenches)
Awarded football scholarship to Georgia Institute of Technology
 1951 Undefeated, SEC winners - Orange Bowl Winners
1952 Undefeated, SEC Winners, Rose Bowl Winners, National Champions.
His Tech record of 39 extra points in 1952 established a single-season mark that stood for 38 years.
During Rodgers' tenure as quarterback, the Yellow Jackets compiled a 30-2-1 record that included 3 Bowl triumphs (Orange Bowl and 2 Sugar Bowls. |  |
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In the 1952 Orange Bowl, Rodgers kicked the winning field goal in the final minutes of play to propel Georgia Tech over Baylor, 17-14.
In the 1954 Sugar Bowl, Rodgers was named MVP, completing 16 of 26 passes for 3 touchdowns, leading the Yellow Jackets to a 42-19 victory over West Virginia. |
Graduated in 1955, degree in Industrial Management
ASSISTANT COACHING CAREER
AIR FORCE ACADEMY 1958-59 (15-5-2)
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 1960-64 (33-17-2)
U.C.L.A. 1965-66 (17-3-1)
HEAD COACHING
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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS 1967-70 (20-22). Twice Named BIG EIGHT Coach of the Year
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In 1967 he led his Jayhawk team to the Orange Bowl and as a consequence became the first college head coach to have played and coached in the same bowl. Under the guidance of coach Rodgers, KU came within five points of an undefeated season that year and a victory in the Orange Bowl. Tied for first in the Big Eight KU finished 9-2 with losses to Oklahoma (27-23) and Penn State (15-14) in the Orange Bowl. Two years earlier, during its 1966 campaign, the Jayhawk football team had gone winless in conference play and had managed only two wins total. |  |
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U.C.L.A. 1971-73 (20-12-1). Twice was the Pacific-10 Coach of the Year |
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GEORGIA TECH 1974-79 (34-31-2). Runner-Up National Coach of the Year 1979. Twice - Southern Independent Coach of the Year. |
Rodgers had certainly built a reputation as an unorthodox but winning coach at Kansas and UCLA before returning to Georgia Tech. Said one prairie sage, "Four years of Pepper Rodgers is like opening a box of Cracker Jacks every day."
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
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Named Memphis Showboats
Head Coach 1984-85 |
After the  disbanded, Rodgers became President of Mid-America Football and worked actively to attract
an NFL franchise to Memphis. In 1993 Rodgers was named Head Coach of the proposed
NFL expansion team the Memphis Hound Dogs.
That dream faded
however when the NFL decided to expand to other markets in Jacksonville and
Charlotte.
Canadian Football League franchise brought to Memphis January 1995. Rodgers
became Head Coach and Managing General Partner of the Memphis Mad Dogs (9-9). The Maddogs also played at the Liberty Bowl the home of the Showboats from '83-'85.
In January of 2001,
Rodgers was named Vice-President of Football Operations for the Washington Redskins.
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