American gridiron football player and coach (1931–2020)
Pepper Rodgers
Biographical details
Born
(1931-10-08)October 8, 1931 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Died
May 14, 2020(2020-05-14) (aged 88) Reston, Virginia, U.S.
Playing career
1951–1953
Georgia Tech
Position(s)
Quarterback, kicker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1958–1959
Air Force (backfield)
1960–1964
Florida (OC)
1965–1966
UCLA (backfield)
1967–1970
Kansas
1971–1973
UCLA
1974–1979
Georgia Tech
1984–1985
Memphis Showboats
1995
Memphis Mad Dogs
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2001–2004
Washington Redskins (VP of football operations)
Head coaching record
Overall
73–65–3 (college) 19–19 (USFL) 9–9 (CFL)
Bowls
0–2
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 Big Eight (1968)
Awards
Big Eight Coach of the Year (1968)
Franklin Cullen "Pepper" Rodgers (October 8, 1931 – May 14, 2020) was an American football player and coach. As a college football player, he led the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to an undefeated season in 1952 and later became their head coach. He also coached collegiately for the Kansas Jayhawks and UCLA Bruins before leading professional teams in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States Football League (USFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL).
Rodgers was a quarterback and placekicker for Georgia Tech. After the Yellow Jackets won the Sugar Bowl and earned a share of the national championship in 1952, they again won the bowl game the following year, when he was named the contest's most valuable player (MVP). Rodgers began coaching as an assistant for the Air Force Falcons and later the Florida Gators and UCLA. He became a head coach with Kansas in 1967, and later returned to UCLA and then Georgia Tech as their leader. He compiled a career college coaching record of 73–65–3.[1]
Moving to the professional ranks, Rodgers coached two seasons in the 1980s with the Memphis Showboats in the USFL and one season for the CFL's Memphis Mad Dogs. In the 2000s, he served as vice president of football operations for the Washington Redskins in the National Football League (NFL) before retiring.
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Franklin Cullen "Pepper" Rodgers (October 8, 1931 – May 14, 2020) was an American football player and coach. As a college football player, he led the...
through a name-the-team contest. The Mad Dogs hired PepperRodgers as their first head coach. Rodgers was familiar to Memphis pro football fans as he was...
McAshan to sit with him outside of the stadium in protest. Alumnus PepperRodgers was hired soon after Fulcher quit, hired away from UCLA. Like Carson...
Hall of Fame as a coach in 1991. PepperRodgers came to UCLA from Kansas after the departure of Prothro. In Rodgers' three seasons at the helm of the...
program. UCLA assistant coach PepperRodgers was chosen as the head football coach after Mitchell's retirement. Rodgers led the Jayhawks to the Big Eight...
campaigner Nile Rodgers (born 1952), American bassist and producer Paul Rodgers (born 1949), British singer-songwriter PepperRodgers (1931–2020), American...
original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017. Jeffrey PepperRodgers (February 16, 2017). "Crosspicking 101: A Private Bluegrass Lesson with...
for WTBS during this period. Meanwhile, Craig Sager, Paul Hornung and PepperRodgers anchored the pregame show for WTBS. In 1984, the Supreme Court ruled...
However, soon after hiring Memphis native and former college coach PepperRodgers as head coach and signing a lease to play in the Liberty Bowl Memorial...
denies it. Curry said, "I never fired Steve. Georgia Tech fired the PepperRodgers staff before I got there. Then while I was deliberating who from that...
head coach PepperRodgers, who had been an offensive assistant at Florida when Spurrier was the quarterback. Like Dickey at Florida, Rodgers sought to...
featuring defensive end Reggie White and coached by flamboyant Memphian PepperRodgers, were one of the better draws in the league. They advanced to the semifinals...
Dickerson (1958) William F. Barnes (1958–1964) Tommy Prothro (1965–1970) PepperRodgers (1971–1973) Dick Vermeil (1974–1975) Terry Donahue (1976–1995) Bob Toledo...
Bobby Dodd (1945–1966) Bud Carson (1967–1971) Bill Fulcher (1972–1973) PepperRodgers (1974–1979) Bill Curry (1980–1986) Bobby Ross (1987–1991) Bill Lewis...
have led Kansas to postseason bowl games: George Sauer, Jack Mitchell, PepperRodgers, Don Fambrough, Bud Moore, Glen Mason and Mark Mangino. Four coaches...
Dickerson (1958) William F. Barnes (1958–1964) Tommy Prothro (1965–1970) PepperRodgers (1971–1973) Dick Vermeil (1974–1975) Terry Donahue (1976–1995) Bob Toledo...
and that a league name change be considered. By 1995, Mad Dogs coach PepperRodgers was openly disparaging Canadian rules and teams. Officials of the new...
Dickerson (1958) William F. Barnes (1958–1964) Tommy Prothro (1965–1970) PepperRodgers (1971–1973) Dick Vermeil (1974–1975) Terry Donahue (1976–1995) Bob Toledo...
Pacific-8 Conference, the Bruins were led by second-year head coach PepperRodgers and played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The...
University of Kansas under PepperRodgers. In 1971, he returned to UCLA when Rodgers became their head coach. When Rodgers left after 1973, Donahue remained...
All-Round Excellence. During his two years as quarterback in coach PepperRodgers's wishbone offense, UCLA compiled a 17–5 record (.773). Harmon was UCLA's...
University Division football season. In their second season under head coach PepperRodgers, the Jayhawks compiled a 9–2 record (6–1 against conference opponents)...
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