Pepper Rodgers excelled in football, track and baseball at Brown High in Atlanta’s West End. He was a two-time All-State quarterback who led the Rebels to the Class AA Championship in 1949. In a 41-13 upset win over Glynn Academy, Rodgers completed 12-of-15 pass attempts for 214 yards and four touchdowns. Rodgers was one of seven Brown seniors who signed with Georgia Tech. He was the backup quarterback of Tech’s 1952 National Championship team and shared the quarterback role as a senior on the 1953 Tech team. He was MVP of the 1953 Sugar Bowl after throwing three touchdown passes and leading Tech to a victory over West Virginia. Rodgers was an exceptional place-kicker in high school and college. After playing under legendary coach Bobby Dodd, Rodgers was a 12th-round NFL Draft pick in 1954 (293rd player overall). Rather than signing, Rodgers spent five years in the Air Force, and then became a coach. He is best known as the head coach at Kansas (1967-70), UCLA (1971-73) and Georgia Tech (1974-79). He also coached in the USFL (1984-85) with the Memphis Showboats, and was vice president of football operations at the NFL level with the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Rodgers passed away in 2020 at age 88.
The Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame honors and celebrates the rich history, achievements, and contributions of high school football players, coaches, and supporters across the state.
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