| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 8, 1931 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | May 14, 2020 (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.