Report: Pepper Rodgers has passed

IM79

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
423
Don't forget that his wife Janet basically saved the Peach Bowl from going under in 1978. I believe the NCAA had a rule back then that bowl games had to sell a certain amount of tickets or the bowl would lose its NCAA accreditation. The Peach Bowl Committee was way short of selling the required number of tickets, so Janet Rogers started a campaign locally to sell enough tickets to save the bowl. And she got enough sold to keep the bowl going.
 

GSOJacket

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
238
I was a kid in Charlotte when I saw Pepper for the first time. He was the Brown HS QB. They came to Charlotte to play Central HS. Central won 14 - 7, a big duel with Central's star HB, Larry Parker - a great high school football game. Pepper absolutely drove them crazy.
I think the article in the AJC got it wrong. Pepper won the '52 Orange Bowl for us with a late FG against Baylor, but he did not lead the '52 team. Billy Brigman was the first string QB.
 
GT_EE78

GT_EE78

Banned
Messages
3,605
I too was there in Athens in the rain in 1974. My first Ga game. Pepper was coach for each of the five football seasons that i was in school..
A great GT man who did good interviews too.seemed like a guy that you'd want to have a beer with... RIP
... I hadn't heard about the keg at the AF game but i hope that Eddie Lee Ivery got his fair share.think he rushed for about 356 that day.
 
Essobee

Essobee

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
437
Location
Gas Pump #1
51t0BFvNWsL._SX373_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg


Now it's "Fourth and Long Gone" for Pepper. He and I had a disagreement once but both of us got over it and remained friends. A Tech legend who will be missed.
 
YellowJacketFan2018

YellowJacketFan2018

Helluva Engineer
Messages
9,022
Location
Southeast Tennessee
GT_EE78 said:
I too was there in Athens in the rain in 1974. My first Ga game. Pepper was coach for each of the five football seasons that i was in school..
A great GT man who did good interviews too.seemed like a guy that you'd want to have a beer with... RIP
... I hadn't heard about the keg at the AF game but i hope that Eddie Lee Ivery got his fair share.think he rushed for about 356 that day.
Click to expand...
David Sims was the leading GT rusher in 1974 with 881 yards and the other GT running backs were Jimmy Murray,Adrian Rucker and Tony Head.
 
GT_EE78

GT_EE78

Banned
Messages
3,605
AJC
In his three seasons on the varsity (1951-53), Tech ran up a record of 32-2-3, winning two SEC championships, two Orange Bowls and one Sugar Bowl. Playing quarterback and kicking, Rodgers led the Jackets to a 12-0 record and a share of the national championship in 1952.
.
his return to Tech. In six years, running the wishbone offense, he recorded four winning seasons. He was twice the Southern Independent coach of the year.

https://www.ajc.com/sports/college/...erback-and-coach-dies/HXfpJCgaNnzGSgUQl3wD2J/
 

GTRambler

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,570
DeepSnap said:
Believe you're thinking of either Danny Myers (came to us as a QB, but was a DB under Fulcher before Pepper changed him back) or Bucky Shamburger (HB to QB).
Click to expand...

I clearly remember that Danny Myers wore no. 21 and was the QB, and that Bucky Shamburger wore no. 22 and was the halfback. They were on Pepper’s 1976 team, if I’m not mistaken.

I still have those white no. 21 and no. 22 Georgia Tech nylon mesh football jersies that were given to me and my wife GTRamblerLady by Sergeant Edgar Hodges, who was the GT football team’s equipment manager at the time. They are beloved and priceless keepsakes for us!

Here’s a photo of Sergeant Edgar Hodges, back in the day when he served as Pepper’s equipment manager:

upload_2020-5-15_19-31-34.jpeg
 
7979

7979

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
301
Location
Nashville
GTRambler said:
I clearly remember that Danny Myers wore no. 21 and was the QB, and that Bucky Shamburger wore no. 22 and was the halfback. They were on Pepper’s 1976 team, if I’m not mistaken.

I still have those white no. 21 and no. 22 Georgia Tech nylon mesh football jersies that were given to me and my wife GTRamblerLady by Sergeant Edgar Hodges, who was the GT football team’s equipment manager at the time. They are beloved and priceless keepsakes for us!

Here’s a photo of Sergeant Edgar Hodges, back in the day when he served as Pepper’s equipment manager:

View attachment 8328
Click to expand...
Sarge was certainly still the equipment manager when Pepper was the Tech coach but I'm dating this pic 1960-ish.....maybe late 50's....Sarge looked about the same by 74-76 but the helmets with single bar face masks date the photo way, way earlier
 
Top