Rick Rhoades (born January 16, 1947) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach who has worked at the high school, college, and professional levels. He served as head football coach at the collegiate level at

Troy State University Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. It was one ...

from 1985 to 1987,

Southern Illinois University Carbondale Southern Illinois University (SIU) is a public research university in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Chartered in 1869, SIU is the oldest and flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. SIU enrolls students from all 50 sta ...

in 1988,

Nicholls State University Nicholls State University is a public university in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Founded in 1948, Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System. Originally named Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the university is named for Francis T. Nichol ...

from 1993 to 1994 and

Delta State University Delta State University (DSU) is a public university in Cleveland, Mississippi, a city in the Mississippi Delta. History The school was established in 1924 by the State of Mississippi, using the facilities of the former Bolivar County Agricultu ...

from 2002 to 2006. At the professional level, he served as head football coach of the

Graz Giants The Graz Giants are an American football team in Graz, Austria founded in 1981. The Giants play in the Austrian Football League and are ten time Austrian Bowl champions. The Giants home games are at ASKÖ Stadium in the Eggenberg district of Gra ...

in the

Austrian Football League The Austrian Football League (AFL) is a professional American football league in Austria. The league comprises six teams, and operates on a system of promotion and relegation. It plays by rules based on those of the U.S. National Collegiate Athl ...

from 2007 to 2011 and La Courneuve Flash France in 2013.

Coaching career

High school coaching

Rhodes began his coaching career in 1972 as head football coach at Handley High School in

Roanoke, Alabama Roanoke is a city in Randolph County, which is in the Piedmont region of eastern Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,311, down from 6,074 in 2010 and 6,563 in 2000. History Roanoke was occupied by th ...

and finished 1–8–1. From 1973 to 1975, he was an assistant football coach at Jefferson Davis High School in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

. In 1976, he accepted the head coaching position at

Mountain Brook High School Mountain Brook High School (MBHS) is a three-year public high school in the city of Mountain Brook, Alabama. It is the only high school in the Mountain Brook School System. The school's colors are green and gold. Its athletic teams are known a ...

Mountain Brook, Alabama Mountain Brook is a city in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, and a suburb of Birmingham. Its population at the 2020 census was 22,461. History The city was originally developed in 1929 by real-estate businessman Robert Je ...

, where he guided the Mountain Brook Spartans to a 14–0 record and a state championship. During the 1977 season, he became head coach at Davidson High School in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

and had a 7–3 record. In 1980, he was named head coach at

Andalusia High School Andalusia High School is a high school in Andalusia, Alabama, founded in 1899. The school colors are cardinal and white and the school mascot is the bulldog. History Andalusia High School was housed in the Church Street School from 1923 ...

Andalusia, Alabama Andalusia is a city in and the county seat of Covington County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 8,805. History Andalusia was first settled in 1841 after flooding of the Conecuh River and the surrounding lowland ...

where he spent one season and had a record of 6–4. In 1996, he returned to high school football as head football coach at Pelham High School in

Pelham, Alabama Pelham is a city in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. The population was 24,318 at the 2020 census, It incorporated on July 10, 1964 and is a suburb located in the Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama which was home to nearly 1.2 mill ...

, where he posted a 41–19 record and five playoff appearances in his five years as head coach through 2000. From 2015 to 2016, Rhoades was defensive coordinator at Kate Duncan Smith DAR School in

Grant, Alabama Grant is a town in Marshall County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Grant was 1,039, up from 896 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The town was incorporated ...

under his son and head coach, Bobby Rhoades. Over his nine years as a high school head coach, he compiled an overall record of 69 wins, 34 losses and 1 tie.

College coaching

Rhoades first college coaching job was as

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

coach at

from 1978 to 1979. In 1981, Rhodes was hired for his first college coordinator position as

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator (OC) is a Coach (sport), coach responsible for a gridiron football team's offense (American football), offense. Generally, the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second ...

at the

University of North Alabama The University of North Alabama (UNA) is a public university in Florence, Alabama, United States. It is the state's oldest university. Occupying a campus in a residential section of Florence, UNA is located within a four-city area that also ...

through the 1982 season. In 1983, he became the

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...

at Troy State and remained in that position through the 1984 season with the 1984 Troy State team capturing the NCAA Division II National Championship. In 1985, Rhodes was hired for his first head coaching position at Troy State after the schools previous head coach

Chan Gailey Thomas Chandler Gailey Jr. (born January 5, 1952) is a former American football coach. Most recently in 2020, he was the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Gailey has previously served as the hea ...

left for an

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

coaching position. In 1986, he led Troy State to a

Gulf South Conference The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States. History Originally known as the ...

championship and the 1987 team repeated as Gulf South Conference champions and won the NCAA Division II National Championship. He was Gulf South Conference coach of the year in 1986 and 1987. The 1987 season was Rhoades final season at Troy State where he compiled a record of 28 wins, 7 losses and 1 tie. For the 1988 season, Rhoades left for a

Division I-AA The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Sponsored by the National Collegiate A ...

head coaching position at

. It was his only season at Southern Illinois Carbondale and he finished with a record of 4 wins and 7 losses. In 1989, Rhoades took his first

Division I-A The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

coaching position at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

as the offensive line coach under

Bill Curry William Alexander Curry (born October 21, 1942) is an American former football player and coach. He played professionally as a center in the National Football League (NFL). He later became a college football head coach. He played college ba ...

. In 1990, Curry left for the head coaching position at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

and Rhoades moved with him to be his offensive coordinator, a position he held through the 1992 season. For the 1993 season, Rhodes was hired as head football coach at

and remained in that position through 1994. In his first year at Nicholls State, the team went 3–8. In his second year, the team improved to 5–6 for an overall record of 8 wins and 14 losses at the school. While at Nicholls State, Rhoades installed the "Stack-I" offense and it accounted for 11 school records the first season and the Colonels were ranked ninth in the nation in rushing the second year using the system. Following Nicholls State, Rhodes spent one season at

Stephen F. Austin University Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU or SFA) is a public university in Nacogdoches, Texas, in the United States. Named after Stephen F. Austin, one of the founders of Texas, SFA was founded as a teachers college in 1923 and built on part ...

linebackers Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the lin ...

coach in 1995. Rhoades returned to college coaching in 2002 after spending time in the high school and professional ranks. Rhoades was head coach at

from 2002 to 2006 and had a record of 38 wins and 20 losses. In his final season, he led Delta State to the NCAA Division II national semifinals. As a college head coach, Rhoades compiled an overall record of 78 wins, 48 losses and 1 tie.

Professional coaching

Rhoades first experience in professional football was as the offensive line coach for the

Birmingham Thunderbolts The Birmingham Thunderbolts were a short-lived springtime American football team based in Birmingham, Alabama. This team was part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in ...

of the XFL in 2001. From 2007 to 2011, Rhoades was head coach of the

in the

. In his first season in 2007, he led the Giants to the

EFAF Cup The EFAF Cup was an international competition for European American Football clubs. It was the second highest level of club competition in the European Federation of American Football (EFAF), behind the European Football League (EFL),. EFAF Cup ...

championship. In his second season, the team won the 2008 Austrian Bowl to win the Austrian Football League championship. During Rhoades tenure, the Giants reached the Austrian Bowl every season. Also under Rhoades, the Giants reached the

Eurobowl The Eurobowl, first played in 1986, was the championship final game of a tournament style playoff to determine the champion of all of the American football leagues in Europe. The tournament featured the top or champion clubs from each country ...

semifinals four times from 2008 to 2011. During his time in Austria, Rhoades also served as head coach of the Austrian national team for two years from 2009 to 2010. In 2010, he guided the team to a second-place finish in the European championships and a seventh-place finish in the World Championships. In 2012, he was hired as offensive coordinator for the

Carlstad Crusaders Carlstad Crusaders is a Swedish American football team, based in Karlstad, Sweden. The team plays at Tingvalla IP in Karlstad. History The club was founded in 1991. It played its first game in 1992 against the Uddevalla Ravens. Championships ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. In 2013, Rhoades was named head coach of the La Courneuve Flash in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and remained in that role until April 2014. Rhoades didn't coach in Europe in 2014, but returned in 2015 where he spent time in training camp with the Wroclaw Panthers in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and also spent time in his previous role as the offensive coordinator for the Carlstad Crusaders. In 2016, Rhoades returned to the Wroclaw Panthers as an assistant coach and served in that role through 2018. During the 2018 season, he served as

quarterbacks The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

/linebackers coach for the Panthers. In 2019, Rhoades became the defensive coordinator for the Salzburg Ducks in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. That season the team finished with an overall record of 8–0 and a postseason record of 1–1 losing in the Iron Bowl (Division II finals). The Ducks were promoted to the top level of

before the 2022 season.

Head coaching record

College

References

External links

XFL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhoades, Rick 1947 births Living people Alabama Crimson Tide football coaches Central Missouri Mules football players Delta State Statesmen football coaches Kentucky Wildcats football coaches Nicholls Colonels football coaches North Alabama Lions football coaches Southern Illinois Salukis football coaches Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football coaches Troy Trojans football coaches Birmingham Thunderbolts coaches High school football coaches in Alabama People from Pelham, Alabama American expatriate players of American football American expatriate sportspeople in Austria American expatriate sportspeople in France American expatriate sportspeople in Poland American expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Austrian Football League coaches