Kacy Rodgers
Encyclopedia
Kacy Rodgers is an American football
defensive line coach
for the Miami Dolphins
of the National Football League
. He had a brief playing career from 1992 to 1994 and has since served as an assistant coach at the college
and professional
levels. He played college football
at Tennessee
.
As a player, Rodger was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers
and Shreveport Pirates
. He has coached at Tennessee-Martin
, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee State and Arkansas
, as well as for the Dallas Cowboys
in the National Football League
.
for and graduated from Humboldt High School in Humboldt, Tennessee.
Attended The University of Tennessee, Knoxville where he met and married the former, Marcella Cruze. They have a son, Kacy II.
, where he was a four-year letterman (1988–1991) and one-time honorable mention All-SEC
selection. During his time as a linebacker
and defensive end
, he won two SEC championships and played in the 1990 Cotton Bowl Classic, 1991 Sugar Bowl
and the 1992 Fiesta Bowl
.
of the Canadian Football League
in 1994.
. He held the title for three seasons before adding the title of assistant head coach
in 1997.
. Also that season, the team tied for first in the conference with 27 sacks
.
in 2002. The Razorbacks defense ranked second in the SEC and 18th in the nation, going 9-5 and earning an SEC Championship
berth.
hired Rodgers as the team's defensive tackles coach. He held the title for two seasons before serving the next three as defensive line coach. Defensive tackle La'Roi Glover
earned three Pro Bowl
selections under Rodgers' tutelage from 2003 to 2005. The Cowboys' defense also ranked in the top 10 in the NFL during four of Rodgers' five seasons with the team. During his final season in 2007, they ranked No. 6 in the NFL and allowed just 94.6 rushing yards per game.
, replacing Travis Jones
and Diron Reynolds from 2007. Rodgers had previously worked with Sparano in Dallas the previous five seasons while also serving under current Dolphins Vice President Bill Parcells
during his tenure as Cowboys head coach from 2003 to 2006.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive line coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
for the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He had a brief playing career from 1992 to 1994 and has since served as an assistant coach at the college
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and professional
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
levels. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
.
As a player, Rodger was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
and Shreveport Pirates
Shreveport Pirates
The Shreveport Pirates were a Canadian Football League team, playing at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA, in 1994 and 1995....
. He has coached at Tennessee-Martin
University of Tennessee at Martin
The University of Tennessee at Martin is a campus in the University of Tennessee system. Other campuses include the flagship campus in Knoxville, the Chattanooga campus, the Center for the Health Sciences in Memphis, and the Space Institute in Tullahoma...
, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee State and Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, as well as for the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Early years
Rodgers played high school footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
for and graduated from Humboldt High School in Humboldt, Tennessee.
Attended The University of Tennessee, Knoxville where he met and married the former, Marcella Cruze. They have a son, Kacy II.
College career
Rodgers then attended the University of TennesseeUniversity of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, where he was a four-year letterman (1988–1991) and one-time honorable mention All-SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
selection. During his time as a linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
and defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
, he won two SEC championships and played in the 1990 Cotton Bowl Classic, 1991 Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
and the 1992 Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
.
Professional playing career
Rodgers signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 1992. He played for the Shreveport PiratesShreveport Pirates
The Shreveport Pirates were a Canadian Football League team, playing at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA, in 1994 and 1995....
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
in 1994.
Tennessee-Martin
Rodgers began his coaching career in 1994 as defensive line coach for the University of Tennessee at MartinUniversity of Tennessee at Martin
The University of Tennessee at Martin is a campus in the University of Tennessee system. Other campuses include the flagship campus in Knoxville, the Chattanooga campus, the Center for the Health Sciences in Memphis, and the Space Institute in Tullahoma...
. He held the title for three seasons before adding the title of assistant head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
in 1997.
Louisiana-Monroe
After his time at Tennessee-Martin, Rodgers served one season as defensive line coach for the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 1998.Middle Tennessee State
In 1999, Rodgers became defensive line coach at Middle Tennessee State University. He held the title for three seasons and was also the assistant head coach for the final two. In 2001, the Blue Raiders posted an 8-3 record and were co-champions of the Sun Belt ConferenceSun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
. Also that season, the team tied for first in the conference with 27 sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
.
Arkansas
Rodgers then served one season as defensive line coach for the University of ArkansasArkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
in 2002. The Razorbacks defense ranked second in the SEC and 18th in the nation, going 9-5 and earning an SEC Championship
SEC Championship Game
The SEC Championship Game refers to the game determining the Southeastern Conference's football season champion. The championship game pits the SEC Western Division representative against the Eastern Division representative in a game held after the regular season has been completed. Thus far, nine...
berth.
Dallas Cowboys
In 2003, Arkansas alum and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry JonesJerry Jones
Jerral "Jerry" Wayne Jones is the owner and general manager of the NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys.-Early life:Jones was born in Los Angeles, California. His family moved to North Little Rock, Arkansas when he was an infant. Jones was a star running back at North Little Rock High School...
hired Rodgers as the team's defensive tackles coach. He held the title for two seasons before serving the next three as defensive line coach. Defensive tackle La'Roi Glover
La'Roi Glover
La'Roi Damon Glover ; born July 4, 1974) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League who ended his career with the St. Louis Rams. Glover retired from the NFL on June 22, 2009...
earned three Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selections under Rodgers' tutelage from 2003 to 2005. The Cowboys' defense also ranked in the top 10 in the NFL during four of Rodgers' five seasons with the team. During his final season in 2007, they ranked No. 6 in the NFL and allowed just 94.6 rushing yards per game.
Miami Dolphins
In 2008, Rodgers joined the Miami Dolphins as defensive line coach under first-year head coach Tony SparanoTony Sparano
Anthony "Tony" Sparano III is an American Football head coach of the Miami Dolphins. At age 17, Sparano had an incident which burnt his eyes, which is why he always wears his signature sunglasses even at night...
, replacing Travis Jones
Travis Jones
Travis Jones is the current assistant defensive line coach for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL.-External links:*...
and Diron Reynolds from 2007. Rodgers had previously worked with Sparano in Dallas the previous five seasons while also serving under current Dolphins Vice President Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
during his tenure as Cowboys head coach from 2003 to 2006.