Jack F. Rhodes

Jack F. Rhodes Memorial Stadium  

Jack Francis Rhodes grew up in Huntsville, Texas, where he gained his formal education, graduating from Huntsville High School at the age of 16.  He then enrolled in Sam Houston Teachers College to further his secondary education where he became an outstanding athlete in football, basketball and track.

He was formally inducted into the Sam Houston Hall of Honor in 1982, being recognized for his athletic prowess.
He lettered in each sport in his four years at Sam and was recognized as the Lone Star Conference’s discus and javelin champion in 1934.  He helped lead the 1934 basketball team to the Lone Star Conference championship.

While attending Sam Houston, he met and married Jesse Glover, who was pursuing her degree.  They would later have two sons, Jack F. Rhodes, Jr. and John Glover Rhodes, both of whom would graduate from Katy High School in 1959 and 1964 respectively.  

After graduating from Sam Houston, he accepted a coaching assignment in Madisonville, Texas, but the next year he filed for the professional football league draft and was drafted by the New York Giants.  He soon learned that his true calling was to teach and coach, so he returned to Texas and accepted the head coaching position at Webster High School from 1937 until the early 1940s. Due to the escalation of WWII and the demand for workers to help with construction of tanker ships, he went to work for Todd Shipyards on Pelican Island near Galveston.

In September of 1945, Jack Rhodes accepted and took over duties as the head coach at Sugarland High School until receiving a call in 1947 from the new Superintendent of Katy  I.S.D., James E. Taylor. He accepted the position of head coach and athletic director at Katy and would remain with Katy for the balance of his career.

In 1954, he became the principal of Katy High School and continued in that capacity until he stepped down in 1968, at which time he returned to his initial love, the classroom, teaching math and science. He remained in that capacity until the late 1970’s when he became K.I.S.D.’s personnel director.  Jack F. Rhodes formally retired in May of 1980.  He and his wife would remain together in Katy until his death in 1982.

Because of his service and dedication to the fields of education and athletics, the new football stadium, built in 1981, located at Katyland Drive, was dedicated and named in his honor.  His wife, Jesse, was present for the ceremony in January, 1984 and remained in Katy until she passed away in April of that year.