Calkins: Pepper Rodgers believed in Memphis before it was fashionable
Pepper Rodgers (right) is with Georgia Tech football teammates in the locker room following a victory over the University of Mississippi at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Jan. 1, 1953. Rodgers died May 14, 2020. (Dave Taylor/AP file)
Pepper Rodgers died Thursday at the age of 88. He wasn't just a football coach. He was a civic salesman when Memphis needed it most.
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Pepper Rodgers Memphis Showboats Geoff Calkins Reggie White Memphis Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
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Geoff Calkins
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. He is host of "The Geoff Calkins Show" from 9-11 a.m. M-F on 92.9 FM. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.
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