Hall of Fame

Rod Paige

  • Class
  • Induction
    2005
  • Sport(s)
    Administration
  • Jackson State
Early life & education
  • He was born on June 17, 1933, in Monticello, Mississippi.
  • He attended Jackson State University and earned his bachelor’s degree there.
  • He then earned a master’s and a Doctor of Education (EdD) degree from Indiana University Bloomington.
Career highlights
  • He began his career in education: as a teacher and coach (including coaching football) in Mississippi.
  • At Jackson State, he served as head football coach in the 1960s. For example, in 1964 his team went 6–4 under his leadership; in 1967 they went 6–3.
  • Later he became superintendent of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) in 1994 and served until 2001.
  • He was appointed by George W. Bush as U.S. Secretary of Education, serving from 2001 to 2005. He was the 7th such Secretary and the first African American in that