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Rod Poppe - Marengo High School
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| Rod graduated from Marengo High School in 1950, then returned as a teacher and coach in 1957. He stayed for 37 more years until his retirement in 1994. Twenty six of those years he served as the athletic director (1968-1994). Rod graduated from Valparaiso University where he was an outstanding football player. He earned his master's degree from the University of Colorado and also served our country in the United States Army for two years. During his years of service at Marengo, he helped expand their athletic program from four sports to 14 upon his retirement. He is responsible for the implementation of the girls athletic programs and planned the new outdoor athletic facilities that currently exist at Marengo High School. Rod served as the head varsity football coach from 1957-1979, where he won over 70 percent of his games. In 1989, he was inducted into the Illinois Football Coaches Hall of Fame. He was a finalist for the IADA Outstanding Athletic Director of the Year three times in 1984, 1987 and 1990. He served on the athletic advisory committee of the IHSA and was on the original committee that explored the feasibility of a football playoff system. He also served a three-year term on the IHSA liaison committee. He belonged to the IADA for 23 years. Those who had the opportunity to work with or work for Rod use one word to describe him and that is “gentleman.” He influenced the lives of many players, coaches, and fellow athletic administrators during his years of service in education. On September 10th, 1993, the Marengo School Board honored him by naming the outdoor athletic facilities the “Rod Poppe Athletic Fields”. |
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