JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Longtime high school coach Corky Rogers, who won more state championships than anyone in Florida football history, has died after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 76.
His family released a statement Thursday saying Rogers “peacefully passed” at 10:40 p.m. Wednesday. He had been in hospice care.
“Thank you to the incredible support by so many during this time,” the family said.
Charles Buxton Rogers IV died three years after retiring from The Bolles School in Jacksonville because of declining health. He coached 28 years at Bolles and won a record 10 state championships (1990, ’93, ’95, ’98, 2002, ’04, ’06, ‘08, ’09 and ’11). He had a shot at six more, but Bolles lost in the title game in 1996, 2003, ‘12, ‘13, ’14 and ’16.
“Rest In Peace Coach Rogers,” Bolles said in a tweet. “Thank you for impacting generations of Bulldogs and the football community of Northeast Florida.”
Rogers also spent 17 years at Lee High School and made his alma mater a state contender in the 1970s and 80s.
Rogers went 465-84-1 during his 45-year coaching career. His Wing-T offense was highly regarded and often mimicked. His attention to detail and focus on fundamentals were rarely matched.
Rogers' 465 victories rank seventh nationally, and he is one of only 24 high school coaches to reach the 400-win mark. His winning percentage of 84.5 ranks fifth among those with at least 400 victories.
RELATED | Rogers influence, impact far greater than his record
Rogers was born and raised in Jacksonville, the son of Charles “Chuck” Rogers. His dad was captain of the 1934 Florida football team and a former Associated Press sports writer.
Corky Rogers made it to final cuts in NFL training camps with Baltimore and Washington, both as a tight end and receiver. He left the insurance business shortly after marrying his wife, Linda, in October 1968, and took a pay cut to teach at Ribault Junior High and serve as an assistant high school coach. He started at Lee in 1972, embarking on a five-decade coaching career that touched the lives of thousands.
He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Linda, daughters Tracy and Jennifer, and six grandchildren.