Homer Rice, a former football coach and college administrator, died Monday at age 97.
Georgia Tech announced the passing of Rice, the school’s athletic director from 1980-1997. The Yellow Jackets won their last football national championship under his watch in 1990 after the men’s basketball team made their first Final Four earlier that year.
“The Georgia Tech athletics community is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Homer Rice,” Georgia Tech athletic director J Batt said in a school statement. “Coach Rice was a giant in the fields of coaching and athletics administration. He oversaw the most successful era of Georgia Tech athletics and also, through his Total Person Program, has made and continues to make a positive impact on millions of student-athletes nationwide. His legacy will be a part of Georgia Tech and intercollegiate athletics forever.”
Rice lost just nine games in 11 seasons as a high school football head coach before beginning his college career as a Kentucky assistant in 1962. He later spent a season at Oklahoma before becoming Cincinnati’s head coach in 1967.
Following two seasons, North Carolina made Rice its athletic director. He then served as both the head coach and athletic director at Rice University before landing an NFL head coaching job with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1978.
The Bengals won four games in each of Rice’s two seasons before he made his final stop at Georgia Tech. After leading the school to newfound athletic heights, he wrote books and taught classes on leadership.
The NCAA annually presents the Homer Rice Award to a retired FBS athletic director who “made significant and meaningful contributions to intercollegiate athletics.”
“Homer has reminded us throughout his career that the ultimate goal of intercollegiate athletics is to help student-athletes grow fully as people,” Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera said. “At a time of profound changes in athletics, Homer’s message and legacy of excellence is more important than ever.”