Rod Paige: Former HBCU Coach, Educator, & Presidential Cabinet Member Passes At 92

Paige patrolled the sidelines at Jackson State and Texas Southern before making an impact in the world of education under former President, George Bush.

Dr. Rod Paige | Jackson State University

HOUSTON — Dr. Rod Paige, former HBCU football head coach and athletic director, and the first African American to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education, died Tuesday at age 92. He was a foundational figure in today's HBCU athletics.

Though his national reputation was built on education reform, Paige often credited his early years of HBCU coaching for shaping his philosophy of student development. “Coaching taught me that every student has untapped potential — it’s our job to find it,” he said in a 2015 interview.

A native of Monticello, Mississippi, Paige began his career as a classroom teacher before leaving a lasting mark on the football fields of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He coached at his alma mater, Jackson State University, and later served as head coach and athletic director at Texas Southern University, two cornerstones of Black college football in the 1960s and 1970s.

Rod Paige as a TSU football coach | TSU Athletics

His influence at Texas Southern extended beyond the sidelines. As athletic director, he expanded programs across multiple sports, improved facilities and worked to strengthen TSU’s academic-athletic balance at a time when HBCUs were fighting for resources and national visibility. His efforts helped build stronger pathways between Black colleges and professional sports.

Paige was widely respected in HBCU circles for shaping student-athletes and athletic programs that produced both champions and future leaders. At Jackson State, where he served as head coach in the early 1960s, he emphasized discipline, academic accountability and athletic excellence — values that would later guide his broader approach to school reform.

Rod Paige | JSU

He later moved into education administration, becoming superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, one of the nation’s largest. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him U.S. Secretary of Education, where he became a leading advocate of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Paige remained active in higher education and a strong advocate for HBCUs long after leaving federal office. He served as the interim president of Jackson State University and was inducted into the athletic department's JSU Sports Hall of Fame. Before his death, he continued to serve as a respected voice in both academic and athletic communities.

Dr. Paige earned his master's degree and doctor of education degree in physical education from Indiana University Bloomington. He also served in the United State Navy in the late 1950s.

Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.

---

---

HBCU LEGENDS PODCAST