Coach Rodney Page 1973-1976
Information about Texas Legacy Support Network and Chris Doelle Enterprises is discussed in the first 3:49 minutes of Rodney’s podcast. Rodney Page’s interview starts at the 3:50 mark.
Click on the rectangle below with Rodney Page’s name to listen to Rodney’s oral history.
Rodney Page talks about Leon Black, Betty Thompson, and Rhetha Swindell
link to Leon Black by Rodney Page
https://www.texaslsn.org/rodney-page-and-leon-black-2
link to Betty Thompson by Rodney Page
htps://www.texaslsn.org/rodney-page-tribute-to-betty-thompson
link to Retha Swindell by Rodney Page
RODNEY PAGE – 1973-1976 – First Longhorn Black Head Coach
Coach Page- Right Choice Wrong Time
Rodney Page was offered the head coaching job for the Longhorn women’s basketball team in 1973 by Betty Thompson, who is a Longhorn pioneer in her own right. To read about Betty Thompson’s influence on U.T. sports, visit www.texaslsn.org, and click on “Support” then “Athletic Directors.”
Rodney remembers the moment and reason he accepted Betty Thompson’s offer. He said, “I would have rejected the job if I felt like I was hired as the “token” African American, but Betty Thompson convinced me by her words, heart, and spirit I was offered the job because of ability and competence.” The hiring of Rodney Page was the right decision, and is now a part of Betty Thompson’s great legacy and Longhorn sports history.
1973 A Year of Many Firsts
front Egger, Hill, Jaster, Tice, Holmes, back – Harmon, Muecke, Turnbough, Page, Thorne, McClellan, Garcia
Coach Page deserves tremendous accolades for his accomplishments. He took a team no one wanted, moved the team to better facilities, helped convert the group from club to varsity status, and improved the team’s competitive performance from losing to tournament play in three years. Along the way, he and his team experienced many firsts.
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First Longhorn women’s collegiate team to use Gregory Gym
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The first time the U.T. band and cheerleaders performed at a collegiate women’s sporting event
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First-time trainers were totally committed to Longhorn women athletes
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First extensive use of press releases to promote women’s sports
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The first time that an official game program gave equal billing to women and men athletes
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The first time that Longhorn men and Longhorn women were promoted together. (The women played prior to the men’s game.)
While the U.T. Athletic P.R. department should be applauded for a consistent and credible message that helps legitimize all Longhorn women’s sports to a fan base that was initially skeptical, winning was the vital elixir. Winning in women’s volleyball, basketball, softball, swimming, and track increased fan interest and fan attendance. Other universities noted Texas’s successful formula and the Longhorns became the de facto benchmark for women’s sports. Rodney Page’s teams were a benchmark.
Coach Page combined hard work, creativity, and coaching acumen to succeed at the college level.
Like many other coaches of women’s sports in the 70’s, he had to improvise to survive. A small budget required his teams to play in used volleyball uniforms and compromise on amenities during road games. Cars- not planes- were used for travel and one time they had to stay with a family member. Rodney Page wore many hats. He was a travel agent, coach, mentor, and ground crew for the basketball team. Even with all the obstacles, his teams excelled.
As a coach, he believed in a winning tradition with players who mastered the fundamentals of the sport and who possessed certain intangibles that all great teams exhibited. Asked by a reporter what constitutes intangibles he said “character and pride……………….It’s the things that keep people performing when they’re tired…. Intangibles can be as important as money in building a program.”
Death of a Dream
Coaches who qualify for tournament play are usually celebrated for their accomplishments- but not Coach Page. Unfortunately, A change at the top of the UT Athletic administration cost him his job. He was the right hire at the wrong time in Longhorn sports history. In 1975, the Longhorns hired Donna Lopiano as the first women’s AD at UT. She was the right person for the job, and her success as AD is indisputable. Unfortunately for Coach Page, the new AD wanted a coaching staff that reflected her vision for the Longhorns. For reasons only she knows, Rodney Page was not part of her vision.
Two of his great players protested his release. Retha Swindell and Cathy Self said Coach Page was a “driven but fair man who cared about his players.” Their support of him was honorable and sincere but futile. UT does not have a reverse gear.
A “Calling” leads to a New Dream.
Just like the teams he coached, Rodney Page had good fundamentals and intangibles that all winners possess, and he used these qualities to build a new and better dream. A dream filled with faith, friends, and family. He says, ” in a sense, the whole experience nudged me forward…..It also launched me into my true place and calling”.
From the author’s perspective, I admire Rodney Page for building a new dream. Life can be very unfair. Many individuals whose dreams turn into nightmares harbor anger and bitterness for a lifetime.
Finally Recognized
For his contributions to Longhorn women’s basketball, Coach Page was recognized by the University of Texas in February 2016. For over 40 years, he had little contact with UT Athletics, and then, one day, he got a phone call from the AD’s office stating that UT wanted to honor him. Rodney accepted the invitation and commented, “Regarding forgiveness and overcoming a mindset- “I had to say yes” to the request. http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=18788073
Rodney Page is unquestionably a pioneer in the history of UT sports. His life story is exemplary of all that is good about the spirit of humanity. He dared to dream and lost. He dared to dream again and won. He now uses his experiences to inspire young, impressionable minds to dare to dream. Les Brown had Rodney Page in mind when he said: “help others achieve their dreams, and you will achieve yours.” For Rodney Page, it is mission accomplished.
I am thankful and honored to be in the Class of 2017 “Good Legends” recognized at the recent Austin Closing Ceremony at City Hall. All Legends are true Champions for the Greater Good, selfless individuals serving Austin, Central TX., and the World. “Well Done, Faithful Servants.” A special thank you for recognizing Good for the great work and “beacon of light” your outstanding organization shares in a world and society that has seemingly lost its way. #lighthouse #gratitude. Rodney is second from the right.
Billy Dale – Proud member of the 1967 football recruiting class
