With the close of the 1997 football season, Coach Jake Rudolph stepped off the field as the winningest high school football coach in Shelby County history. He compiled an impressive 302-119-5 record during his 40-year career.
Jake Rudolph’s football career as player and coach spanned six decades. Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, Rudolph was a star running back at Clarksville High School where he played on two undefeated teams. At Clarksville High, Rudolph earned twelve varsity letters in football, basketball and golf.
From high school, Coach Rudolph received a scholarship to attend Georgia Tech. There he played for legendary coach Bobby Dodd and other great coaches including Ray Graves and Frank Broyles. The Yellow Jackets went undefeated during his final two years at Georgia Tech, where he was the starting safety for teams that went to the Orange and Sugar Bowls and were Southeastern Conference champions. While playing for Georgia Tech, Rudolph made one of the most famous tackles in Tech history against Alabama. Rudolph’s fourth down goal line tackle preserved an undefeated season, Sugar Bowl berth and National Championship for the 1952 Yellow Jackets. For his efforts, Rudolph received recognition as a Defensive Specialist on the Collier’s Magazine All-American team. Following college, Coach Rudolph was a player-coach for two years with an Air Force team in Germany that took the European Air Force Championship title. Remarkably, from high school to the Air Force, Rudolph played on six undefeated teams in the span of nine years.
After one year as coach at Darlington School, Colonel Ross Lynn persuaded Rudolph to come to Memphis University School with the challenge of building a football program. Over his thirty-nine years as head coach and athletic director at MUS, Rudolph built a legacy of outstanding football and a final MUS record of 295-119-4. Coach Rudolph’s teams won ten district titles, six regional titles, and two state runner-up titles. He led the 1985 Owls to the Class AA State Championship. Coach Rudolph ranks seventh overall in most career coaching wins in Tennessee high school football history. Along the way, he received numerous awards, including Tennessee Coach of the Year, the Rex Dockery Award, and the Lawrenceburg Touchdown Club Coach of the Year. He was named Coach of the Year in 1997 by the Memphis Quarterback Club. Coach Rudolph is a member of the TSSAA Hall of Fame and Tennessee Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Coach Rudolph joins his younger brother professional golfer Mason Rudolph, Class of 1995, in the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.