How a timely phone call, a COVID battle and his father's death changed Jamie Rodgers' life

Two years ago, a call from a 904 number changed Jamie Rodgers’ life forever.

Bradford County School Superintendent Will Hartley spoke on the other line. Coaching dominated Rodgers’ life, but by January 2022, it drained him out.

Rodgers was set to begin a new career working in telecommunications for T-Mobile, until Hartley asked him to become the head football coach at Bradford High School.

The Macclenny native said yes on the spot.

Rodgers returned to his native sunshine state, and 23 months later, his Tornadoes play Friday for the Class 2S State Championship.

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“I’m forever indebted to him,” Rodgers said of Hartley. “Because he let me keep doing what I love to do, what I think I am called to do.”

Their opponent is a familiar one – Cocoa – which defeated Bradford 31-21 in Starke in last season’s state semifinals. The Tigers ultimately won the program’s fifth state title the following week over Florida High.

Friday night's 8 p.m. final marks a full circle moment for Rodgers, who endured transition, personal tragedy and ultimately triumph over the last six years.

"Program Revitalizer"

Rodgers said the term “program revitalizer” describes him well, and his stops before Bradford proved that.

He began his career at Suwannee in 2012, at a program that hadn’t made the playoffs since 2003. By the time he left in 2015, he gained spots in a state final four and regional final.

He then ventured to his alma mater – Baker County. The year prior to his arrival, the Wildcats went 6-5. In year two, BC advanced to the 5A state title game, where it fell 44-15 to American Heritage.

After the 2018 season, Rodgers accepted the head coach position at Cook High School in Adel, Georgia.

Gang activity had infiltrated the Cook football program, Rodgers said. A Cook cornerback was shot dead in Valdosta his first year on the job.

“That opened my eyes to a lot of things that I had not been associated with or seen,” Rodgers said. “We dug our heels in. We tried to make them better people, and it worked.”

In his third year, Cook won the sportsmanship award in their region, something Rodgers said ranks as one of his top accomplishments.

Unfortunately, Rodgers left Cook with a 15-19 record.

This season, though, the Hornets finished 12-3, with eight players from Rodgers tenure still on the team.

"The worst five days of my life"

Personal tragedy also marred Rodgers time in Adel.

He got COVID in November 2020 and spent 10 days in the hospital, where he suffered though “worst five days of my life.”

“There were people passing away on the floor left and right,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers' condition improved and doctors sent him home five days later. However, he lost 32 pounds in five days.

“We had a playoff game the next week, and I had no energy,” Rodgers said. “I thought it was important for me to be there, though, because the kids worked so hard.”

In January 2021, Rodgers' father died of COVID. He received it at New Years and passed away on January 11 with no symptoms.

These experiences pushed Rodgers to come home, which made Hartley’s call the following January a godsend.

"We’re going to take it all in Friday"

Rodgers took over a Tornadoes program that won two state titles in the mid-1960s but struggled to return to that level.

As you can predict, he altered the Tornadoes' trajectory with a 12-2 season in 2022 and a 14-0 one in 2023.

Bradford earned its first perfect record since 1990 and its first state title appearance since 1985.

Rodgers knows he’s a good coach, but he hesitates to take full credit for the turnaround. In fact, he ranks himself third behind the players and the assistant coaches.

“You’re not winning unless you have good players. It doesn’t matter how you coach,” Rodgers said. “I was able to bring 2-3 coaches that I trusted, and 4-5 from the last staff stayed with me. They’d been raised here, played here, and I wanted them around.”

Chason Clark, senior and Marshall commit, worried about buy-in from the seniors at the time, but when Rodgers laid out a clear vision for success in their first meeting, everyone was ready to run through a brick wall.

"He showed his plan in success and in sympathy," Clark said. "He understands where we've been, but there's only one way to get to the top."

He proclaimed Rodgers' arrival a perfect marriage. Clark described a Bradford team that his freshman and sophomore failed to get out of its own way due to penalties, and Rodgers, a coach known for discipline.

Five of Bradford's seniors received offers from Division I programs, and Clark believes Rodgers turned the tide when it came to recruiting.

"I think other ones hit when Coach Rodgers came around and changed us mentally," Clark said. "We went into camps different, we talked to coaches different."

Senior QB Dae'Jon Shanks has multiple offers from Division I programs, such as Iowa State and USF. He agrees with Clark and said Rodgers sent more film than any other coach.

Rodgers said those players, not the wins, reaffirmed his decision to return to Florida.

The coach did admit his competitiveness, noting that he’s a “bad loser.” Regardless, though, he soaks in every moment now.

“When I was sitting in that hospital bed in Tifton, Georgia, I'm not going to lie to you, I wanted to fight to see my kids, I wanted to see my wife, and I wanted to coach football again,” Rodgers said. “I don’t take it for granted. I love it, I love the kids, and we’re going to take it all in Friday.”

The Tornadoes play at Bragg Memorial Stadium on Florida A&M’s campus in Tallahassee Friday night at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at FAMU for $20.

Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun. Contact him at Nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 on Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Jamie Rodgers leads Bradford football to FHSAA Class 2S Final