John Roderique

Roderique was born in Webb City, the seventh of eight children of the late Donald R. Roderique and Jenell (Craton) Roderique. His paternal grandfather, Joseph Francis Roderique, opened Roderique Insurance Agency in Carterville, Missouri and later moved it to Webb City. His Dad later operated the Agency until his death in 1978. The Agency has been in operation since 1945.[2] His Dad was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1958 and again in 1960, representing Missouri's second district, in Jasper County.[3]

Roderique grew up and attended public schools in Webb City. He began playing organized sports in 1974, at age 7, when he played basketball and baseball in the local city league.

He was a three-sport athlete in four years at Webb City High School, including football, basketball, and track and field (shot put & discus). In his senior year, 1985, he was on the football team that made the state playoffs for the first time in the high school's history, losing in the semi-final game. He was named an all-state linebacker.[1]

After being recruited by assistant coach Jerry Kill at Pittsburg State University in nearby Pittsburg, Kansas, he played four years as inside linebacker under head coach Dennis Franchione. The team won the Central States Intercollegiate conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) his first three years and advanced to the semi-finals each season. In his fourth season, the Gorillas won the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference in NCAA Division II, and advanced to the quarter-final game in playoffs.[4]

He was a team captain his last two years at the university.[5] He was named honorable mention NAIA All-America linebacker in his junior year and consensus All-America NCAA Division II his senior year, 1989. He finished his playing career with 365 tackles.[6]

He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education from the university in May 1990, and coached football as a graduate assistant coach for the next two years under new head coach Chuck Broyles, and was awarded a Masters degree in Physical Education in May 1992.[5] For the 1992 through 1996 seasons he was an assistant coach at the university, which included a NCAA Division II national championship in 1991, as well as runner-up in Division II in 1992 and 1994 under Coach Broyles.[5]

Citing a need to increase his income, in 1997 he applied for and was selected to be the head coach for his high school alma mater. He was the third head football coach over a 10-year period selected by the school, with two former coaches winning three state championships, Jerry Kill leading for one and Kurt Thompson for two championships.[7]

Webb City High football played in Missouri class 4A. In Roderique's first year as head coach, his team compiled a 14–0 record and won the state championship.[8][9] In 2006 he added athletic director responsibilities at the high school.

His 13th and last state championship was in 2021, in only the second year for the school to move up to class 5A, owing to a growing school population. His team was ranked fifth with their 6–3 regular season record, which included an uncharacteristic number of losses. In the district playoffs, they first beat Republic, then second-ranked Carthage (10–0), which had beaten Webb City in the regular season. Next, in the state championship games, in the quarter-final Webb City knocked off seventh ranked Lebanon (10–1). The semi-final required them to beat top-ranked Jackson High (12–0), then third-ranked Holt High School (13–0) for the championship. The last four teams (Carthage, Lebanon, Jackson, and Holt) had a combined record of 45–1 and Webb City beat each of them and finished with an 11–3 record.[10][11]

The 2021 championship placed Webb City first in the number of state football championships (the Show Me Bowl), with 16 total, including three by former coaches Jerry Kill and Kurt Thompson, among 54 years of records by the Missouri High School Athletic Association (MHSAA).[12] Roderique's 13 state titles are the most by any coach in Missouri State High School Activities Association history, surpassing nine crowns by Jefferson City's Pete Adkins, who retired in 1994.[13] His 315 wins rank fifth all-time in Missouri history, according to Missouri State High School Activities Association records. His 90.2 winning percentage ranks first all-time in Missouri history.[1]

In 1999 Coach Roderique was inducted into the Pittsburg State University Athletics Hall of Fame.[14] In 2015 he was chosen for the Missouri Football Coaches Association Pete Adkins Power of Influence Award.[15] In 2017 he was inducted into the Joplin Area Sports Hall of Fame.[1] In 2017 he was inducted into the Missouri Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.[16] In 2018, Pittsburg State University awarded him the Meritorious Achievement Award.[17] In January 2021, he was enshrined in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.[18]