SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — John Roderique hasn’t forgotten the coaches who impacted his life.
The longtime head coach of the powerhouse Webb City High School football program, Roderique was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday night at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds & Event Center.
“It’s very humbling and I’m very honored to receive this recognition,” Roderique said ahead of the induction ceremony on Sunday. “There’s a lot of people involved in this. I’m just thankful for all the coaches, players and for everyone that has played a part in our program’s success.”
Roderique has led his alma mater to a state-record 12 state championships. He’s also directed the Cardinals to 21 straight district championships and to the state semifinals in 19 of his 24 seasons at the helm.
Since Roderique took over the reins of the program in 1997, Webb City is 298-28.
Roderique noted a lot of former coaches influenced him and helped steer him into the coaching profession.
“The first guy would be my high school football coach, Mark McDonald,” Roderique said. “I played for Eric Johnson, the longtime Webb City boys basketball coach. Those guys and a few of the assistant coaches that were there really impacted me.”
As a player, Roderique was an all-state performer for Webb City in 1985 before attending Pittsburg State University, where he was a two-time All-American at linebacker.
“In college, I played for Dennis Franchione, Jerry Kill, Tim Beck, Chuck Broyles and Gary Patterson,” Roderique said. “Those are guys that I learned a lot from. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from everybody. My years as a college football player really did a lot for me as far as philosophy. Then I spent seven years at Pitt State as a coach. Those years had a profound impact on me.
“No two coaches are the same,” he added. “I watch other coaches that have had success throughout my high school career. There’s a lot of guys I have respect for, and you can learn a lot if you just pay attention.”
Under Roderique, Webb City captured Class 4 state championships in 1997, 2000, ’01, ’06, ’08, 2010, ’11, ’12, ’13, ’14, ’17 and ’19.
There were 10 undefeated seasons along the way. The Cardinals were also the state runner-up in ’04 and ’15.
So how has Roderique managed to keep his program successful year after year?
“The first two things are great players and great coaches,” Roderique said. “We have to constantly try to get better and improve. When you stop trying to get better, that’s when you don’t improve. We ask our coaches and players to start from scratch every year. You build a season one day at a time.”
The Webb City High School football program is already in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
Roderique noted he has always taken pride in representing not just Webb City, but all of Southwest Missouri.
“We’re really proud of that,” Roderique said. “There are other programs in the area that have really gotten better. When those guys get better, it forces us to get better. I think of the old saying, ‘Iron sharpens iron.’ That’s true. You have to get better. You have to take an honest look at yourself and you have to realize there’s always a way to improve.”
Roderique is already a member of the Missouri Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Joplin Area Sports Authority Hall of Fame.
Roderique has also been honored by MaxPreps as one of the 50 greatest high school football coaches of all-time.
The longtime coach of the Cardinals has received all of those honors while still actively coaching.
“It kind of makes me think somebody’s telling me I need to retire,” Roderique joked.
MSHOF NOTES
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021 also included the late Derrick Thomas of the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals General Manager Dayton Moore, Mark Lamping, the former President of the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Mizzou Football Chain Crew, which includes Webb City resident Jeff Montgomery (Mizzou Football Chain Crew, with Webb City’s Montgomery, inducted into Missouri Sports Hall of Fame – SoMo Sports (somo-sports.com)
Missouri Southern basketball player Cam Martin (NCAA Division II All-American) was also recognized at the event.
MORE INFORMATION: Hall of Fame welcomes Class of 2021 – Missouri Sports Hall of Fame (mosportshalloffame.com)
