View source for Rod Rust

{{short description|American football player, coach, and executive, college athletics administrator (1928–2018)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2011}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Rod Rust
| image = 
| alt = 
| caption = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|8|2}}
| birth_place = [[Webster City, Iowa]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2018|10|23|1928|8|2}}
| death_place = [[Ocean City, New Jersey]], U.S.
| alma_mater = 
| player_years1 = 1947–1948
| player_team1 = [[Iowa State Cyclones football|Iowa State]]
| player_positions = [[Center (gridiron football)|Center]], [[linebacker]]
| coach_years1 = 1950
| coach_team1 = Webster City HS (IA) (assistant)
| coach_years2 = 1953
| coach_team2 = Toledo HS (IA)
| coach_years3 = 1954–1955
| coach_team3 = Belle Plaine HS (IA)
| coach_years4 = 1956–1958
| coach_team4 = Knoxville HS (IA)
| coach_years5 = 1959
| coach_team5 = [[Ottumwa High School|Ottumwa HS (IA)]]
| coach_years6 = 1960–1962
| coach_team6 = [[New Mexico Lobos football|New Mexico]] (assistant)
| coach_years7 = 1963–1966
| coach_team7 = [[Stanford Cardinal football|Stanford]] (assistant)
| coach_years8 = 1967–1972
| coach_team8 = [[North Texas Mean Green football|North Texas State]]
| coach_years9 = 1973–1975
| coach_team9 = [[Montreal Alouettes]] ([[Defensive coordinator|DC]])
| coach_years10 = 1976–1977
| coach_team10 = [[Philadelphia Eagles]] (LB)
| coach_years11 = 1978–1982
| coach_team11 = [[Kansas City Chiefs]] (DC)
| coach_years12 = 1983–1987
| coach_team12 = [[New England Patriots]] (DC)
| coach_years13 = 1988
| coach_team13 = Kansas City Chiefs (DC)
| coach_years14 = 1989
| coach_team14 = [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] (DC)
| coach_years15 = 1990
| coach_team15 = New England Patriots
| coach_years16 = 1992
| coach_team16 = [[New York Giants]] (DC)
| coach_years17 = 1994
| coach_team17 = [[Lehigh Mountain Hawks football|Lehigh]] (LB)
| coach_years18 = 1995
| coach_team18 = [[Atlanta Falcons]] (LB)
| coach_years19 = 1996
| coach_team19 = Atlanta Falcons (DC)
| coach_years20 = 1997–1998
| coach_team20 = [[Montreal Alouettes]] (DC)
| coach_years21 = 1999
| coach_team21 = [[San Francisco 49ers]] (assistant LB)
| coach_years22 = 2001
| coach_team22 = Montreal Alouettes
| coach_years23 = 2002–2004
| coach_team23 = [[New York Giants]] (LB)
| coach_years24 = 2005
| coach_team24 = [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]] (DC)
| admin_years1 = 1970–1972
| admin_team1 = [[North Texas Mean Green|North Texas State]]
| overall_record = 29–32–1 (college)<br />1–15 (NFL)<br />9–8 (CFL)
| bowl_record = 
| tournament_record = 
| championships = 1 [[Missouri Valley Conference|MVC]] (1967)
| awards = 
| coaching_records = 
}}
'''Rodney Arthur Rust''' (August 2, 1928 – October 23, 2018) was an [[American football]] player and coach. He is best known in the United States as the head coach of the [[New England Patriots]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL) during the [[1990 New England Patriots season|1990 season]], which ended with a 1–15 record.

For most of Rust's early coaching career, he was an assistant to one of two coaches: [[Marv Levy]] or [[Dick Vermeil]]. Rust began as an assistant under Levy at the [[University of New Mexico]] between 1960 and 1962, before leaving to serve under [[Dick Vermeil]] at [[Stanford University]]. In 1967, he became the head coach at North Texas State University (now the [[University of North Texas]]), a position he held until 1972. North Texas had a 29–32–1 record during Rust's tenure.

Rust returned to work for Levy in 1973 as defensive coordinator for the [[Montreal Alouettes]] of the [[Canadian Football League]]. In his three seasons in Montreal, the Alouettes went to two [[Grey Cup]] finals, winning in 1974.

In 1976, Rust left the Alouettes to become an assistant with Vermeil's [[Philadelphia Eagles]]. He served as linebackers coach for two seasons before leaving to take the [[defensive coordinator]] position with Levy and the [[Kansas City Chiefs]]. After Levy's firing in 1982, Rust became defensive coordinator of the [[New England Patriots]]. Head coach [[Ron Meyer]] fired Rust midway through the 1984 season, but he was later reinstated (with Meyer himself fired). Rust and the Patriots went to [[Super Bowl XX]] (under head coach [[Raymond Berry]]) in 1985, but he left the team after the 1987 season. He returned to the Chiefs for the 1988 season, and moved again to the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] in 1989.

The Patriots hired Rust as head coach in 1990. The team started out well, with a close loss to the [[Miami Dolphins]] and an equally close win over the [[Indianapolis Colts]]. The bottom quickly fell out, and the Patriots would suffer 14 straight losses, tying the [[1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] for the most consecutive losses in a single season in NFL history. Many of these losses came in humiliating fashion. They ultimately finished 1–15, the worst record in franchise history. Many of the holdovers from the [[Super Bowl XX]] team were well past their prime, and there was very little depth behind them. It showed in a ghastly -265 point differential, the worst point differential for any NFL team in the 1990s.

Rust was fired less than a week after the end of the season by newly hired CEO [[Sam Jankovich]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/01/04/Patriots-fire-Rod-Rust/7586662965200/|title = Patriots fire Rod Rust}}</ref> The [[New York Giants]] hired Rust as defensive coordinator in 1992, and he lasted one season. He spent the rest of the 1990s as a defensive assistant with the [[San Francisco 49ers]] and [[Atlanta Falcons]].

Rust was named the head coach of the [[Montreal Alouettes]] of the [[Canadian Football League]] in 2000, and was fired during the 2001 season after a six-game losing streak. Rust spent 2002 as the defensive quality control coach of the New York Giants. He returned to the CFL in 2005, taking the coordinator position with the [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]]; he left abruptly halfway through the season. He became defensive coordinator of the [[Ottawa Renegades]] in February 2006; however the team suspended operations before the season began.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/sports/story.html?id=3ac007ef-4e70-4d3b-bba5-9d8fc7445cce&k=12455 |title=CFL caught off guard with brewer's plans for 'Ottawa Steelback' |access-date=2008-11-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207100630/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/sports/story.html?id=3ac007ef-4e70-4d3b-bba5-9d8fc7445cce&k=12455 |archive-date=December 7, 2007 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Rust died on October 23, 2018, at the age of 90.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dentonrc.com/sports/former-unt-football-coach-rod-rust-dies-at/article_0ccdd4cb-7619-5bb6-b227-efc075974c2d.html|title = Former UNT football coach Rod Rust dies at 90}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Former-NFL-CFL-college-coach-Rod-Rust-dies-at-13332846.php |title=Former NFL, CFL, college coach Rod Rust dies at age 90 - SFGate |website=www.sfgate.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024205704/https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Former-NFL-CFL-college-coach-Rod-Rust-dies-at-13332846.php |archive-date=2018-10-24}}</ref>

==Head coaching record==
===College===
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[North Texas Mean Green football|North Texas State Mean Green]]
 | conf      = [[Missouri Valley Conference]]
 | startyear = 1967
 | endyear   = 1972
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | year         = [[1967 NCAA University Division football season|1967]]
 | name         = [[1967 North Texas State Mean Green football team|North Texas State]]
 | overall      = 7–1–1
 | conference   = 4–0
 | confstanding = 1st
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1968 NCAA University Division football season|1968]]
 | name         = [[1968 North Texas State Mean Green football team|North Texas State]]
 | overall      = 8–2
 | conference   = 4–1
 | confstanding = 2nd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1969 NCAA University Division football season|1969]]
 | name         = [[1969 North Texas State Mean Green football team|North Texas State]]
 | overall      = 7–3
 | conference   = 4–1
 | confstanding = 2nd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1970 NCAA University Division football season|1970]]
 | name         = [[1970 North Texas State Mean Green football team|North Texas State]]
 | overall      = 3–8
 | conference   = 1–3
 | confstanding = 4th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1971 NCAA University Division football season|1971]]
 | name         = [[1971 North Texas State Mean Green football team|North Texas State]]
 | overall      = 3–8
 | conference   = 3–2
 | confstanding = T–2nd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1972 NCAA University Division football season|1972]]
 | name         = [[1972 North Texas State Mean Green football team|North Texas State]]
 | overall      = 1–10
 | conference   = 0–7
 | confstanding = 8th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = North Texas
 | overall    = 29–32–1
 | confrecord = 16–14–1
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
 | overall  = 29–32–1
 | bowls    = no
 | poll     = no
 | polltype = 
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{North Texas Mean Green football coach navbox}}
{{North Texas Mean Green athletic director navbox}}
{{New England Patriots coach navbox}}
{{Montreal Alouettes coach navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rust, Rod}}
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:American football centers]]
[[Category:American football linebackers]]
[[Category:Atlanta Falcons coaches]]
[[Category:Iowa State Cyclones football players]]
[[Category:Kansas City Chiefs coaches]]
[[Category:Lehigh Mountain Hawks football coaches]]
[[Category:Montreal Alouettes coaches]]
[[Category:NFL defensive coordinators]]
[[Category:New England Patriots head coaches]]
[[Category:New England Patriots coaches]]
[[Category:New England Patriots scouts]]
[[Category:New England Patriots executives]]
[[Category:New Mexico Lobos football coaches]]
[[Category:New York Giants coaches]]
[[Category:North Texas Mean Green athletic directors]]
[[Category:North Texas Mean Green football coaches]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles coaches]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Steelers coaches]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Iowa]]
[[Category:San Francisco 49ers coaches]]
[[Category:Stanford Cardinal football coaches]]
[[Category:Winnipeg Blue Bombers coaches]]
[[Category:High school football coaches in Iowa]]
[[Category:People from Webster City, Iowa]]