Mr. Rhodes was my history teacher the year FFHS conducted the ridiculous "flex scheduling". He coached wrestling then & always tried to recruit me to come out unsuccessfully.
Nevertheless I did enjoy his history class & the class discussions he initiated that more then once awakened the realization that everything I thought by then had a rock solid foundation had some obvious cracks.
He was one of the very few teachers in four years of attendance that inspired re examination of any and all principles one has at any point in life.
When facts change I change, as Keynes said and Mr. Rhodes instilled.
During my senior year our wrestling team prepared for their last dual meet against our archrival, the unstoppable powerhouse of the Delta League, Vacaville Bulldogs. No one had beaten them in many years. Their JV team could beat most varsity teams.
Coach Stu Rhodes asked us to arrive at FHS long before our bus ride to Vacaville and had us play ping-pong as a distraction. He wanted us to relax, not psych out. He identified each of our opponents and planned a strategy for every wrestler. If we accomplished our individual assignments, we could win! Bulldog Danny Langham had pinned me every time we battled, so coach told me, "He’s too good. You won't win, so don’t even try. Just don't get pinned!" Really, Coach? “Yes, Bill.” OK, Coach.
Coach Rhodes sequestered the Varsity wrestlers in the Vacaville Bulldog locker room during the JV meet, so we wouldn't be intimidated by seeing our JV team get slaughtered. Gene Stanley won by pin, but we lost every other JV match. It was a good thing we didn't watch.
As we walked into the gym, we were astounded to see the stands completely full for a wrestling dual meet. FSH wrestling felt lucky when 25 people attended our dual meets, most of whom were family and friends. The school band helped, sometimes contributing a horn player and usually drummer Ernie Gibson.
As the varsity meet progressed, Coach Rhodes restated each assignment. Amazingly, things went exactly as he predicted. During my match, Danny had the upper hand from start to finish, but I changed my style to avoid pins. This strategy worked well and, surprisingly, conserved energy. Near the end, Danny had me on my back for a very long and painful 90 seconds. Then he cursed at the ref for not calling a pin, and I knew I had "won." My energy level immediately shot way up and the rest of my match was a breeze. He wasn't going to pin me THIS TIME!
In a wrestling tournament, the team points awarded for each match are summed to determine the team score. A match win by pin is worth two more team points than a win by points. With two matches remaining, big and humble Doug Wirtz strode to the mat. Doug pulled ahead in the last seconds and beat his man, putting a Vacaville victory out of reach. The crowd thundered as we had never heard. It sounded like a basketball audience. David Fuller lost to the best heavyweight wrestler in our section of leagues, but in the end, FHS won by a single point. Our team victory depended on everyone! I lost my match but felt like a winner. Thanks from us all, Coach Rhodes. You played it perfectly.
Kiyoshi Williamson (1970)
Mr. Rhodes was my history teacher the year FFHS conducted the ridiculous "flex scheduling". He coached wrestling then & always tried to recruit me to come out unsuccessfully.
Nevertheless I did enjoy his history class & the class discussions he initiated that more then once awakened the realization that everything I thought by then had a rock solid foundation had some obvious cracks.
He was one of the very few teachers in four years of attendance that inspired re examination of any and all principles one has at any point in life.
When facts change I change, as Keynes said and Mr. Rhodes instilled.
William Fish (1970)
During my senior year our wrestling team prepared for their last dual meet against our archrival, the unstoppable powerhouse of the Delta League, Vacaville Bulldogs. No one had beaten them in many years. Their JV team could beat most varsity teams.
Coach Stu Rhodes asked us to arrive at FHS long before our bus ride to Vacaville and had us play ping-pong as a distraction. He wanted us to relax, not psych out. He identified each of our opponents and planned a strategy for every wrestler. If we accomplished our individual assignments, we could win! Bulldog Danny Langham had pinned me every time we battled, so coach told me, "He’s too good. You won't win, so don’t even try. Just don't get pinned!" Really, Coach? “Yes, Bill.” OK, Coach.
Coach Rhodes sequestered the Varsity wrestlers in the Vacaville Bulldog locker room during the JV meet, so we wouldn't be intimidated by seeing our JV team get slaughtered. Gene Stanley won by pin, but we lost every other JV match. It was a good thing we didn't watch.
As we walked into the gym, we were astounded to see the stands completely full for a wrestling dual meet. FSH wrestling felt lucky when 25 people attended our dual meets, most of whom were family and friends. The school band helped, sometimes contributing a horn player and usually drummer Ernie Gibson.
As the varsity meet progressed, Coach Rhodes restated each assignment. Amazingly, things went exactly as he predicted. During my match, Danny had the upper hand from start to finish, but I changed my style to avoid pins. This strategy worked well and, surprisingly, conserved energy. Near the end, Danny had me on my back for a very long and painful 90 seconds. Then he cursed at the ref for not calling a pin, and I knew I had "won." My energy level immediately shot way up and the rest of my match was a breeze. He wasn't going to pin me THIS TIME!
In a wrestling tournament, the team points awarded for each match are summed to determine the team score. A match win by pin is worth two more team points than a win by points. With two matches remaining, big and humble Doug Wirtz strode to the mat. Doug pulled ahead in the last seconds and beat his man, putting a Vacaville victory out of reach. The crowd thundered as we had never heard. It sounded like a basketball audience. David Fuller lost to the best heavyweight wrestler in our section of leagues, but in the end, FHS won by a single point. Our team victory depended on everyone! I lost my match but felt like a winner. Thanks from us all, Coach Rhodes. You played it perfectly.
We miss you, Coach.
- Bill Fish, Class of 1970