Bio

Henry Willis Rath

Perkinston Agricultural High School (1953-1957) / Football, Track
Perkinston Junior College (1957-1959) /Football, Track
Perkinston, Mississippi

The low roar of Bulldog football fans along with the soft glow of stadium lights were easy to hear and see from Henry Rath's childhood home. It was only a short walk from his home to the Perkinston Campus and during football season Rath made sure the path was well beaten.

"For the longest time, I never knew you could play football anywhere else but Perk. It was a goal of mine to play football for Perk from the second grade."

Before he could put on a Bulldog uniform, Rath was a Bullpup at Perkinston Agricultural High School. He took advantage of every opportunity to represent Perk playing three sports — track, basketball and, of course, football. He delighted his mother almost every week when his name made the paper.

"She kept every one of those articles from the Daily Herald. She was a Perk grad as well, attending in the 1930s. She even played basketball for the college. Perk has always been part of our family's tradition."

For Rath, the Bullpups’ best season came in 1955 when the team went 9-l and ended the season with a win in the Dairy Bowl against Notre Dame Biloxi.

"In those days, high-school teams dreamed of local bowl games. We weren't even expected to stay close in the game with Notre Dame Biloxi. The stands were packed and somehow we found a way to win.”

Rath made an easy transition to college football and was a starter his freshman season. In his first game, Rath added another page to his mother’s newspaper scrapbook when he caught the game-tying pass and was described as "literally exploding his way over for the score as two Bobcats sought desperately to restrain him."

Despite the team's struggle, Rath was named Mississippi Association of Junior Colleges All-State second team and lettered in football and track his freshman year.

The Bulldogs were much improved in Rath's sophomore season going 7-3. Even after missing one game with a shoulder injury, Rath still led the team in rushing with 5.2 yards per carry and was the state's top punter, averaging 44.2 yards per kick. He was named an All-American and All-State Honorable Mention. He received three scholarships to play football, but in a twist never actually graduated from Perk.

"I tell people all the time, I'm the only person to be on the Perk Campus for five-and-half years and not to graduate, I decided to go to Memphis State and their coach wanted me to report immediately, so I finished my degree there."

Rath earned a spot as a starter his-second year at Memphis State and was named Player of the Week four times. After earning a bachelor's degree, Rath was offered a tryout with the Green Bay Packers but, instead, chose to take his first full-time coaching job as an assistant at Northwest Junior College.

Rath remained in coaching for the next 17 years. He was a head football coach and athletic director for three different high schools before becoming an assistant coach at the University of Southern Mississippi in 1970.

He earned a master's degree from USM and made the transition into educational administration. Rath served as principal at three high schools during the ’80s and was elected superintendent of the Stone County School system in 1992.

Rath is officially retired after 40 years of service to the state's education system but in 2004 continued to stay busy with consulting work around the state.

"Perk set me on my path. From the beginning, I knew I was going to college and was going to get an education. So much of my life is tied to Perk. I met my wife, Jeanette, there and I discovered my life's ambitions there.”