John
Rade played two years at
Modesto
Junior College
in
California
before transferring to
Boise
State
.
He played defensive lineman and excelled at pass rushing.
In
1981, Rade was sixth on the team with 62 tackles, including eight for loss, with
a fumble recovery. In 1982, Rade set
a school record that still stands 27 years later.
John was credited with eight tackles for loss in a game (vs.
Utah
State
).
He is second all-time with 31 tackles for loss in the ’82 season and he
is fifth with 39 for his two-year career. Rade
was named All-Big Sky Conference in both 1981 and ’82, and Big Sky Defensive
Most Valuable Player his senior year.
In
1983, Rade was selected in the eighth round of the National Football League
Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
Playing
linebacker was new for Rade, and he studied the position intensely.
Rade went on to star for the Falcons and was made team captain.
He played linebacker in 122 games for
Atlanta
for nine seasons
(1983-1990), one of the longest NFL careers for any former Bronco.
Rade had 4 100-plus tackle seasons. posting a career high 145 tackles in
1990. In 1988 John led his team in tackles with 137 for the second straight year.
He had 10.5 career sacks (five in 1985), a fumble recovery
and three interceptions, one of which he returned for a 38-yard touchdown in
1985.
Following his retirement from the Falcons in 1992, Rade and former
Boise
State
teammate Paul Unger began a successful telecommunications business.
Rade surprised those around him (as well as
Boise
State
professors) by going back to college. He
retook several classes to improve his grades, getting 4.0 averages, and
graduating with a degree in finance.
But when Rade’s son Jared began playing little league football, John served
as his coach. It was there that he
met
Eagle
High School
head coach Mike Glenn. Glenn
brought Rade to Eagle as a motivational speaker and soon hired him as his
defensive coordinator in 2002.
Eagle
High School
head coach Mike Glenn hired Rade as his defensive coordinator in 2002.
That fall, the Mustangs reached the 5A state playoffs before losing to
Lewiston
on their home field 29-20. In 2003,
Eagle downed
Twin Falls
23-21 away from home to reach the state semifinals before losing to
Highland
in
Pocatello
34-17. Eagle again made the state
playoffs but lost to
Capital
High School
in the opening round.
Glenn
was hired by
Wood
River
High School
prior to the 2005 season and he brought Rade with him to continue his role as
defensive coordinator. “I wasn’t goingto
take this job without him coming up here with me,” Glenn said.
When Glenn and Rade were hired,
Wood
River
was coming off a dismal 0-9 season. The
team was 4-6 in 2005 but achieved something that wasn’t lost upon
Wood
River
locals. The Wolverines beat Jerome
for the first time in 30 years (16-0). That
win hasn’t catapulted the team to new heights yet however, as they slipped to
4-5 in 2006, 1-7 in 2007 and again last season.
Rade also was to serve as Assistant Athletic Director.
He was soon promoted to Athletic Director and was named in May as the
Idaho
4th District 5A/4A Athletic Director of the Year.
John and his wife Lori (his college sweetheart at
Boise
State
) now live in Hailey. Lori is a
middle school assistant counselor in
Wood
River
. Their daughter Jenna is majoring
in education at
Boise
State
.
John has continued to further his education, serving as a student teacher at
Wood
River
. He recently received a teaching
certificate in economics and business.
Rade continues to be recognized by Bronco fans 27 years
after his playing days at Bronco Stadium ended.
He was selected to the Dream Team in 1994, the All-Time Boise State
Football Team by BroncoCountry in 2005, and the Bronco 35 Team in 2005.