It was all about the smile for the Galesburg man named Rodney Blue. It was special. Some would call it infectious. And he wasn’t afraid to show it off, on one condition — you had to smile back.
More often than not, it worked.
“Rodney was a smile and high five — it was that simple,” said his longtime friend and Carl Sandburg College work colleague Anthony Law. “And if you didn’t have a smile inside of you, Rodney had one for you.”
Law recalled an encounter when Blue would not take no for an answer.
“Anyone who knew Rodney knows he loved to give high fives,” Law said. “One day I was having a bad day, and I ran into Rodney with his hand up. I was not having a good day, and I said, ‘Not today Rodney.’
“He wouldn’t put his hand down until I gave him a high five, and I asked him what was up with the high fives. He said with that big smile, ‘it’s hard to have your head down when you’re giving a high five.’ I looked up and said, ‘I love you, and I appreciate you.’
“It was a Rodney Blue day for me.”
Rodney made a lot of days during what anyone who met him would call a life dedicated to service and giving back. Sadly, Rodney Alan Blue Sr. died July 2 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 66.
Obituary: Rodney A. Blue ~ June 20, 1958–July 2, 2024
‘He had the prettiest stride as a runner’
Not familiar with the Rodney Blue story? The 1976 Galesburg High School graduate burst into the spotlight as a standout sprinter for the Silver Streaks track team.
His running prowess was almost as legendary as his smile.
“If you asked my wife who had the prettiest stride as a runner, she would immediately say Rodney Blue,” said Jerry Albright, a Streaks track and field coach for nearly 50 years, including 32 years as head coach. “He had a beautiful long stride, and was just so smooth.
“He was a great quarter-miler — that was the race he loved to run. But he was also one of our fastest guys in what was then the 100-yard dash. He was very versatile, so we could use in a lot of relays.
“He’s one of the top track people to ever come through Galesburg High School.”
Blue held the 400-meter record at Galesburg High School for 20 years and finished 10th in the event at the 1976 state meet. He also helped set school records in the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 relays during his high school career.
Blue was inducted into the GHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.
Blue eventually returned to coach track and cross country at various places —including Galesburg and Carl Sandburg College. Albright said, “Rodney was a draw for younger kids. He was just a positive guy, which I liked a lot.”
One of those drawn to Coach Rodney Blue was Galesburg’s fastest man ever and fellow Galesburg Athletic Hall of Famer, Josh Eiker — state champion in the 100 and 200 meters both his junior and senior year.
“Coach Blue always had a smile on his face,” Eiker said. “His ability to positively influence the people around him was second to none. I can’t find the words, but anyone that’s had a conversation with Coach Blue knows that feeling.”
Blue put a charge into Sandburg cross country program
Since 2015, Rodney Blue has been the head coach of the powerhouse men’s and women’s cross-country teams at Carl Sandburg College. Under his direction, Sandburg sent a team or individual to the NJCAA national meet in each of the eight seasons it fielded a squad. In total, the Chargers sent seven teams (women in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, and men from 2021-23) and 11 individuals to the national meet with Blue as head coach.
In 2021, both Chargers teams recorded program-bests at nationals, as the men’s team placed sixth and the women finished 22nd. The Chargers men’s team also produced three All-Americans during Blue’s tenure.
Blue was named Region 4 Coach of the Year five times in his career, and his teams won five region championships. Sandburg’s women’s team won the Region 4 title in 2019, the first time either Chargers cross country program had claimed a region championship. It added another Region 4 crown in 2022. This past season, the men’s team won its third consecutive region title.
In addition to his coaching role, Blue worked in the college’s fitness center as a fitness skills coach. He also previously served as the coordinator of minority outreach at Sandburg.
“Rodney kind of laid the blue print for what I am doing now,” said Law, coordinator of Diversity and Inclusion at Sandburg. “He had the ability to interact with everybody. He was a natural motivator.
“He didn’t expect everybody to be the same — he just encouraged people to be their best. And however you defined that, just do it. Discover your best, and he would help you find that. That was Rodney.
“A lot of people ended up attending Sandburg that quite honestly might have never considered coming to Sandburg, because of him.”
Son: ‘He didn’t want anyone to see him struggle’
Blue remained active on the track well into his later years, competing in masters events and the Quad Cities Senior Olympics. At the Senior Olympics in 2020, he took home gold in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter runs.
According to Drexler Blue, his father was running five miles a week up until a few months ago when Rodney was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
“We’re really not sure how long he had it, because he didn’t really show any signs until the last few weeks,” Drexler said. “We only had about 30 days from the first time he went to the hospital.”
Drexler Blue said his father preferred to keep his cancer battle private.
“A lot of people didn’t know he was a very private person,” Drexler said. “Up until he passed, he really didn’t want people to know he was sick, because he didn’t want people to remember him like that.
“He was such a positive person, that he didn’t want people to see him in any kind of struggle.”
Family cherishes community parade
When the family announced Rodney was in his final days, dozens turned out for a parade past the Blue residence. He died the next day.
“The parade was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my life,” Drexler said. “It was a 15-minute parade, because I timed it. And to see that many people come together to support one man means a lot. It just goes to show the impact he had on Galesburg.
“He could hear what we were saying and could comprehend all the way until the end. He was able to watch the parade and was able to wave to people. He was into it.”
To the surprise of no one, Rodney displayed grace, courage and gratitude during his cancer battle.
“He didn’t complain, not one time, through any of his illness,” Drexler said. “And he didn’t want anyone around him complaining or feeling sorry for him.
“You can ask all the different doctors we saw over the last couple of months — my dad always kept a smile on his face. Even on days when things weren’t going well, he would be shaking the hands of doctors and nurses, telling them how much he appreciated them.”
Law said his friend and colleague will be missed on many fronts.
“You have NO idea,” Law said. Some of the greatest things Rodney did had nothing to do with running. When you’re a coach or an athlete, sometimes people tend to forget the person. They see the baskets made and the touchdowns scored and the races won, but it’s easy to forget there’s a person behind there.
“Rodney was phenomenal, whether he was running or not. He was a winner. His ability to run and coach were not his purpose — they were a vehicle he used to achieve his purpose to help people be better.
“Most of us spend our entire lives trying to figure out who we are, and what our purpose is. Rodney knew, and he lived it.”
In addition to his son Drexler, Rodney Blue is survived by his wife, Cindy, son Rodney Jr., stepson Jason Nigoza, stepdaughter Jami White, guarddaughter Marissa Wingo and seven grandchildren. He also is survived by two brothers, Marc Gibson and Stuart Andrews Jr. and three sisters, Christa Blue, Latricia Andrews and Allyson Andrews.
Blue’s legacy: ‘The person who always gave back’
What is the lasting legacy of the man who has accomplished so much?
“The person who always gave back,” Drexler Blue said. “Even on his last days, he wanted to make sure his athletes were being taken care of. He was selfless.
“You could talk to a 100 people who knew my dad, and they’d all say he had a positive impact on them. From kids, all the way to elders he was there for people. He always wanted to give back.”
Rest easy, Rodney … we know you are smiling down on us.
Visitation for Rodney Alan Blue Sr. will be 3-8 p.m. Friday at Watson Thomas Funeral Home and Crematory in Galesburg, with the family present from 5-8 p.m. Funeral services will be 1 p.m. Saturday at Bethel Baptist Church in Galesburg.
