Edward Adams Rice, Coach

Coach Rice has enjoyed a distinguished athletic career at Episcopal High School, serving in various positions that have included athletic director, head football coach, head track and field coach, and director of track and field.

His own career as a scholar-athlete began his road to athletic success. Coach Rice was captain of the track and field team for Phillips Academy at Andover and held the national record for the 16 lb. hammer throw. He also played varsity football, earning All-New England honors. As a senior at Boston University, Coach Rice was named Most Valuable Player for the track and field team.

He has coached at Episcopal for more than 35 years. In his first two years, he coached the shot put and discus throwers to two state championships. For 25 years he was head coach for the track and field team, and EHS finished first or second in the Interstate Athletic Conference for 22 of those years. As head coach, his teams won five IAC championships, and he served as assistant coach for three Independent School League championships and three additional IAC championship teams. Of the 40 current School records in outdoor track and field, 33 were set during Coach Rice’s tenure, as were 28 of the 33 indoor track records.

He also helped Episcopal’s varsity football team to athletic success, winning four IAC championships during his time as an assistant coach. In 2003, Coach Rice received the Gerald R. Ford All-American High School Coach Award from the All-American Football Foundation.

Coach Rice left a lasting mark on the world of track and field, not only at Episcopal, but also in the greater northern Virginia area. He built the Hoxton Invitational Meet up to become the largest and most prestigious high school meet in Northern Virginia. Coach Rice also spearheaded the initiative to allow local public high school track athletes to compete in Flippin Field House on Saturday mornings.

He continues to work with Episcopal’s student-athletes now as assistant coach for the varsity football team and the boys’ and girls’ track and field teams.