Myrtle Beach Sports Center now officially renamed for former mayor John Rhodes

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - Visitors to the Myrtle Beach Sports Center will now see a new sign when they enter.

It’s now officially the John T. Rhodes Myrtle Beach Sports Center, named in honor of former mayor John Rhodes.

Rhodes died in January from complications of COVID-19.

On Saturday morning, which would have been the former mayor’s 78th birthday, city leaders and community members attended the sign unveiling, marking the official name change for the building.

“I think sports tourism was important to John because it was so important to Myrtle Beach,” his wife Terri Springs said.

During Rhodes’s 12 years as mayor, he focused on growing sports tourism and remained involved with the Beach Ball Classic Tournament even after his terms ended.

Current Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said there’s not a more perfect building in the city to don her predecessor’s name than this one.

”He was the godfather of sports, sports tourism for this area. And it has been so amazing to see how much it has grown,” Bethune said.

Springs also said she was happy knowing children were even inside playing sports while the unveiling took place.

She said Rhodes wanted to continue to bring families to Myrtle Beach.

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