Johnny Rodgers

At 73 years old, Johnny Rodgers has this physical status:

Johnny Steven Rodgers (born July 5, 1951) is an American former gridiron football player.

He played college football at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1972.

Rodgers played for both the Montreal Alouettes and in the National Football League (NFL) with the San Diego Chargers, both in CFL and in the National Football League (NFL).

In 2000, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Personal life

In 1974, Rodgers was announced to have become a devotee of Guru Maharaj Ji, the Divine Light Mission's chairman. Rodgers spoke with Majaraj Ji for the first time in January 1976 to discuss the guru's international tour, and he said he joined the Divine Light Mission out of a search for deeper meaning in his life.

Rodgers, a businessman from Omaha, Nebraska, where he owns a sports promotion firm and a bedding products manufacturer. He also works with his alma mater to motivate athletes who have dropped out of school to return and complete their educations.

Rodgers has also published a book titled An Era of Greatness about the University of Nebraska football team during his playing days.

Rodgers was president of the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation from 1995 to 2005.

Rodgers, a 2007 student at a sports bar in midtown Omaha, was a short patron. The partnership fell apart and dueling litigation followed in less than a year.

He is currently developing a mentoring scheme for children with other football and sport professionals.

Rodgers was hired as vice president of new business growth at Rural Media Group in May 2014.

Rodgers was hospitalized at the University of Nebraska Medical Center with COVID 19 in November 2021, but he was released two weeks later.

Source

College career

Nicknamed "The Jet" for his rapid acceleration and speed on the field, Rodgers was voted high school athlete of the year as a player for Omaha's Tech High.

As a player at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Rodgers served as a punt return specialist, pass receiver, and running back. Rodgers broke virtually every offensive team record, was twice named to the College Football All-America Team and won the Walter Camp Award and the Heisman Trophy in 1972 for most outstanding player in college football in the United States.

In his three years with the Cornhuskers, the versatile Rodgers established an all-purpose NCAA yardage record of 5,586. Former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne, who served as Nebraska's offensive coordinator in the early 1970s, wrote in his 1985 book More Than Winning that Rodgers had the greatest ability to return punts of any player he ever saw. Likewise, College Football News has described him as "the greatest kick returner in college football history." Rodgers returned seven punts for touchdowns (NCAA record at the time) and one kickoff for a touchdown in his college career.

Rodgers was, at one time, convicted of a gas station robbery while he was a student at the University of Nebraska in 1970. He is the only Heisman winner who had a then-present felony conviction before receiving the award. He was pardoned by the Nebraska Board of Pardons, and his conviction was vacated, on November 14, 2013. He later was charged with assault in 1985 while living in southern California.

In 1971, in what has become known as college football's "Game of the Century," Rodgers returned a punt 72 yards to score the first touchdown which set the tone for his team's 35–31 victory over the University of Oklahoma. ESPN describes Rodgers' performance as "unforgettable." However, some observers consider his greatest single performance to be in the 1973 Orange Bowl when he led his team to a 40–6 victory over Notre Dame. Rodgers ran for three touchdowns, caught a 50-yard pass for another touchdown, and threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to a teammate. He did all this before leaving the game with 21 minutes still to play.

Professional career

Although a 1973 first-round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers, Rodgers signed a three-year contract in excess of $100,000 annually to play with the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes on May 24. He had spurned the Chargers who he said was "offering fourth and fifth-round money." Always a fan favorite who was affectionately known as the "ordinary superstar" (a nickname he coined), Rodgers won the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award in 1973. In his four years with the Alouettes, Rodgers won the Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy twice (Eastern division MVP and CFL runner-up), was either a CFL or Eastern all-star each season, and helped lead his team to a Grey Cup championship in 1974.

Rodgers returned to the United States, signing a $925,000-plus contract with the Chargers on January 3, 1977. Hamstring injuries kept him out of the game for most of his first NFL season and the following year a freak knee injury sustained during team practice ended his career after only 17 NFL games.

Source