Don Rogers (safety)
 Rogers in 1985 | |||||||||
| No. 20 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | September 17, 1962 Texarkana, Arkansas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | June 27, 1986 (aged 23) Sacramento, California, U.S. | ||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
Listed weight | 206 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Norte Del Rio (Sacramento) | ||||||||
| College | UCLA | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1984: 1st round, 18th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Donald Lavert Rogers (September 17, 1962 – June 27, 1986) was an American professional football player and safety in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons during the mid-1980s. He died of a heart attack caused by cocaine use after his second season in the NFL.
Early life
[edit]Rogers was born in Texarkana, Arkansas, and graduated from Norte Del Rio High School in Sacramento, California in 1980.[1] He excelled in football, basketball and baseball, garnering All-City honors in all three sports. His brother Reggie Rogers also played in the NFL.
College career
[edit]Rogers played college football for the UCLA Bruins,[2] and, as a senior, was recognized as a consensus All-American.[3]
Two of Rogers's most notable performances came in the Rose Bowl. In the 1983 game, as a junior, he was co-Player of the Game for UCLA, along with quarterback Tom Ramsey. The next year, he tied a Rose Bowl record when he intercepted two passes off of Illinois's quarterback, Jack Trudeau.
Professional career
[edit]Rogers was selected in the first round with the 18th overall pick of the 1984 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.[4] He played two seasons with the Browns from 1984 to 1985. He appeared in 31 regular season games, with two interceptions, one of which he returned 39 yards.[5]
During Rogers' 1984 rookie season, he was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team[6] and finished 2nd in voting for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.[7]
In what would turn out to be his final game, a playoff loss to the Miami Dolphins, Rogers picked off hall-of-famer Dan Marino and returned the ball 45 yards.[1]
Death
[edit]Rogers died of a heart attack caused by a cocaine overdose on June 27, 1986,[8] the day before his wedding.[9] He was 23 years old. His death came only eight days after that of Len Bias, an NBA draft pick who also died of cocaine abuse, prompting a national discussion about the relationship between illegal drugs and athletes.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Don Rogers Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ↑ "Don Rogers Stats". NFL.com. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ↑ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 13. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ↑ "1984 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
- ↑ "Don Rogers Stats". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ↑ "1984 NFL All-Rookie Team". upi.com. United Press International. December 29, 1984. Retrieved July 28, 2026.
- ↑ "1984 Awards Voting". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved July 28, 2026.
- ↑ Rogers' death is a second warning
- ↑ Kardiac kids: the story of the 1980 Cleveland Browns By Jonathan Knight. Kent State University Press. p. 275
Bibliography
[edit]- Harvey, Sean D. (2007). One Moment Changes Everything: The All-America Tragedy of Don Rogers. Sports Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-1-59670-231-8.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1962 births
- 1986 deaths
- All-American college football players
- American football safeties
- Cleveland Browns players
- Cocaine-related deaths in California
- NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winners
- Sportspeople from Texarkana, Arkansas
- UCLA Bruins football players
- Players of American football from Arkansas
- Players of American football from Sacramento, California
- 20th-century American sportsmen
