SALISBURY, NC – A rare and exciting opportunity was presented to the Livingstone College football team Wednesday when Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers came to campus to talk to the team.
Rogers, the 1980 Heisman Trophy Winner while at the University of South Carolina, is a close, personal friend of Livingstone Head Coach Eric Brown who also played at South Carolina.
Brown said that Rogers was one of the first people to call and congratulate him after being named the head coach on Sept. 21.
“George is a great friend of mine who I first met when I played at South Carolina and he was very helpful when I was searching for a career path,” Brown said.
Rogers came to talk to the Blue Bears about not only his successes in football, but also about the hills he had to climb and the obstacles he had to overcome to get there.
Rogers quoted Vince Lombardi who said, “winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” Rogers said that while he believes in that motto, he wanted the players to remember that football is just a game, and while you always play to win, education is the tool that will bring the players the farthest in life.
Coach Brown said that one of the biggest reasons for brining Rogers in was to have someone outside of the Blue Bear family talk to the team about staying positive even during tough times.
“The coaching staff continues to motivate these guys day in and day out, but sometimes it’s helpful to hear about being positive from someone outside of the organization,” Brown said.
The motivational speech was also well received by the players according to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Christopher Peoples.
“Nobody on our team had ever met a Heisman Trophy winner before so that was a great experience for us,” Peoples said. “Mr. Rogers talked about keeping our spirit and confidence high even during these tough times and to remember that we still have the opportunity to compete for a CIAA Championship.”
Rogers didn’t travel light when he made the trip from Columbia, SC to Salisbury, NC. Rogers brought along his 45-pound, bronze metal Heisman Trophy. Peoples described it as almost surreal when Rogers pulled the trophy from its box since none of the players had ever seen the Heisman Trophy in person before.
“It’s always great for young football players to see a Heisman Trophy, but I always try to impart to them that I was able to win this trophy because of my teammates,” Rogers said. “The Heisman is as much a team award as it is an individual one.”
Rogers had a very successful career at the University of South Carolina which culminated in 1980 with his receiving the Heisman Trophy.
Rogers came to the Gamecocks in fall of 1977 and by mid-season of his freshman year he was their starting tailback. Rogers rushed for over 1,000 yards in his sophomore season and rushed for another 1,681 during his junior year.
In 1980, Rogers was one of the top tailbacks in the nation as he rushed for 1,781 yards which brought him to be one of the finalists for the Heisman Trophy. Rogers beat out other nominees such as Pittsburgh defensive lineman Hugh Green and Georgia running back Herschel Walker to win the Heisman. Rogers is the only person to ever win the Heisman from the University of South Carolina.
At the final home game for the Gamecocks during the 1980 season, Rogers had his jersey number “38” retired by South Carolina. He is the only Gamecock player to have his number retired while still being an active player at the school.
Rogers holds numerous South Carolina record including career rushing yards of 5,204. He is tied for the career lead in touchdowns with 31 and is second in all-time points score with 202.
The final five weeks of the season will show what kind of motivation Rogers was able to instill in the Blue Bear football team.
The Blue Bears will look for their first victory this Saturday when the host Johnson C. Smith University for the first-ever Commemorative Classic which marks the 117th anniversary of the first black college football game.