Don Rogers (safety)
{{Short description|American football player (1962–1986)}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Don Rogers
| number = 20
| position = Safety
| birth_date = {{birth date|1962|9|17}}
| birth_place = Texarkana, Arkansas, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1986|6|27|1962|9|17}}
| death_place = Sacramento, California, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 1
| weight_lbs = 206
| high_school = Norte Del Rio (Sacramento)
| college = UCLA
| draftyear = 1984
| draftround = 1
| draftpick = 18
| pastteams =
- Cleveland Browns ({{NFL Year|1984|1985}})
| highlights =
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (1984)
- Consensus All-American (1983)
- First-team All-Pac-10 (1983)
- Second-team All-Pac-10 (1982)
| statlabel1 = Games played
| statvalue1 = 31
| statlabel2 = Games started
| statvalue2 = 30
| statlabel3 = Interceptions
| statvalue3 = 2
| pfr = RogeDo21
}}
Donald Lavert Rogers (September 17, 1962 – June 27, 1986) was an American professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons during the mid-1980s. His career was cut short when he died of a heart attack caused by cocaine use.
Early life
Rogers was born in Texarkana, Arkansas, and graduated from Norte Del Rio High School in Sacramento, California in 1980.{{cite web| url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RogeDo21.htm |title=Don Rogers Stats |website=Pro Football Reference |access-date=May 30, 2024}} 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
Rogers played college football for the UCLA Bruins,{{cite web| url=https://www.nfl.com/players/don-rogers/ |title=Don Rogers Stats |website=NFL.com |access-date=May 30, 2024}} and, as a senior, was recognized as a consensus All-American.{{cite web |title=Football Award Winners |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) |year=2016 |access-date=March 18, 2017 |pages=13 |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2016/awards.pdf}}
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
Rogers was selected in the first round with the 18th overall pick of the 1984 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.{{Cite web |title=1984 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1984/draft.htm |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} 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.{{Cite web |url=http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=ROGERDON02 |title=Don Rogers Stats |website=databaseFootball.com |access-date=May 30, 2024 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412012152/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=ROGERDON02 |archive-date=April 12, 2016}} 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.
Death
Rogers died of a heart attack caused by a cocaine overdose on June 27, 1986,[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xbhaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8VkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3461,3972101&dq=don+rogers+died&hl=en Rogers' death is a second warning] the day before his wedding.[https://books.google.com/books?id=T6UVUbuU_6gC&dq=%22Don+Rogers%22+dead+OR+death+OR+died&pg=PA275 Kardiac kids: the story of the 1980 Cleveland Browns] By Jonathan Knight. Kent State University Press. p. 275 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.
References
{{Reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book |last=Harvey |first=Sean D. |title=One Moment Changes Everything: The All-America Tragedy of Don Rogers |year=2007 |publisher=Sports Publishing, Inc. |isbn=978-1-59670-231-8 }}
{{1983 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1984 NFL Draft}}
{{Browns1984DraftPicks}}
{{BrownsFirstPick}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Don}}
Category:All-American college football players
Category:American football safeties
Category:Cleveland Browns players
Category:Cocaine-related deaths in California
Category:NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winners
Category:Sportspeople from Texarkana, Arkansas
Category:UCLA Bruins football players
Category:Players of American football from Arkansas
Category:Players of American football from Sacramento, California