5. Johnny Rodgers
Football / Omaha / Born: 1952
QUICK FACTS:
Played for: Omaha Tech High, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Montreal Alouettes and San Diego Chargers
Best athlete from Nebraska played with or against: Rodgers said the best player he had as a teammate was Johnny Ray at Tech, while Guy Ingles of Omaha Westside was the opponent that stood out in Rodgers' memory.
Best moment as an athlete: Winning two national titles at Nebraska. "I probably wouldn't have won the Heisman if I hadn't played on those two national championship teams,'' Rodgers said. "They set the stage for me.''
Johnny Rodgers never considered himself better than the opponents he lined up against.
"I just wanted to win more than anyone else,'' Rodgers said. "I took a lot of risks, although I never considered them risks at the time. Like never fair-catching a punt. I had the attitude that as a little guy, I always had to try to do whatever it took to make plays.''
Rodgers first attracted attention as a four-sport athlete at Omaha Tech, earning All-Nebraska honors in football and excelling in baseball, track and basketball. He moved on to Nebraska, where he set the school's all-time receiving record in helping the Huskers win national titles in 1970 and 1971. Rodgers won the Heisman Trophy in 1972, was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000, and was named both the Big Eight Conference's all-time best football player as well as the best Nebraska player of the 20th century.
Rodgers' punt return against Oklahoma in the 1971 Game of the Century is one of the signature plays in Husker history.
Rodgers' life off the field hasn't always been as smooth. He was involved in a gas station robbery at Nebraska. But Rodgers drew praise for returning to NU to get his degree almost three decades after leaving school.
"Life is a roller coaster ride, and I'm glad I'm still riding,'' Rodgers said.
-- Steven Pivovar
QUICK FACTS:
Played for: Omaha Tech High, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Montreal Alouettes and San Diego Chargers
Best athlete from Nebraska played with or against: Rodgers said the best player he had as a teammate was Johnny Ray at Tech, while Guy Ingles of Omaha Westside was the opponent that stood out in Rodgers' memory.
Best moment as an athlete: Winning two national titles at Nebraska. "I probably wouldn't have won the Heisman if I hadn't played on those two national championship teams,'' Rodgers said. "They set the stage for me.''
