George Rogers

George Washington Rogers Jr., born December 8, 1958, in Duluth, Georgia, established himself as one of college football’s most dominant running backs before a seven-season NFL career that culminated in a Super Bowl championship. After starring at Duluth High School, Rogers attended the University of South Carolina, where he led the nation in rushing as a senior with 1,781 yards and won the 1980 Heisman Trophy. He earned unanimous All-American honors and had his number 38 retired during halftime of his final home game—the first South Carolina player ever honored while still active.

The New Orleans Saints selected Rogers with the first overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft, one selection ahead of Lawrence Taylor. As a rookie, he led the league in rushing with 1,674 yards, earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, and was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. After four seasons in New Orleans, he was traded to the Washington Redskins in 1985, led the league in rushing touchdowns in 1986, and capped his career with a victory in Super Bowl XXII.

Rogers retired after the 1987 season with 7,176 career rushing yards and 54 touchdowns. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame, and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, he has a statue outside Williams-Brice Stadium on a road that bears his name, and a second street in his hometown of Duluth was renamed in his honor in 2017. Rogers is the recipient of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame’s Gale Sayers Award, named for the legendary Chicago Bears running back.