Kevin Price commentary: Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers visits Columbus
Former Nebraska football standout Johnny Rodgers was making speeches back in the early 1990s and telling youngsters that they could be anything they wanted to be and do anything they wanted to do.
But he knew that they needed an education to make those dreams come true.
There was a problem with Rodgers handing out that advice. Rodgers had left Nebraska in 1973 without finishing his degree.
"So I decided I needed to take those things out of my talk or go back and do something about it," Rodgers said Thursday night prior to giving a speech and signing autographs at Green Island Country Club. The reception and auction were part of the fourth annual Robert Wright Golf Classic. Proceeds from the night are going to the Delta Iota Lambda education foundation.
"I had always wanted to go back and finish my degree, but something always came up -- you have this, you have that, kids and you just never do it. So I stopped what I was doing and go back and get my degree."
Rodgers is quick to help anyone who is making an effort to make education more affordable and accessible.
"Not getting an education is the reason there is so much poverty," Rogers said. "A lack of education leads to an inability to be self-sufficient."
Rodgers, who won the Heisman Trophy after his senior season in 1972, didn't just return to Nebraska and take a couple of classes to finish up what he had started more than two decades earlier.
He started over and earned two degrees, one in advertising and one in broadcast journalism. According to various websites, he graduated with a 3.7 grade-point average.
Rodgers returned with the help of a grant from the NCAA that helps former college athletes return to school and finish their degrees. It is a program he talks about with passion, hoping he can convince those who fail to get their degree the first time around to return to finish.
Rodgers was making great returns long before he went back to school.
He earned the nickname "The Jet,' for his electrifying punt returns for the Cornhuskers.
He had two in the 1971 season that are as good as any in the history of the game.
The first came in what is generally considered "The Game of the Century," which came on Thanksgiving Day.
He returned a punt some 72 yards to spark the top-ranked Cornhuskers past No. 2 Oklahoma.
A few weeks later, another jaw-dropping punt return for a score by Rodgers helped Nebraska rout No. 2 Alabama in the Orange Bowl. That win gave Nebraska its second straight national championship.
If you don't remember those two plays or are too young to have seen them live, then you owe it to yourself to click on the links with this column and watch.
It seems there is an award for just about every segment of college football, but until just recently there was no award for returners.
Rodgers took care of that by creating the Johnny "The Jet" Rodgers National College Football Return Specialist Award. Last April Arkansas' Joe Adams won the first one.
Rogers, who is now 61, said he believes that college football is thriving.
"I think it is in a good place because of cable TV and satellite," he said. "We are piping it all over the world, and guys are getting more exposure than ever before."
With all that exposure, universities are making more money than ever. Rodgers said it is long overdue that players be paid.
"College football is bigger and better than it has ever been, and we have to find a way," Rodgers said. "I have always been a pay-for-play guy. There should be some kind of annuity program. A lot of guys don't go to the pros, but they still contribute to the game. There is a lot of money being made, a lot of big money bowls, a lot of money is being made on the backs of these players."
Kevin Price, kprice@ledger-enquirer.com, 706-320-4493
This story was originally published August 9, 2012 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Kevin Price commentary: Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers visits Columbus."