Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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George I Ru By Richard Meyers Assistant Sports Editor ] The Heisman Trophy is ve given annually to the best hu collegiate football player in gr America for outstanding i<r individual accomplishment, an Gamecock All-American in running back George Rogers ne Is the first legitimate Cli Heisman candidate a South Cs Carolina team has ever had. Rogers doesn't view the bu award as an individual sp achievement, but rather as a du team achievement. And ta while he would like to win the fir award, it is far from his top co priority for this year. mi 7 don'i think of it ning the Heisman the whole team wh order for us to wii Trophy: we have t games.' "I don't think of it as fin myself winning the Heisman vol Trophy, but as the whole fiv team winning it," the all- ah time Carolina rushing leader gr saia. - Anainoraerior'us to Scl win the Heisman Trophy, we rei have got to win a lot of ] games. It's just an honor to coi be considered a candidate, the It's nice to have everybody col pushing for you. But the toi main thing is to win football an games. If we don't win many otl games, I don't have a chance as anyway. Winning the Heisman Trophy should be Ca in the back of every college Hu football olaver's mind, ma especially the running backs Da and the quarterbacks," the anc 6-2 220-pound Rogers said. " "If I can just go out and play me hard and live up to my ex- "I pectations, then just being a abc candidate suits me fine." not IfIHMBBIIM fir Gt&nrt?? Rnaara mn?r* A ymrd* hm rushed for tost *9* ?, |??ll Rogers nnin ROGERS WENT from a ry good running back in j > sopnomore year 10 a eat one last season. In 79, he ran for 1,681 yards d was second in the nation yards rushing per game xt to 1979 Heisman winner tarles White of Southern ilifomia. 'Rogers for Heisman' mper stickers began to ring up in Columbia a iring the season, and the c lented running back c lished the year with ten c nsecutive games of 100 or j ore yards rushing. Rogers a . r as myself win- 1 Trophy, but as j mina it. And in 1 ?' II n the Heisman * o win a lot of r ti -George Rogers i\ ti ichoH caimnfK in iuiivu dvrv/iiiu ill HIC Ling for the Heisman, but a e of the six candidates s ead of him have ^ aduated. Only Art ^ hlichter of Ohio State p iiains. a Rogers traveled across the iintry for a week during ^ ; summer to promote ^ liege football. Also on the h lr, sponsored by the NCAA w d ABC-Television, were q ler Heisman hopefuls such 0 Purdue's Mark Herrjnn, California's Rich p mpbell and Pittsburgh's p gh Green. The group y ide stops in New York, u lias, Boston, New Orleans a i Cincinnati. n I learned to talk to the u dia," Rogers admitted, y learned a lot of things, nit what to say and what to say to the media." tl - ir|1,IMm--,g ? WSmiti SBk 1 1 Mpi mu 1 al i ? i Bl WNa&BM 9 WL 9 H mm \ Sws i m "-1 - *' hi'... - - - M3%$ 1 * a few of the 1,681 y son, ' tr "t ? ?' * ig to TALKING TO THE MEDIA is something Rogers lidn't do too much of last rear. oof irnor T +/\lrt a Inf nf laioi jvai , a tviu a ivv v/i eporters to talk to the other >layers," Rogers said. "I hink they should have a Iked to the other players vho were not getting as nuch publicity as I was. "They (the reporters) were ilways surrounding me. I lidn't want to be the center ,e u~i ? *i? ii aiicuiiuii. nit; xiuicd uic offensive line made were ust so big, and I didn't want til the credit. It just wasn't ight. "If people don't want to talk o my teammates, they don't vant to talk to me. That's ust the way I feel about it. Cven though the Heisman neans a lot to me, the team neans more." Rogers appears much nore relaxed with the media his year, which should help lis quest for the Heisman. lany football observers feel hat if Rogers is to win the leisman Trophy, he must urn in solid performances gainst perennial powers outhern California and lichigan, which would put im in the national spotlight, logers agreed with that ssessment. "Southern Carlifornia has orl o mirr?K/\r? rvf au a iiuiiiuci U1 j;iajfC19 W11U ave won the Heisman. They ave a real good team, and /hen you play at Southern 'al, you play in front of a lot f people," Rogers said. "And in Michigan, you're laying in front of 106,000 eople. That's really what ou need publicity wise. But e arc going 10 Micnigan nd California and we are ot going to let tradition beat s. We are going to play lema game " ROGERS ADMITS that ie competition for the [eisman Trophy will be tiff. "A lot of people think lat Art Schlichter has a ood shot. I think the guys on ie tour, Mark Herrmann, ttch Campbell, Hugh Green nd some others have a shot t it too. They are going to be unning for it just as hard as nm All T : it am. mi i tan nay is may uie >est man win." Even if Rogers has a great rear, he may not win the iward if the Gamecocks lave an average year, logers knows that Heisman Prophy winners don't play or teams with 8-4 records. )ver the years, the award las gone to clubs that have iouble digets in the win !olumn. "For me to win the ieisman, we will have to win en or eleven games. I really hink we are on the way up. We don't want 8-3 to be our >est season. We want to keep mproving." The return of fullback Johnnie Wrioht Rnt/orc1 - -0..w, .?V/bVi o i>ackfield mate for two reasons should prohibit :eams from concentrating :heir defensive efforts soley )n Rogers. UfxirfUt 111 1 ??i i^m. goi?cu 011 yai us as i freshman, and 903 yards as i sophomore, but sat out 1979 vith a knee injury. This /ear, with both Wright and Rogers back together, they mild turn out to be the best mnning back tandem in the lation. "I think having him hack will take a lot of pressure off rthe the team," Rogers said. "I think we will be able to run a little bit more than we have in thp nnct If T ant nc mnnv V A* M. V MM ???v? mmJ yards as I did last year, I'll be fortunate, because Johnnie is a good running back, and it takes two in the backfield to make it. "I'm sure they will be giving him the ball as much as they give it to me. Both of us have to go out and do our jobs. It will make me feel onnH if uw Knth an nnt anH get 1,000 yards apiece. That hasn't been done in a while. I . J-:, I : T I i. i iiiiiriiiniiiiiiininMiUtTTi. r i i -^r^v.w* . ' : ; *. . : . : : > > -' --v -s . .<< ,xv V?*. nHH ham %SHHp *" ** fi'V^'SSryf ig&mH % jP^SXIB j " SR <^B xx-i ; :>;-;:;:;;-:^:p-::>:^:;-::;:^ :' : :^B.. v-?S?jg3^ i&sS^K&SS. Heisman can hope everybody keys on me, so Johnnie can getaway." ROGERS' GOAL when he entered Carolina was to gain 4,000 yards in his career. "I siarieti some games my freshman year. My goal was 800 yards but I didn't make it. (He gained 623 yards that year). We had too many running backs that year. My sophomore year, I set a goal of 1.000 vards (hp aninor) , ? e>""',vv 1,006 yards) and made it. "Last year, my goal was 1,500 (he gained 1,681) anc this year it's 1,700. If I don't get it this year, I hope at least to be in that area." * ? * - 1 ivugci-s ieeis nis strength as a running back is his ability to "run over or by people. If I have a weakness, it's my blocking. I think I can improve on my agility a little bit more, as well as my balance." Head football coach Jim * * _ . neisi Carlen is the person who has done the most for Rogers since ne came to uaroiina. "He told me if I wanted to play football, to come to South Carolina. Ever since then, he's been like a father to me. He always gives me adivce, and it's always been good advice." Rogers has a good chance of being the first running back picked in the NFL draft next year, but he says that is the farthest thing from his mind right now. ^ .. ', x''. US K? S^_ HH 9HfflvA ttg& ^w?wH^b v didate George F "I always go out and play the same, even though a lot 'Football plays a It means whether o of the things / new !'\fO nai/or m w f fu> w or Juuf f J ( of people might think that because I'm a senior now, I'll run timidly, because 1 don't want to get hurt and and I can't afford to think about it." Although he knows what team he would like to play for, Rogers doubts he will ever get a chance, at least as far as getting drafted by them. "The team I want to play for-I know there isn't anv J way-but if I could it would be Pittsburgh. They've got the best offensive line." man ROGERS IS A SUCCESSFUL football player and a modest Derson h** appreciates the opportunities football, and the people he has met along the ways have given him. "I think the main thing that helped me is that somebody has been with me all the time. It just doesn't seem ordinary for me, because of my background, that I got a break like this in football. Things are going HHI ^%V* VV:vav;V:^- VX y,:-.?+' : - * < * x ..?. - v.. . * : - < -?: * > v;: * . > - ^ .= * . * * ' >* \ v : X?" / . * * ' " ' * X A J*: ?.* : ? * > j x%" * * >. $ ? V * > . * .: * .. ? -x . >? ;<* ? -A > * '' * r. '*>. . :# ? ** - -J" / V- if" j* ,- * ) >* . .* - op 5 * * " ' * ' * * I ? ? , ? ? ? I* . * ff*s . ?:? ? .* * * rv<' ... y > 1 : -r oi* * * t - , ^ * '* t , 4 *? * } - IPI logers (Photo by Karen Kemper) good for me right now. "Football plays a big role big role in my life, r not I'll have some er had, see places tre' George Rogers in my life. It means whether or not I'll have some of the things I've never had, see places I've never seen before." Rogers was involved in a traffic accident last week. His car flipped over after a tire blew out, but he escaped | with no injuries. "I was fortunate. I'm just 1 glad I'm alive. I've been i messed all my life, ne saia. "A lot of good things have j happened to me, and I don't take things for granted."