OK, so maybe Armstrong doesn’t know how good James Rodgers was. The Oregon State record books do: two-time first-team All-Pac-10, once as a kick returner, once as a receiver. No. 1 in Beaver history with 6,373 all-purpose yards — Rodgers would be No. 2 at Nebraska, behind Ameer Abdullah’s 7,186.
Rodgers epitomized the diamonds in the recruiting rough that made Mike Riley competitive at Oregon State. Now, for the first time since preschool, he’s experiencing a football season without a helmet and pads as he represents another Riley trademark — a loyal group of ex-players who have followed the coach to Lincoln.
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Rodgers is the newest addition — and probably the most accomplished ex-Beaver. Riley once called him “about the hardest worker I’ve ever been around in my life.” He once said that Rodgers “wrote the book about being a student-athlete.” For years, he told Rodgers he’d have a job when his professional career was over.
In mid-July, the opportunity arose. Rodgers was wavering on his future. Riley told him to “get on board.”
Rodgers moved into the football dorm in August, easing the freshman transition to college life. Now he’s living downtown, grinding each day behind the Memorial Stadium scenes, working as a liaison between the coaches and the rookies.
