It is hard to describe George Rogers with one adjective. Words like “giving” and “modest," although accurate, simply do not do him justice. However, it is relatively easy to describe Rogers with a single verb: laugh. George’s laugh is loud, deep-throated and, when coupled with his grin from ear to ear as it almost always is, infectious.
I was helping check in golfers at the 25th annual George Rogers Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament on Monday morning when someone asked, “Where can I find George at?”
“Just look for the big guy laughing. He’s probably standing in the shade somewhere,” came the reply from a person standing just behind me. Not only was it great advice that led him straight to Rogers, but it was also a surprisingly apt description of him in general.
Let’s start with the laughing.
Willie Jeffries, the first ever African-American head football coach in NCAA Division 1-A history, gave the opening invocation and remarks at the foundation’s gala and silent auction on Sunday night. Jeffries said that Rogers goes to show how “it does not matter on what side of the tracks you were born,” praising Rogers on how he grew up despite his area code.
Rogers was not supposed to make it out of his rough Duluth, Georgia, neighborhood. He was not supposed to overcome the drug problems that his friends could not escape. He wasn’t supposed to rush for 5,204 yards and 33 rushing touchdowns while at the University of South Carolina. He was not supposed to win the Heisman Trophy, get drafted first overall, play in the NFL or win a Super Bowl. And he was certainly not supposed to graduate from college and go on to become the smiling, laughing man he is today. Yet in all the time I’ve had the pleasure of spending with him while serving as a student ambassador to his foundation, I don’t know if I’ve ever heard Rogers say two full sentences that weren’t interrupted by at least a chuckle.
With laughter explained, why do I think Rogers standing in the shade is so profound?
Yes, George gets hot. He shed his black-and-grey-checkered sports coat as soon as he gave his opening remarks at the gala, and he spent most of his day at the golf tournament sitting under a tent. But (forgive me if this is a bit of a stretch) on a deeper level, Rogers has never enjoyed the spotlight. He prefers to share his time in the sun with friends or teammates. Look no further than his statue at Williams-Brice. It doesn’t highlight his supreme talents on the field, but the support of his teammates.
Rogers held the microphone just long enough this weekend to express his gratitude before turning it over to others and letting them be the center of attention. Ever modest, he would not even take credit for a beautiful shot on the par 3 second hole at the Old Hickory Course, always insisting that someone else in the group would hit an even better ball. On Monday George said he was happy his event was going well, but he was ready return to the background where he prefers to operate.
Despite all he does to avoid attention, Rogers’ work for his foundation, which provides scholarships to first-generation college students (other kids who were not supposed to make it), gives me reason to single him out yet again and urge others to understand how lucky our university is to have such a great ambassador representing us.