Catching Up with Johnny Rodgers
One of the highlights of Heisman weekend is the extent to which so many former winners participate in the events surrounding the awarding of the prestigious trophy. When Marcus Mariota received the 80th Heisman this past Dec. 13, almost 20 legendary players were on hand to welcome him into one of the most elite fraternities in sports.
We caught up with several of them that weekend, including 1972 Heisman winner Johnny Rodgers of Nebraska. Here’s what Rodgers had to say about the Heisman, his experience winning the trophy and a very important matter pertaining to his position in football.
You’ve been back for the awards ceremony several times over the years. What’s it like being here as a former winner?
“I tell you, sometimes the people are so excited, they don’t know the difference between a current winner and a former winner. It’s been 43 years or so for me, but it just keeps getting bigger and better as time goes on.
How does it feel to have random people recognize you and approach you just because of a trophy you won so many years ago?
“It feels pretty good. The Heisman is just about as good as it can get. It’s one of the greatest fraternities that we have in the country, so it doesn’t really get old. It gets better. People are very enthusiastic and appreciative. They’re excited and thrilled to get autographs from the current and former winners. It’s just a big deal all the way around.
What do you remember about the former winners who were here when you first came in ’72? What did they say to you about the Heisman and its tradition?
“I remember all those guys. Now, I don’t know if we ever sat down and traded words of wisdom. But there was just an appreciation we had for each other’s company, as members of that fraternity. And we wanted to try to uphold that and be honorable and maintain the integrity of not just the trophy, but of ourselves. You quickly understand that there’s people watching you all the time. Not just people here in New York, but people all over the country. Children are watching, aspiring to get to this level and beyond. But if you can get to this level, you can get beyond it. So there’s a lot more things for us to do at the same time. We have a springboard meeting here each year, so we’re involved in all different types of charities, both locally and nationally. We try to use it to help out as many people as we can in communities around the country.
Have you had a chance to talk with Marcus Mariota yet?
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to Marcus yet. He’s really busy right about now. We had a few words here and there. But for most of us, the impact of winning the award is very exciting, but you really don’t understand the significance of it until later. It takes time. Eventually you understand that the Heisman is really not an individual award, it’s a team award. It brings your whole team and your community together a lot more than before. I imagine Hawaii is going to be very proud and he’s going to be a big man there forever since he’s the first Heisman Trophy winner to come from there, as well as from Oregon.
What was your experience like winning the Heisman in 1972? Did you know you were going to win?
“I came in with (Oklahoma running back) Greg Pruitt and (Nebraska lineman) Richie Glover. I was the last person to receive my award while staying at the Downtown Athletic Club. They had great facilities for us, including a steam room, saunas, tennis courts. It was just great. I didn’t know I was going to win until they announced it.
A lot of people talk about the ‘Heisman Curse’, but that wasn’t a problem for you in the 1973 Orange Bowl, was it?
“There had been talk of a ‘Heisman Curse’ type of deal but I scored four touchdowns and threw one against Notre Dame. I’m not very superstitious. It was Bob Devaney’s final year. We just believed in preparation. We were far more prepared than they were with a better group of guys and we were out to win it. I really believe we had a better team my senior year than my junior year. We didn’t drop too many.
There’s a bit of confusion out there about your true position. At Heisman.com, we call you a running back and that seems to be the position that has stuck to you the most. Can you clear this up, at long last?
“I’m a wide receiver. Period. It’s a mistake to say otherwise. I was what they call a utility back. That means I was versatile. But wide receiver was my position and you can tell that because of the records I held at Nebraska for receiving. I did do a lot of running from the wing back spot, but the only time I actually ran from the I-back was against Army and against Notre Dame, my senior year. I was mostly split wide and occasionally played the wing back or slot back.
So this means…
“It means I was the first wide receiver to win the trophy. You can tell by my records and by my yardage what I predominantly did — and I was a wide receiver.
Just the other night they said there have been only two wide receivers to win it and that Tim Brown was the first. But I was the first wide receiver. I could catch a BB in the dark with no moon and with my sunglasses on.
“That makes me a wide receiver!”
