Charles Rogers

Charles Benjamin Rogers (May 23, 1981 – November 11, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for three seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans, earning unanimous All-American honors and recognition as the top college wide receiver in the country. The Detroit Lions selected him with the second overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, but he was out of the league after only three years due to injuries and off-field issues. Early life and education Rogers was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan. Rogers lived with his grandfather at age six while his mother served a one-year prison sentence and again during high school when his mother took a night job. At Saginaw High School, Rogers played on the football, basketball, and track teams. In football, he was a three-time all-state honoree. College career While attending Michigan State University, Rogers played for the Spartans from 2000 to 2002. He broke numerous receiving records. Rogers still holds the school records for most touchdowns in a career with 27, breaking the record held by former Spartans wide receiver and baseball legend Kirk Gibson, and the school record for most receiving yards in a single game with 270. He broke Randy Moss's NCAA record of 13 consecutive games with a touchdown catch. During Rogers' 2002 junior season, he had 68 receptions for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns, won the Fred Biletnikoff Award and Paul Warfield Trophy as the best college wide receiver in the nation, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. His stock went up dramatically in his junior year when, in a game against Notre Dame, he outjumped two defenders to catch a Jeff Smoker pass in the back of the end zone, then managed to keep his left foot in bounds to score a touchdown. College statistics