{"id":1703,"date":"2021-03-15T09:00:32","date_gmt":"2021-03-15T16:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=1703"},"modified":"2025-02-05T06:22:34","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T14:22:34","slug":"jacquizz-rodgers-osu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/jacquizz-rodgers-osu\/","title":{"rendered":"Life comes full circle for OSU football legend, graduate Jacquizz Rodgers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Jacquizz Rodgers was a three-time All-American running back for Oregon State from 2008-10. Afterward, he stayed connected to the university by taking classes online through OSU Ecampus during a productive pro career. (Photo courtesy OSU Athletics)<\/p><\/div>\n

Ex-Beavers running back worked toward his degree online while playing in the NFL<\/h2>\n

At Oregon State University, we have a term for students who put their education on hold for a year or more.<\/p>\n

We call them stopouts. They\u2019re not \u201ccollege dropouts,\u201d because they haven\u2019t quit on their dream of earning a degree. Life happens, and many students simply need to focus their attention elsewhere.<\/p>\n

They take on demanding jobs.<\/p>\n

They care for their children.<\/p>\n

They battle health issues.<\/p>\n

Sometimes they go play in the NFL for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n

Jacquizz Rodgers fits into this last category. He\u2019s one of the most beloved and accomplished sports figures in Oregon State history. Since he arrived on OSU\u2019s Corvallis campus as an 18-year-old freshman in 2008, he has piled up the accolades: three-time NCAA All-American, Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, workhorse NFL running back.<\/p>\n

And now? College graduate.<\/p>\n

It was a long, on-again, off-again journey, as it is for a significant number of adult learners. In that way, even a world-class athlete like Rodgers is no different than his Oregon State peers. In other ways, of course, he stands out.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Rodgers played for the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers across eight seasons in the NFL.<\/p><\/div>\n

He declared for the NFL draft after his junior season in order to capitalize on his elite talent and college success. His blend of speed, power, quickness and good hands made it a career opportunity he simply couldn\u2019t let pass.<\/p>\n

In one major life decision<\/a>, Rodgers bet on himself twice \u2014 to live in the moment and pursue his dream of playing professional football, and to plan for a future that included his academics.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I left school early, it was a promise I made to my mom and my uncle that I would finish my degree,\u201d he says now. \u201cI have kids and I have nephews, so it\u2019s not about that I played in the NFL and don\u2019t need a degree. It\u2019s more about showing them that having grit is important. You can play football at the highest level and also finish your education.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rigors of playing in the NFL \u2014 the physical, mental and emotional toll \u2014\u00a0cannot be overstated. It is a demanding profession, even with the million-dollar salaries. Rodgers could have waited until his playing days were over to return to school.<\/p>\n

But it didn\u2019t take long for him to become a student again. Immediately after helping the Atlanta Falcons make the playoffs as a rookie in 2011, he enrolled in classes online with Oregon State Ecampus. He resumed his path toward earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in human development and family sciences<\/a>, taking classes periodically.<\/p>\n

The work-study balance was perfect.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as the off-season came, I would start taking my classes. That would help me stay mentally ready,\u201d Rodgers says. \u201cInstead of just lounging around and working out, it kept me on a complete schedule and kept me disciplined and focused outside of football.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say that it was smooth sailing and a quick waltz toward degree completion. As is the case with many working adults who learn online with Oregon State, Rodgers was enrolled in Ecampus classes one term here, two terms there. He even took a break for nearly three years as he established himself as an important piece of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense.<\/p>\n

All told, he spent eight highly productive years in the NFL<\/a>. After playing his final season in 2018, Rodgers dedicated himself to his academics and had a renewed focus on learning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI became more of a student-athlete instead of an athlete-student. When I was in school (from 2008-10), I was younger and I was playing football and trying to get by,\u201d he says. \u201cNow that I\u2019m a little older, I try to take what I\u2019ve learned in my classes and apply them as life skills. That\u2019s the biggest difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other notable change, he says, is that Ecampus courses are much more hands-on than they were when he took a few online as an on-campus student.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jacquizz Rodgers runs football camps in Texas and Oregon each summer for youth players.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more of a feeling like you\u2019re in<\/em> the class,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re giving presentations and interacting with your classmates. I really liked that.\u201d<\/p>\n

As fate would have it, a classmate in one of his final classes was Steven Jackson, another iconic Beavers running back and one of the top rushers in NFL history. Jackson also completed his HDFS degree online through Ecampus in summer 2020 \u2014 one quarter before Rodgers did.<\/p>\n

With his playing career behind him, Rodgers is focused on the next phase: coaching. His goal is to help guide younger generations at either the high school level or in college as a running backs coach. He runs summer camps in his native Texas and in Oregon each year for youth players through his community-based Jacquizz Rodgers Foundation<\/a>. Serving as a mentor suits him well.<\/p>\n

But first, one task remains in his college career. He plans to attend Oregon State\u2019s next in-person commencement ceremony at Reser Stadium in Corvallis. There he will accept his OSU diploma on the same field where he became a local legend and a national star.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s crazy, I never even thought about it like that,\u201d Rodgers says at the sudden realization of life coming full circle. \u201cWow, that will be special. That\u2019s the place where I had success and really started my life and career in a big way.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be able to have this type of ending at Reser, that\u2019s going to be great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacquizz Rodgers was a featured speaker in the OSU Alumni Association and College of Liberal Arts Changemakers webcast series. The series features inspiring conversations with Beavers who are making a difference. Visit the OSUAA website<\/a> to view Rodgers’ Oct. 12, 2020 event.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 4<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Jacquizz Rodgers is one of the most beloved and accomplished sports figures in Oregon State history. Since he arrived on OSU\u2019s Corvallis campus in 2008, he has piled up the accolades: NCAA All-American, Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, workhorse NFL running back. And now? College graduate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6,3,677,8],"tags":[91,640,64,169],"class_list":["post-1703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-ecampus","category-features","category-students-and-alumni","category-students","tag-college-of-health","tag-health-and-human-science","tag-human-development-and-family-sciences","tag-online-degrees"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/jacquizz-rodgers-main.jpg?fit=744%2C495&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-rt","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1716,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/best-online-psychology-degree\/","url_meta":{"origin":1703,"position":0},"title":"Oregon State online psychology bachelor\u2019s degree ranked #1 in the U.S.","author":"Ecampus News","date":"January 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Oregon State University\u2019s expertise in delivering a liberal arts education online is well-documented, and now that reputation has been bolstered even further \u2014 thanks to U.S. News & World Report ranking OSU No. 2 on its list of Best Online Bachelor\u2019s in Psychology Programs for the second straight year.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Woman taking notes on clipboard while talking to a young child.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/ug-psychology-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/ug-psychology-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/ug-psychology-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/ug-psychology-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":600,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/dpp\/","url_meta":{"origin":1703,"position":1},"title":"Join the OSU community. 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