Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers 1979 92 was one of Aaron’s football heroes 8 AARON RODGERS SUPER BOWL MVP
A Pro Quarterback in the Making QUICK FACT Chico was the family’s home except Aaron as a child began collecting football player cards He developed his early math skills by studying the statistics printed on the back for a brief period when Aaron was in middle school During that time the Rodgerses relocated to Oregon where Ed attended chiropractic school While there although forbidden to play football Aaron played Little League baseball He took turns at center field shortstop and not surprisingly pitcher Beginning His Gridiron Career Making the football team at Pleasant Valley High School in Chico Rodgers demonstrated he was not just a competent quarterback he had the makings of greatness In his junior and senior seasons combined he passed for 4,419 yards In his final year he completed passes for 2,303 yards a school record He was selected to the all-section team both years He also was a pitcher on the Pleasant Valley baseball team Aaron attended Pleasant Valley High School in Chico California Besides being a quarterback for the Pleasant Valley Vikings he also pitched on the school’s baseball team 9
Rodgers was smallish as a high school quarterback only 5 feet 11 inches 165 pounds He currently stands 6 feet 2 inches and weighs 225 pounds He attributes his unimpressive size as the reason no college football program offered him a scholarship out of high school Even an excellent academic record just short of a straight-A average and a score of 1310 on the SAT could not compensate for his comparatively slight build He enrolled at Butte Community College in Oroville California in 2002 and began building his reputation as an outstanding quarterback He led the team the Roadrunners to a number two ranking among junior colleges and the NorCal Conference title finishing the season with a 10 1 record His statistics were amazing 2,408 passing yards a 61 9-percent completion record 28 touchdowns and a minimal four interceptions Meanwhile he ran the ball for seven touchdowns His year at Butte proved to be an important stepping stone University of California Berkeley coach Jeff Tedford while studying On November 20 2004 Rodgers passed for 120 yards and a touchdown for the Cal Golden Bears who defeated the Stanford Cardinal 41 6 10 AARON RODGERS SUPER BOWL MVP
A Pro Quarterback in the Making footage of another Butte player took notice of Rodgers’s skills Tedford watched him practice and play and was even more impressed He offered Rodgers a scholarship to transfer to Berkeley and play for the Golden Bears Halfway through his sophomore season at Berkeley Rodgers earned the role of starter at quarterback Stardom at Cal His statistics at the University of California known as Cal foretold the brand of play Rodgers eventually would exhibit in the NFL He recorded some impressive numbers and honors For example during his two years as starting quarterback he passed for 5,469 yards completing 63 8 percent of his throws He threw for 43 touchdowns against 13 interceptions He also rushed for eight touchdowns He set school records with a 150 3 passer efficiency rating and 1 95 interception rating during his college games As a sophomore he passed for 2,903 yards and 19 touchdowns suffering just five interceptions His completion record was 61 6 percent He began his Cal career throwing 98 passes with no interceptions Later in the season he passed 105 times without being intercepted In the regular season finale against Stanford Rodgers passed for 359 yards and ran for 55 a record for a quarterback during the rivalry’s 106-year history California went to the Insight Bowl in December 2003 and defeated Virginia Tech 52 49 There Rodgers set his personal college passing record of 394 yards In his junior season at Cal Rodgers led his team to a 10 2 record The Golden Bears rose as high as number four in the national rankings Rodgers was named to the All-Pacific-10 first team won several All America honorable mentions and was considered for the Heisman Trophy He recorded a passing efficiency rating of 154 4 In Cal’s game against the University of Southern California USC he completed 23 consecutive passes tying a National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA record In Rodgers’s junior year the Golden Bears ranked ninth in the country in the Associated Press’s final poll The season concluded with a 11
