Rogers Named FWAA All-American
12/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 2, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State wide receiver Charles Rogers, who caught a school-record 68 passes for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2002, has been named to the Football Writers Association All-America Team as selected by a nationwide panel of sports writers. The FWAA All-America Team, the second oldest continuously published team in college football, will be honored at a banquet on Friday, Jan. 24, 2003, in Orlando, Fla.
The 25-man team features nine players from the Big Ten Conference including Rogers, who becomes the first Michigan State player named to the FWAA All-America Team since linebacker Percy Snow in 1989.
In 2002, Rogers became only the second receiver in MSU history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, joining Plaxico Burress who accomplished the feat in 1998-99. His receiving yards and TD catches represent the second-best single-season totals in Spartan history. Rogers, one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, led the Big Ten in receiving yards (112.6 per game) and TD receptions while ranking second in receptions (5.67 per game) during the regular season. He completed the regular season ranked among the NCAA leaders in receiving yards (ninth) and receptions (t-25th). Fifty-seven of his 68 receptions (84 percent) resulted in first downs.
With his 21-yard TD reception in the second quarter vs. Northwestern, Rogers set both NCAA and Big Ten records by catching a TD pass in his 13th-consecutive regular-season game and his 14th-straight game overall. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound junior from Saginaw, Mich., had six 100-yard receiving games in 2002, tying the single-season mark he set as a sophomore. He had a season-best 175 yards vs. Notre Dame (seven catches).
"It's a tremendous honor to be named to the Football Writers Association All-America Team," Rogers said. "I'm thankful that I had an opportunity to pursue individual honors within a team concept. I'm also grateful that I had an opportunity to play in an offense that showcased my talents.
"I was able to perform at a consistently high level because I was surrounded by good players."
"In my 42 years of coaching, Charles Rogers is arguably the best receiver I've ever been associated with," Spartan interim head coach Morris Watts said. "His rare combination of size and speed is what separates him from the rest.
"From the day that Charles arrived on the MSU campus, he has worked at becoming the best receiver in the country. Charles was a remarkably consistent playmaker, especially when you consider that he was the main focus of every defense that he faced in 2002."
Rogers, who announced Nov. 25 his decision to enter the 2003 National Football League Draft, finished his career ranked among MSU's all-time leaders in touchdown receptions (first with 27), receiving yards (second with 2,821), yards per catch (second at 20.9) and receptions (third with 135). He produced a school-record 12 career 100-yard receiving games, including a Spartan single-game record 270 yards vs. Fresno State (10 receptions) in the 2001 Silicon Valley Football Classic. Rogers accounted for 3,108 career all-purpose yards and his 29 career touchdowns rank seventh on MSU's career chart.
2002 FWAA All-America Team
OFFENSEQB Carson Palmer (6-5, 225, Sr.), Southern CaliforniaRB Larry Johnson (6-2, 222, Sr.), Penn StateRB Willis McGahee (6-1, 224, So.), Miami-Fla.WR Charles Rogers (6-4, 205, Jr.), Michigan StateWR Reggie Williams (6-4, 220, So.), WashingtonTE Dallas Clark (6-4, 244, Jr.), IowaOL Shawn Andrews (6-5, 330, So.), ArkansasOL Derrick Dockery (6-6, 345, Sr.), TexasOL Jordan Gross (6-5, 306, Sr.), UtahOL Bruce Nelson (6-4, 290, Sr.), IowaOL Brett Romberg (6-3, 290, Sr.), Miami-Fla.
DEFENSEDL Michael Haynes (6-3, 268, Sr.), Penn StateDL Rien Long (6-6, 286, Jr.), Washington StateDL David Pollack (6-2, 275, So.), GeorgiaDL Terrell Suggs (6-3, 252, Jr.), Arizona StateLB E.J. Henderson (6-2, 250, Sr.), MarylandLB Teddy Lehman (6-2, 235, Jr.), OklahomaLB Matt Wilhelm (6-5, 245, Sr.), Ohio StateDB Mike Doss (5-11, 204, Sr.), Ohio StateDB Terence Newman (5-11, 185, Sr.), Kansas StateDB Troy Polamalu (5-10, 215, Sr.), Southern CaliforniaDB Shane Walton (5-11, 185, Sr.), Notre Dame
SPECIALISTSK Nate Kaeding (6-0, 177, Jr.), IowaP Andy Groom (6-1, 185, Sr.), Ohio StateKR Derek Abney (5-10, 175, Jr.), Kentucky
