University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Robert W. Rodger 1972 - Football
A 1987 Hall of Fame inductee, Bob Rodger had a brilliant sophomore season with the 1969 UVM football team and only a serious thigh injury curtailed what was destined to be a phenomenal rushing career.
He was an All-East and All-Yankee Conference halfback that sophomore year and was named the 1969 Yankee Conference Sophomore of the Year. Taking over for Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell in the Catamount backfield, he piled up 1,158 yards carrying the ball for an incredible average of 6.3 yards per carry. Though he was a primary target of opposing defenses, Rodger still hammered his way into the end zone for 11 touchdowns in just nine games. While Rodger was pounding out yards on the ground in 1969, fellow 1987 inductee Gene Monahan was catching a record number of passes.
After sustaining a serious thigh injury early in his junior year, Rodger was limited to a total of 163 carries in his final two seasons still averaging more than four yards per carry for coach Joe Scannella. Though he still displayed flashes of his brilliant running style, only Rodger's injury kept him from shattering every Vermont career rushing record.
