Matt Rodgers was a college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 player for the University of Iowa

University of Iowa

The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...

 from 1988-1991. He was a quarterback that started for the Hawkeyes in the 1991 Rose Bowl game

Rose Bowl Game

The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...

 and won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year

Big Ten Conference football individual honors

Coaches and media of the Big Ten Conference award the following individual honors at the end of each football season. In addition, the Chicago Tribune awards the Chicago Tribune Silver Football to the most valuable football player of the conference.-Player of the Year:Sanctioned by AP and UPI;...

 award in 1990.

Background

Matt Rodgers was a three-sport star at Walpole High School in Massachusetts. His father, Jimmy Rodgers

Jimmy Rodgers (basketball)

James Donald "Jimmy" Rodgers is an American former basketball coach. He coached the Boston Celtics for two seasons, and the Minnesota Timberwolves for nearly a season and a half...

, later became the head coach of the Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

 and Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...

. Jimmy Rodgers was named the MVP of the Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball

Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball

The Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represents the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, as a member of the Big Ten Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. They currently play in 15,500-seat Carver-Hawkeye Arena, along with the school's women's basketball, wrestling, and...

 team in 1964 and 1965. Matt took a recruiting trip to Iowa at his father’s request, and he wound up committing to Coach Hayden Fry

Hayden Fry

John Hayden Fry is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Southern Methodist University , North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas , and the University of Iowa , compiling a career college football record of 232–178–10...

 and the Hawkeyes.

Playing career

Matt Rodgers’ career at Iowa got off to a rocky start. His only pass as a freshman in 1988 was intercepted on a fake field goal, and in 1989 the Hawkeyes missed a bowl game for the first time in nine years. But as a junior in 1990, Rodgers threw for 2,228 yards and 15 touchdowns while running for nine more touchdowns. He helped lead Iowa to the Big Ten

Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 title and a berth in the 1991 Rose Bowl

Rose Bowl Game

The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...

. Rodgers was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year

Big Ten Conference football individual honors

Coaches and media of the Big Ten Conference award the following individual honors at the end of each football season. In addition, the Chicago Tribune awards the Chicago Tribune Silver Football to the most valuable football player of the conference.-Player of the Year:Sanctioned by AP and UPI;...

 along with his teammate, Nick Bell

Nick Bell (American football)

H. Nickolas "Nick" Bell is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League. He played three seasons for the Los Angeles Raiders....

. In the Rose Bowl, Matt Rodgers threw for a touchdown and ran for two more touchdowns in a 46-34 loss to Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

.

In 1991, Rodgers was the first team All-Big Ten quarterback for the second straight year. Despite missing two games with a knee injury, he threw for 2,275 yards and 14 touchdowns. Rodgers helped lead Iowa to a 10-1-1 record in his senior season, and Iowa finished the year in the top ten in the final national rankings.