Michigan State football loses a legend in Charles Rogers
After years of battling a drug addiction and trying to get his life back on track, former Michigan State football star Charles Rogers has died.
Watching Charles Rogers in a Michigan State uniform was one of the best treats any Spartan fan could have asked for. The Saginaw-native caught anything thrown in his general direction and finished his two-year career with nearly 3,000 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns before declaring for the NFL draft.
Rogers played at Michigan State during a time when the program wasn’t in the best place (2001-02) but he still managed to have an incredible impact.
Not only did he provide loads of memories for fans during that time, he gave them something to look forward to on Sundays when he was drafted by the hometown Detroit Lions. It had to have been a dream come true, but he was injured during his rookie year and was never the same.
Years of addiction forced him out of the league and he seemed to always be trying to get back on track with a setback here and there.
On Monday morning, the 38-year-old former All-American wide out passed away, leaving behind a grieving mother and children.
Can confirm: Former MSU and Lions WR Charles Rogers has died. The Saginaw native was 38 years old.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 11, 2019
Rogers was a Michigan State legend. If you asked most fans who the most talented wide out they ever witnessed in a Spartan uniform was, they’d likely say his name. He was a touchdown machine and a bright spot for an otherwise dull time in Michigan State football history.
Injuries may have costed him his professional career, but he never lacked the talent. He was off to a decent start as a rookie before getting hurt and was never the same in 10 career games after that.
Gone too soon is the perfect way to describe this because he was still trying to find himself, according to a great feature story by Cody Tucker, and his trek back to Michigan State for a visit a few years ago was just what he needed.
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Rogers will never be forgotten as a legend at Michigan State and for everything he brought to the university as a student athlete. This legend will be remembered.