George Rogers – South Carolina
A big, bruising running back from South Carolina, George Rogers ran for more than 1,000 yards in a season three-straight years for the University of South Carolina. As a senior, Rogers was named an All-American and won the 1980 Heisman Trophy after running for 1,781 yards in 11 games.
As the #1 overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints (taken one pick ahead of Lawrence Taylor), Rogers had a fantastic start to his NFL career, running for 1,674 yards as a rookie, winning the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award and being named to the Pro Bowl. But Rogers career began to fall apart soon after due to reports of abusing banned substances (and the subsequent legal ramifications), as well as nagging injuries that forced him out of football by 1987.