Nick Rogers, class of 1997

Nick is the second of the three amazing Roger siblings being inducted into the Hall of Fame today.

At St. Pius, Nick had a stellar high school career playing both running back and linebacker in football and competing in the discus.  He was recognized by the Dekalb Touchdown Club for outstanding play during the 1996 season. And in 1997 he set a new record for St. Pius in discus = 155 feet 7 inches.

Nick chose Georgia Tech over several other offers. He didn’t see much playing time on the field his first two years with the Jackets, redshirting in 1997 and playing on special teams in 1998.

However, in the 1999 season he played both defensive end and linebacker for the Tech defense.

That seasons set the stage for his huge junior and senior years when he started as the opposite defensive end from teammate Greg Gathers as the pair formed one of the most dynamic pass-rushing duos in Georgia Tech program history. In 2000, Nick racked up 62 tackles, nine sacks and six forced fumbles and followed that up in 2001 with 64 tackles and six sacks. He was named Second-Team All-ACC both of his final two years.

Nick finished his Yellow Jacket career with 16.5 sacks which was top-10 in program history for many years, went on to be selected in the sixth round by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2002 NFL Draft.

Now playing linebacker, he spent two seasons in Minnesota before playing for both the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts. He finished out his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins in 2005. 

Nick tragically passed away in 2010 when he was involved in a single-vehicle car accident. 

St. Pius created an athletic award in Nick’s honor, named the “Nick Rogers” award, given every year at the football banquet honoring the young man who best exemplifies determination, perseverance, and most importantly the ability to turn life’s obstacles into opportunities. 

Accepting the Hall of Fame honor on his behalf is his father Frederick Rogers.