Rodney Rogers (2005) - Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame

Rodney Rogers

Induction:
2005

In the late 1980s, Wake Forest basketball was struggling. There were five straight losing seasons, five consecutive years of finishing 7th or 8th in the ACC standings. The fortunes of Demon Deacon basketball turned around in the fall of 1990 when Rodney Rogers became the program's most prized recruit in years.

All Rodney did was earn ACC Freshman of the Year honors in 1991 while leading Wake Forest to its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1984. The next year Rogers was named first team All-ACC. And in 1993, after leading Wake Forest to the NCAA Sweet 16, Rogers was named the ACC Player of the Year and first team All-American. He is one of only six players - and the only Deacon - to be named ACC Freshman of the Year and ACC Player of the Year.

After his junior season, Rodney departed for the NBA, but he left behind the framework for continued success on the hardwood. The Demon Deacons went on to earn seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1991-97.

Rogers averaged 11 points a game over a distinguished 12-year NBA career for seven teams.