Husker Q and A: Mike RozierHusker Q and A: Mike Rozier
Football

Husker Q and A: Mike Rozier

Mike Rozier

My Community, My Choice Challenge

Alltel Wireless has partnered with Mike Rozier to sponser the "My Community, My Choice" Challenge. Until Oct. 18, fans are encouraged to vote for the one of the following charitable initivies. The winner will receive $25,000 worth of supplies and materials, while the two runners-up will receive a $10,000 donation

To vote, Alltel customers can visit alltel.com/community or send a text message to 102101 with the corresponding key word (FOOD, HOME or PARK) for the inititve of their choice

  • Lincoln Food Bank
    (Text: FOOD)

  • Lincoln-Lancaster County Habitat for Humanity
    (Text: HOME)

  • Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department
    (Text: PARK)

 

Mike Rozier is Nebraska’s newest member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He was in Lincoln earlier this week for last Saturday’s game against top-ranked USC and to kick off Alltel’s “My Community, My Choice Challenge.” Huskers.com took the opportunity to reminisce with Rozier about his playing days and to talk about his newest project.

How often do you get back to Lincoln?
I come back three or four times a year and will be back again in October for Huskerfest.

What are you doing now?
I’m back in New Jersey. I do a lot of speaking engagements, autograph shows, golf outings and charity work such as the March of Dimes and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. I like to talk to people and joke around with them, and I get a chance to meet a lot of people. I love it!

Do you stay in touch with Irving Fryer and Turner Gill?
Irving and Turner were both at the golf event we had in New Jersey two weeks ago. Irving played on Friday and said the team prayer for Turner’s Buffalo team on Saturday in Philadelphia. They beat Temple, 42-7.  Turner is turning that program around. Irving is a preacher and in the insurance business.  I go to his church in Mt. Holly.

Do you keep in touch with Coach Osborne?
Yes. In fact, I just ran into him  as he was heading to his class.

Thinking back, what memories at Nebraska stand out?
If I had to pick a game, it would have been the Missouri game as a junior because I had a hip pointer and came back to play well. That was a meaningful game for me. The UCLA game in 1983 was a big game and the Oklahoma game as a senior was memorable. We lost only five games in my three years here, so I had a lot of good memories and was able to play with some great people,”

What’s the one thing that you take most from your days at Nebraska?
Respect. Coming through here and earning respect, even though I joked around and had fun. Its been 20 years since I played and people still respect me.

Which accomplishment means more: winning the Heisman Trophy or being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame?
Both mean a lot really because my parents are still alive and were able to see me accept those achievements.  If I didn’t get inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, it wouldn’t bother me because I still have the trophy. If I didn’t get the trophy, I was still able to play with good guys and play for the University of Nebraska. I wasn’t going to college thinking I was going to win the Heisman Trophy and break records. It was because of the guys who blocked for me that I won the Heisman. We did it as a team. 

Who are the running backs that you admired most?
My No. 1 running back is Gale Sayers. I loved the way he ran. He was a hell of a running back but didn’t play too long because of injuries. In watching his highlights with the Bears, it was always muddy and he could cut like it was dry. It is had to do those types of things in the mud, but he made it look easy.  When I was a little kid, I used to watch Chuck Muncie and enjoyed the way used the spin move and tried to put that in my running.

Can you talk about the Alltel Program and why you’re giving back to the community?
It’s for the people, in general, who don’t have a lot. We have more than others in the community and some people take that for granted until something happens in their family down the road. Then they want to get involved. My goal is to do something before you get to that point. When I talk to people, I tell them the same thing-you don’t have to wait until something happens to get involved. It allows us to get out and reach others. I’ve been blessed. Why not give back to help others?