Former SCSU AD Rogers dies at 83

Darryl Rogers, a respected college football and NFL coach who served as Athletic Director at Southern Connecticut State from 1994-2003, died Tuesday. He was 83. “During his time as Director of Athletics, Darryl Rogers played a pivotal role in elevating the Southern Connecticut

State University athletic department to new heights,” Southern Connecticut Director of Athletics Jay Moran said in a press release. “On behalf of the entire athletic department and campus community, we offer our deepest condolences.”

In a 2003 Register article, Rogers said the Southern job was the only one he ever “applied for” through an advertisement in the NCAA News.

The Owls won four national titles in team sports and several in individual events during Rogers’ SCSU tenure. Southern also joined the Northeast-10 Conference, in large part due to Rogers’ work in helping to form the Eastern Football Conference. The Owls also opened a new baseball field under Rogers.

“We’ve had an excellent administration while I’ve been here,” Rogers said in 2003. “Athletically I give great credit to the coaches and the people who work here for what they get accomplished. The ability of coaches to work at this level and do as well as they do, and keep the well-being of the studentathletes first and foremost, has always impressed me.”

A graduate of Fresno State University, Rogers brought national prominence to programs as the head football coach at Fresno State, San Jose State, Michigan State and Arizona State. His overall Division I record was 126-77-7. He was named Sporting News coach of the year at Michigan State in 1978, when he led the Spartans to a share of the Big Ten title and a No. 12 ranking nationally. Rogers was coach and director of football operations for the Detroit Lions from 198588, and later was head coach and director of football for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (1991-92).

He has been a nominee several times for the College Football Hall of

Fame. He was honored with the Distinguished American Award by the Casey-O’Brien NFF chapter in 2004.

Rogers