We continue our summer series counting down the 50 greatest professional athletes to have attended Arizona State, this time moving to the gridiron for No. 48.
We have reached the first football player in our countdown of the 50 greatest professional athletes to come out of Arizona State, and that player is linebacker/defensive end Derrick Rodgers.
After serving in the Air Force, Rodgers was recruited to Tempe by late head coach Bruce Snyder. It didn't take long for the New Orleans product to have an impact, and in 1996 he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.