Originally published in Game Program vs. Tufts 10/16/99

Steve Rogers '79: "The Lion Meets the Lamb or How One City Kid Grew Up in the Bucolic Berkshires"

In August of 1975 Steve Rogers arrived on the Williams campus from Chicago to play football and get a good education. Rogers arrived as a 6’ 2", 185 lbs. linebacker and left as an All-ECAC 6' 3" and 225 lbs. offensive lineman. Not one week into preseason drills in 1975 Rogers had managed to get thrown off the Eph team. One day when there was a torrential downpour Rogers decided that he did not have to practice. So he didn't. Rogers was a little surprised to hear that Coach Renzie Lamb had thrown him off the team!

Steve Rogers '79

"Coach Lamb went into the locker room and took all of my stuff out of my locker and bellowed, "Rogers is off the team," said Rogers. "I went to see him and he told me I was all done. I told him I didn't care, because I didn’t want to play football anyway." Lamb didn't even blink as he blistered Rogers with his response. "Yes, you do," said Lamb. "Cut the crap. Apologize to your teammates and get to work."

Rogers did apologize to his teammates and he did get to work. That scene with Coach Lamb was all about growing up. Lamb had met Rogers’ arrogance effectively and curtly. "I realized right then and there that Williams did not pamper its athletes and we were all one team." According to Rogers, Renzie Lamb had the best team chemistry of anyone in the country. "The freshmen bonded immediately under Lamb’s unique and successful leadership," said Rogers. "He told us the varsity were no better than us and that we should always support each other and never take any crap from them. We still got the crap beat out of us, but we always had great fights defending our fellow freshmen."

Rogers ended up on the offensive line because Joe Dailey sought him out. Dailey told Rogers that "the smartest players are on the offensive line." "Coach Dailey was the kind of coach who chewed your butt if he liked you," recalls Rogers. "Well, I gained over 40 lbs. in my Williams career and had no butt at all when I left! But thanks to Coach Dailey I did make first team All-ECAC. I’ll always remember coach Dailey as a great human being who happened to be an excellent coach."

Dick Farley was an assistant to then head coach Bob Odell with responsibility for the defensive backs during Rogers’ time, but he was already a legend. "We were all in awe of him because everyone knew he had played with the San Diego Chargers and he had produced two NFL players [Scott Perry and Greg McAleenan]," said Rogers. "We all wanted to play for him to improve our chances to realize our ‘pipe dreams’ to play pro."

Rogers recalls a unique end to Friday practices while he was at Williams. "My friends in the business world don't believe me when I tell them that we would gather in a circle to listen to a teammate read a poem, a passage, tell a joke or just talk. It was a distinctly Williams way to end the week of practice." It must have worked as Rogers and his classmates posted a 26-10-1 mark and a 3-1 record over Amherst.

"My years at Williams were nothing short of outstanding in every way from coaches to teammates to the classroom. I’m still in close contact with many of my former teammates via e-mail."

Rogers is currently a clinical professor of finance and management at Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University where he has taught since 1993. Rogers has been named to the Faculty Honor Roll every quarter he has taught and serves as the director of Kellogg’s Entrepreneur Internship Program. Business Week named him one the nation’s top entrepreneur professors in 1996 and 1997. In 1998 Rogers was selected as Entrepreneur of the Year (supporter category) by Ernst and Young.

Recently Rogers and his wife Michele (Johnson), also class of 1979, established a scholarship honoring their undergraduate experiences. "We took advantage of a lot of educational opportunities offered at Williams and now it is time for us to give something back," said Rogers.