Breaking free from the mold
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PABLO — A man that came from an unimaginable childhood found a relentless voice inside his head to follow his dreams — and overcame struggles in his life to become the fourth African American to win the Heisman Trophy college football honor.
“Impossible ain’t nothing,” Johnny Rodgers said to a crowd of listeners at Salish Kootenai College on Thursday, April 28.
He explained how his mother had him when she was only 14 years old and how he was born with severe asthma and tuberculosis that left him with bleeding lung ulcers.
Early in his life, Rodgers said he was abused by his mother and stepfather, which led to him running away at the age of 14. Rodgers had four kids of his own by the time he was 19 years old. The odds of being successful were not in Rodgers’ favor; however, he continued to listen to that voice.
“I had to be responsible for myself,” Rodgers said. “I had always wanted to make $100,000. I repeated that in my head so that I would not get distracted by outside influences.”
Rodgers found success when he started surrounding himself with positive mentors, which is the message he wanted to convey to area youngsters.
“I want kids to realize that they have to break habits in order to get a different solution,” Rodgers said. “We just need to let them know that nothing is impossible.”
He attributes his success as an outstanding University of Nebraska running back to two factors: first, the blocks that his teammates made to clear the path for his most memorable touchdowns; second, the relentless pursuit of the family rooster. Rodgers said he never took a walk to the outhouse without the rooster chasing him down.
“One of the most traumatic events in my life involves that rooster,” he said. Rodgers always dodged the bird, but one time he did something different. “I looked back,” he said.
Rodgers used the story to explain how detrimental “looking back” can be in a person’s life.
“I looked back and fell flat on my face. That rooster got a hold of me and I started to have an asthma attack,” Rodgers said. He lived 10 blocks from the hospital and didn’t think he was going to make it. That is when that voice sparked in his head.
“If you want anything in life as much as you want to breathe, you will succeed,” he said.
Abbie Scott, a senior basketball player from New Mexico State, joined Rodgers on his two-day tour to area high schools. Scott grew up on a reservation and understands the change in mindset that needs to happen to break free of negative situations and excel beyond the status quo.
“We (perpetuate) the cycle by allowing it to keep happening,” Scott said. “I want to stress that it doesn’t have to be that way. Kids need to know how to get out of this comfort zone.”
Having Rodgers and Scott come speak gives kids hope, according to event organizer Monty Marengo, especially those living in similar situations.
“When I see what is going on … it breaks my heart,” Marengo said. He continued to express the impact his mother had on his life. “Hopefully kids can hear how they broke the mold, and do that themselves.”
