Rod Gardner
Template:Short description Template:For Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox NFL biography
Roderick F. Gardner (born October 26, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers.
College careerEdit
Gardner played college football at Clemson University, where he started as a quarterback and safety on the practice squad (as a true freshman) before switching to wide receiver his sophomore year. He was selected as a second team All-ACC during his junior year after setting the school record for catches, yards, and receptions per game.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His senior year, he not only made first team All-ACC, but was a first team All-American as well. In 2000, he was one of the ten finalists for the Biletnikoff Award after posting six touchdowns on 51 receptions and 956 yards.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Professional careerEdit
Washington RedskinsEdit
Gardner was chosen by the Washington Redskins with the 15th overall selection in the first-round draft pick of the 2001 NFL draft.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During his rookie year, he was selected as NFC Offensive Player of the Week after a 208-yard, one touchdown performance against the Carolina Panthers. His history at quarterback would lead the Redskins to utilize him on trick plays during games; during the 2003 NFL season he was 2-for-3 for 46 yards and two passing touchdowns (to Chad Morton and Trung Canidate).
Carolina PanthersEdit
After four seasons in Washington, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers during the 2005 offseason for a sixth-round pick in the 2006 NFL draft.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He spent most of the season fourth on the Panthers' depth chart, behind Steve Smith, Keary Colbert, and Ricky Proehl.
Green Bay PackersEdit
Gardner was waived by the Panthers on December 16, 2005, and he was then signed by the Green Bay Packers on December 19, 2005.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He re-signed with Green Bay on March 21, 2006. On September 2, 2006, Gardner was waived by the Packers.<ref name="KC"/>
Kansas City ChiefsEdit
In September 2006, he signed a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.<ref name="KC">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2006 with the Chiefs, he only had 2 receptions for 17 yards. He was released before the 2007 season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
NFL statisticsEdit
| Year | Team | GP | Receiving | Rushing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FD | |||
| 2001 | WSH | 16 | 46 | 741 | 16.1 | 85 | 4 | 28 | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 | WSH | 16 | 71 | 1,006 | 14.2 | 43 | 8 | 51 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | WSH | 16 | 59 | 600 | 10.2 | 35 | 5 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2004 | WSH | 16 | 51 | 650 | 12.7 | 51 | 5 | 30 | 3 | 7 | 2.3 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| 2005 | CAR | 11 | 9 | 84 | 9.3 | 15 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GB | 2 | 4 | 67 | 16.8 | 33 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2006 | KC | 14 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 13 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career<ref name=ESPN>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> !! 91 !! 242 !! 3,165 !! 13.1 !! 85 !! 23 !! 148 !! 5 !! 24 !! 4.8 !! 16 !! 0 !! 3 | |||||||||||||
Personal lifeEdit
Gardner competed on the thirty-sixth season of the American reality competition show The Amazing Race with his wife Leticia,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> finishing in third place.
ReferencesEdit
Template:2001 NFL Draft Template:Redskins2001DraftPicks Template:RedskinsFirstPick