Rod Gardner

Rod Gardner
No. 82, 85, 87
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1977-10-26) October 26, 1977 (age 47)
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Raines (Jacksonville)
College:Clemson (1997–2000)
NFL draft:2001 / round: 1 / pick: 15
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:242
Receiving yards:3,165
Receiving touchdowns:23
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Roderick F. Gardner (born October 26, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers.

College career

[edit]

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.[1] 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.[2]

Professional career

[edit]
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash Vertical jump
6 ft 2+14 in
(1.89 m)
219 lb
(99 kg)
33 in
(0.84 m)
10 in
(0.25 m)
4.48 s 36.0 in
(0.91 m)
All values from NFL Combine[3][4]

Washington Redskins

[edit]

Gardner was chosen by the Washington Redskins with the 15th overall selection in the first-round draft pick of the 2001 NFL draft.[5] 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 Panthers

[edit]

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.[6] He spent most of the season fourth on the Panthers' depth chart, behind Steve Smith, Keary Colbert, and Ricky Proehl.

Green Bay Packers

[edit]

Gardner was waived by the Panthers on December 16, 2005, and he was then signed by the Green Bay Packers on December 19, 2005.[7] He re-signed with Green Bay on March 21, 2006. On September 2, 2006, Gardner was waived by the Packers.[8]

Kansas City Chiefs

[edit]

In September 2006, he signed a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.[8] In 2006 with the Chiefs, he only had 2 receptions for 17 yards. He was released before the 2007 season.[9]

NFL statistics

[edit]
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[10] 91 242 3,165 13.1 85 23 148 5 24 4.8 16 0 3

Personal life

[edit]

Gardner competed on the thirty-sixth season of the American reality competition show The Amazing Race with his wife Leticia,[11] finishing in third place.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Rod Gardner: Clemson's Mr. Confidence - Clemson Football News - TigerNet". www.tigernet.com. September 2, 2000. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  2. ^ "Gardner Hauls In Semifinalist Nod For Biletnikoff Award". Clemson Tigers. October 26, 2000. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  3. ^ "Rod Gardner, Clemson, WR, 2001 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  4. ^ "Rod Gardner, Combine Results, WR - Ohio State". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  5. ^ "2001 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  6. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (July 28, 2005). "Redskins deal Gardner to Carolina for future pick". ESPN. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  7. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (December 19, 2005). "Packers claim Gardner from Panthers". ESPN. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  8. ^ a b Pasquarelli, Len (September 11, 2006). "Chiefs add Gardner after receivers net 69 yards in loss". ESPN. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  9. ^ "Chiefs Announce 14 Transactions". Kansas City Chiefs. August 28, 2007. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  10. ^ "Rob Gardner Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  11. ^ Gonzalez, Isabel (February 6, 2024). "Former Kansas City Chiefs player, wife become first members of 'The Amazing Race' 2024 cast". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 6, 2024.