Ab’deen gridiron great

honors his h.s. teacher

High school teacher

nominated as NFL

Teacher of the Year

By paul dowd

ABERDEEN — As Charlie Rogers enters his second training camp with the Seattle Seahawks this week, he leaves a legacy of his on-field greatness at his alma mater, Matawan Regional High School.

But Rogers, a 1995 graduate whose family lives in the Cliffwood section of Aberdeen, hasn’t left behind those who helped him in his ascent to the NFL.

Rogers, who led the NFL in punt return average in his rookie season last year, has nominated Connie Kelley for the NFL’s Teacher of the Year Award.

The NFL Teacher of the Year Award is designed to honor teachers who profoundly affected the primary or secondary education of an NFL player, according to Beth Colleton, league director of community affairs. A selection committee appointed by the NFL will choose one winner from the pool of player nominations.

A winner is named for each month of the regular season, September through December, and each receives a $2,500 grant. Also, the school where the player and teacher met will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship.

Kelley has been teaching math for 32 years, the last 26 at Matawan Regional High School. She taught Rogers geometry in his junior year and helped tutor him for the SATs.

Still, Kelley was surprised by the nomination since she feels she did the same things for Charlie that she has done for other students.

Providing extra help, tutoring, rides to school, offering advice, and simply listening are all under the umbrella of what being a teacher is all about, according to Kelley.

"I don’t know what made me so different from his other teachers," Kelley said. "I’m proud of Charlie that he took time to recognize his teachers and is in a position to show appreciation. It is very nice of him to do this."

For Rogers, playing in the NFL has been a dream since his football playing days began in Pop Warner, Kelley said. To achieve that dream, he overcame adversity both on and off the field through hard work and dedication, Kelley said.

"Charlie has a wonderful work ethic, and was a fantastic team leader," Kelley said. "He had a lot to overcome, issues to deal with, but he never gave up, was well-mannered, polite and always appreciative.

"Charlie isn’t the biggest guy, so I knew the NFL would be a long shot, so I tried to prepare him academically, prepare him for a job."

Rogers accepted a full athletic scholarship from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, where he excelled for the nationally ranked Yellow Jackets.

"Charlie needed to get out on his own, out of the area, and football was the avenue where he excelled," said Matawan High School Principal Kenneth Smith, who was vice principal during Rogers’ scholastic years. "He took advantage of the opportunity, struggled, fought for everything he had, was well-mannered and never dismissed the fact that people did things for him."

For Kelley, who received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Kean College [now Kean University] in math education, teaching has been a lifelong love.

"I’ve always loved math, and there weren’t a lot of avenues for women in those days, so I went into teaching," said Kelley. "I enjoy it; I like the classroom and I’ve always wanted to improve my own education as well, and went on for my master’s."

"Connie is a very good educator," said Smith. "She is always willing to help out, to lend a helping hand, tutoring them [students] if needed and helping out in the community as well."

In addition to her teaching, Kelley was the school’s cheerleading coach for 20 years before retiring from that position in 1993. Kelley has also served as the student council advisor, embracing the varied ethnic and economic backgrounds which comprise the school population.

"We have a lot of diversity in this school. Some have more than others, so teachers take matters into consideration for different kids, whether it be extra help or advice or whatever is needed," Kelley said.

Charlie Rogers may have realized his lifelong dream, but he hasn’t forgotten one person who helped him along the way.