Butte College is where quarterback Aaron Rodgers – who in high school struggled to attract much attention as a possible Division I scholarship athlete – began drawing interest from top-tier college football programs en route to the NFL and a Super Bowl championship.
At Butte College, Rodgers was the starting quarterback for a 2002 Roadrunners squad with a 10-1 record, a NorCal Conference championship and a No. 2 national ranking. He was recruited by then-football coach Craig Rigsbee after failing to draw much interest from prominent Division I schools while starring at Chico’s Pleasant Valley High School. Rigsbee, according to a 2016 Bleacher Report article, reached out to the Rodgers family in a phone call and realized they just lived a cul-de-sac away. He was at their front door in no time.
“Aaron's mother was like, ‘Hey, my son has worked too hard in school to attend a junior college.’ So I really needed to take my time explaining our football program and the situation,” Rigsbee told Bleacher Report writer Tyler Donohue. Rodgers was searching for increased credibility as a college recruit, and Butte at least offered him a shot.
The rest is history.
After turning heads at Butte, Rodgers was recruited by the California Golden Bears and became the starting quarterback for the Bears in the fifth game of the 2003 season. The Green Bay Packers picked him in the first round of the 2005 National Football League Draft, and he was named the Packers’ starting quarterback three years later. In 2009, Rodgers became only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in his first two seasons as a starter. The following season, Rodgers threw 28 touchdowns in 15 games and culminated the year by being named most valuable player in Super Bowl XLV, a 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rodgers has dedicated himself to numerous community organizations, has signed numerous items for auctions at Butte College and was recognized by the college as an “Alumnus of the Year” in 2010.
