Dome Patrol & The First Winners- Franchise Legend
- Saints Hall of Fame
George Rogers
- Position
- RBRunning Back
- Number
- #38
- Saints years
- 1981–1984
- NFL career
- 1981–1987
- Era
- Dome Patrol & The First Winners
- Franchise
- New Orleans Saints
Honors
- Super Bowl XXII Champion· Washington
- New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame
- AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
- NFL rushing champion
- Pro Bowl
Also played for Washington (1985–1987).
Why he’s a legend
The legacy
George Rogers was taken first overall in the 1981 draft ahead of Lawrence Taylor and led the NFL in rushing as a rookie with 1,674 yards, then a record for a first-year player. He was Offensive Rookie of the Year on a team that won four games. Four seasons in New Orleans made him the franchise’s statistical standard for running backs until Deuce McAllister passed him two decades later.
Why he matters
- Led the NFL in rushing as a rookie in 1981 with 1,674 yards, a rookie record at the time.
- Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year, and a Pro Bowl selection in his first season.
- The first overall pick of the 1981 draft, and the franchise’s first genuine offensive star of the 1980s.
- He won Super Bowl XXII with Washington after leaving New Orleans.
- His rookie yardage total is still the most any Saint has run for in a single season by a first-year player.
Defining moment
A rookie rushing title
1981 season
Rogers ran for 1,674 yards in 1981 and led the entire league, on a Saints team that finished 4–12. Rookies had not led the NFL in rushing since 1960, and no Saint had ever led the league in anything that mattered.
Career statistics
Current through the 1987 season
With the Saints
- Rookie Rushing Yards
- 1,674Led the NFL in 1981.
- Seasons
- 4
- Draft
- 1981, 1st overall
Where he ranks
- #1Saints Rushing Yards by a Rookie1,674 (1981)Saints all-time
Honors & accolades
Championships & enshrinement
- Super Bowl XXII Champion· Washington1987 season
- New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame
League awards & All-Pro
- AP Offensive Rookie of the Year1981
- NFL rushing champion1981
Selections & records
- Pro Bowl1981
Career timeline
7 seasons in the NFL, 4 of them in New Orleans.
- 1981New Orleans SaintsDrafted 1st overall out of South CarolinaNFL rushing title, Offensive Rookie of the Year, Pro Bowl
- 1982New Orleans Saints
- 1983New Orleans Saints
- 1984New Orleans Saints
- 1985WashingtonTraded to Washington
- 1986Washington
- 1987WashingtonSuper Bowl XXII Champion
Era context
What the league looked like while George Rogers played it. Raw totals across eras are not like-for-like.
Dome Patrol & The First Winners
1981–1996
The franchise finally wins — and builds the best linebacking corps the NFL had seen.
- Sacks became an official NFL statistic in 1982, so career sack totals begin there.
- The 1982 season was shortened to nine games by a players strike; 1987 was shortened to fifteen, three of them played by replacement players.
- The salary cap arrived in 1994 and changed how long a roster could stay together.
- The Saints reached the playoffs four times in this era and did not win a postseason game.
Data & sources
Statistics on this profile are current through the 1987 season.
- The 1982 season was shortened to nine games by a players strike, so his second-year totals are not comparable with the rest.
