Rodriguez is a hero
for staying
The hometown kid has made good
as a UTEP linebacker
EL PASO, Texas » Mike Price had never seen anything like it.
At Montwood High School in El Paso, Texas, the UTEP football coach attended a pep rally a few weeks ago. The entire student body, 3,000-strong, stood and clapped for 5 minutes.
The applause wasn't for the Miners' new football coach. It was for their old running back and linebacker, the one who went to Montwood five years before, Robert Rodriguez.
"You just don't see high school kids doing that," Price said. "They're too cool for that. But Robert Rodriguez affects people that way."
Rodriguez is the consummate hometown hero, except he didn't go away to become one. In fact, that's what made him one.
Coming out of Montwood, Rodriguez had several football scholarship offers -- including one from prestigious Rice -- to attend schools other than UTEP. Rodriguez chose the Miners.
"It just seemed like the right place for me," he said.
The Miners are glad he felt that way.
Rodriguez came to UTEP as a running back, but was soon switched to linebacker -- a move he agreed with.
"I was smart enough to know if I stayed at running back I'd be stuck in a line behind Howard Jackson," he said, referring to the Miners' explosive starting running back.
In his career, Rodriguez has 369 tackles going into tomorrow's game against visiting Hawaii. He is tied for fourth nationally among all current players. Rodriguez has 47 stops this season, including a game-high 11 in UTEP's 24-21 upset at Fresno State last Saturday. He also had an interception with 1:58 left to seal the win.
Off the field, Rodriguez is intelligent and friendly. He even makes friends with rival quarterbacks.
"Bobby?" Hawaii quarterback Tim Chang said when asked about Rodriguez. "Bobby's a great guy. A funny, funny guy. I hope I get to spend some time with him this week."
Of course, not in the Hawaii backfield. The friendship will be put on hold for a few hours.
But Chang and Rodriguez, who met last summer at a Western Athletic Conference media function, have a lot in common. One is playing football in their hometowns when they could have gone elsewhere. There are obvious advantages to playing for your hometown school, but both players learned early on about the pressures.
"We talked about that," Chang said. "You get a lot of support, but there are high expectations."
Rodriguez said he has felt the weight -- and not just of El Paso's football fans, but those of Ciudad Juarez, across the Mexican border -- during UTEP's recent down years. But he said he thinks it's worse for Chang.
"I don't think I can compare with the pressure Timmy's under. He's a quarterback. Yeah, I'm a leader on our defense as a linebacker, but I think that's different," Rodriguez said. "The quarterback gets singled out a lot. On defense, the credit and blame is shared more."
Sophomore receiver Chris Marrow is another of the 15 Miners listed from El Paso. He said Rodriguez is one of the reasons he chose UTEP.
"He's an awesome guy, a huge team leader," said Marrow, who was also offered by New Mexico and Arizona State. "He helps make us proud of El Paso football."
There's been a lot to be proud of lately. After the victory over Fresno State, the Miners improved to 3-2, tying the number of games that Price's predecessor, Gary Nord, won the previous two seasons.
Rodriguez was a true freshman in 2000, toiling on the scout team when UTEP last won a share of the WAC title. He and his classmates hadn't experienced much winning until this fall.
"At every game there are 500 people all wearing No. 43 (Rodriguez's number)," Price said. "None of it has gone to his head. I think because he went through periods of not having success, so he appreciates it."
