David Claybourn: Sports Views: I've seen these football players' names before
Aug. 28—I type in a lot of names on a daily basis and every now and then a name pops up that I've seen before.
Three familiar names popped up when I was typing football names this week: Ivan Rodriguez, Eric Dickerson and Kyle Rote.
Ivan Rodriguez is a linebacker for the Rains Wildcats, but back in the day Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez was the best catcher who ever played baseball for the Texas Rangers. Pudge played for the Rangers from 1991-2000 and then again in 2009. He also played for the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals.
Not only did Rodriguez hit .296 for his career with 2,844 hits and 311 home runs, but he had a cannon for a throwing arm. He was awarded 13 Gold Gloves for his work behind the plate and was a 14-time All-Star. He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017, his first year of eligibility.
Eric Dickerson is a senior offensive and defensive lineman for the Boles Hornets. Back in the day Eric Dickerson was a standout running back from Sealy who also shined for the SMU Mustangs and then in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders and Atlanta Falcons. He rushed for 4,450 yards and 47 touchdowns for the Pony Express at SMU, plus for 13,259 yards and 90 TDs in the NFL and also caught 281 passes for 2,137 yards and six scores.
Dickerson stood 6-3 and his playing weight was usually around 220 pounds, but he was fast enough to win a state 100-yard dash title while at Sealy. He holds the NFL single-season rushing record with 2,015 yards in 1984 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
Kyle Rote is a linebacker for Dallas Lutheran.
There were two Kyle Rotes who were standouts in Dallas. Kyle Rote Sr. was an all-state running back at San Antonio Jefferson and was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1950 while playing for the SMU Mustangs. He still holds the college record for longest punt: 84 yards. The New York Giants picked Rote with the first pick of the 1951 NFL draft. He played for the Giants from 1951-1961, making four Pro Bowls. He was an all-around athlete who also played some pro baseball.
Kyle Rote's son, Kyle Rote Jr., was a standout athlete for the Highland Park Scots who also played pro soccer from 1972-1978 with the Dallas Tornado and in 1979 with the Houston Hurricane. Like his father he was a good all-around athlete who won three Superstars competitions on TV.
Those are three good names to live up to if you're a high school football player in these parts. That's for sure. — Moving up from NCAA Division II to Division I and from the Lone Star Conference to the Southland Conference is definitely going to be a challenge for Texas A&M University-Commerce in all the sports.
The women's soccer team, the first A&M-Commerce program to compete in NCAA Division I, has played three games so far this season and hasn't scored. The Lions have lost 4-0 to Oral Roberts, 3-0 to Louisiana-Monroe and 2-0 to UT-San Antonio
The Lions' next game could be tougher. They're playing on Thursday at Colorado. Colorado won its first games this season by scores of 5-0 over Weber State and 5-1 over San Diego.
It'll be interesting to see how the other Lion teams fare this season. — R.I.P. to Len Dawson, who died this week at age 87. Dawson was a standout quarterback in college with Purdue, where he forged a friendship with assistant coach Hank Stram, later to become Dawson's head coach with the Kansas City Chiefs. Dawson, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987, played 19 seasons of pro football, starting with the Pittsburg Steelers, then with the Cleveland Browns and the Dallas Texans, who became the Chiefs when owner Lamar Hunt moved the team to Kansas City. Dawson passed for 28,711 yards and 239 touchdowns.
He also did a good job with analysis on NFL TV broadcasts.
David Clayboun is sports editor of the Herald-Banner
