INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Dateline December 3 2015 It was fourth down with time on the clock for just one play The Green Bay Packers had the football on their own 39-yard-line trailing the Detroit Lions 23 21 Quarterback Aaron Rodgers took the snap and rolled to his left buying time for his receivers to race to the end zone He then circled to his right and with a lunging hop flung the ball as high and far as he could Amid the jostling leaping melee of receivers and defenders waiting in the end zone tight end Richard Rodgers managed to settle the ball into his chest for the winning touchdown A month later in a divisional playoff game against Arizona Aaron Rodgers did it again In the last seconds of regulation he threw an off balance touchdown bomb to wide receiver Jeff Janis forcing overtime although Arizona ultimately won the game National Football League NFL fans during the offseason watch perpetual replays of those and other fantastic connections thrown by Rodgers If a team is in a last-second Hail Mary pass situation many agree Aaron Rodgers is the best man to have at quarterback But there is much more to Rodgers’s success than a lucky arm He enters each game well prepared to make his share of phenomenal plays It is based not on luck but on lifelong dedication discipline and tireless practice Rodgers is known for his consistent passing accuracy and low ratio of interceptions and he constantly strives to be even better In Football’s Greatest Stars by Allan Maki Rodgers states I want to be relentless and flawless in my decision making I’m very driven to be the best I think I can play more consistently 4
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers steps back to make a pass in a game against the Detroit Lions on December 3 2015 Introduction 5
CHAPTER ONE A Pro Quarterback in the Making Aaron Charles Rodgers was born on December 2 1983 in Chico California His parents Edward Wesley Rodgers and Darla Leigh Pittman Rodgers had three sons Luke then Aaron then Jordan Aaron posed with his family left to right brother Jordan father Ed mother Darla and grandparents Barbara and Chuck Pittman after being named Most Valuable Player in Super Bowl XLV 6
A Pro Quarterback in the Making The father Ed Rodgers a chiropractor by profession played offensive guard at Chico State University 1973 76 From 1978 to 1981 he played semi-professional semi-pro football for the Twin City Cougars in Marysville California Twin City won the semi-pro national championship in 1980 Aaron and his brothers obviously were motivated to play football by their father But looking back Aaron cites other qualities and examples handed down by both parents as being important to his successful career I am blessed that my dad is a chiropractor he was quoted as saying in an article in the Chiropractic Advantage Getting adjusted regularly along with practicing other good health habits that my mom helped me to establish are all part of my goal to win in life and on the field The family members have said Aaron inherited his deft footwork from his mother Aaron’s mother was a dancer when she met his father A Three-Year-Old Armchair Quarterback Rodgers’s parents recall that by the time he was three Aaron would watch an entire football game on television sitting captivated and motionless He quickly claimed for his favorite NFL team the San Francisco 49ers propelled to championships during those years by quarterback Joe Montana It soon became apparent the child had physical talent as well as mental aptitude for the game At the age of five Aaron was tossing the ball through the center of a swinging tire As he watched his 49ers on TV he could understand some of the formations in which they lined up All three brothers were eager to play football Their father however would not let them try out until they entered high school He worried that they would be injured acquire bad athletic habits or simply burn out before they reached the point at which they could begin to progress in skills 7
