Rod Gardner

American football player (born 1977)

American football player
Rod Gardner
No. 82, 85, 87
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1977-10-26) October 26, 1977 (age 46)
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Jacksonville (FL) Raines
College:Clemson (1997–2000)
NFL draft:2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 15
Career history
  • Washington Redskins (2001–2004)
  • Carolina Panthers (2005)
  • Green Bay Packers (2005)
  • Kansas City Chiefs (2006)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:242
Receiving yards:3,165
Receiving touchdowns:23
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Roderick F. Gardner (born October 26, 1977) is an American former college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons.

College career

Gardner played college football at Clemson University, where he started as a quarterback and safety on the practice squad (as a true freshman) before switching to wide receiver his sophomore year. He was selected as a second team All-ACC during his junior year after setting the school record for catches, yards, and receptions per game.[1] His senior year, he not only made first team All-ACC, but was a first team All-American as well. In 2000, he was one of the ten finalists for the Biletnikoff Award after posting six touchdowns on 51 receptions and 956 yards.[2]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash Vertical jump
6 ft 2+1⁄4 in
(1.89 m) 		219 lb
(99 kg) 		33 in
(0.84 m) 		10 in
(0.25 m)		 4.48 s 36.0 in
(0.91 m)
All values from NFL Combine[3][4]

Washington Redskins

Gardner was chosen by the Washington Redskins with the 15th overall selection in the first-round draft pick of the 2001 NFL Draft.[5] During his rookie year, he was selected as NFC Offensive Player of the Week after a 208-yard, one touchdown performance against the Carolina Panthers. His history at quarterback would lead the Redskins to utilize him on trick plays during games; during the 2003 NFL season he was 2-for-3 for 46 yards and two passing touchdowns (to Chad Morton and Trung Canidate).

Carolina Panthers

After four seasons in Washington, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers during the 2005 offseason for a sixth-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.[6] He spent most of the season fourth on the Panthers' depth chart, behind Steve Smith, Keary Colbert, and Ricky Proehl.

Green Bay Packers

Gardner was waived by the Panthers on December 16, 2005, and he was then signed by the Green Bay Packers on December 19, 2005.[7] He re-signed with Green Bay on March 21, 2006. On September 2, 2006, Gardner was waived by the Packers.[8]

Kansas City Chiefs

In September 2006 he signed a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.[8] In 2006 with the Chiefs, he only had 2 receptions for 17 yards. He was released before the 2007 season.[9]

NFL statistics

Year Team GP Receiving Rushing
Rec Yds Avg Lng TD FD Att Yds Avg Lng TD FD
2001 WSH 16 46 741 16.1 85 4 28 1 16 16.0 16 0 1
2002 WSH 16 71 1,006 14.2 43 8 51 1 1 1.0 1 0 0
2003 WSH 16 59 600 10.2 35 5 30 — — — — — —
2004 WSH 16 51 650 12.7 51 5 30 3 7 2.3 11 0 2
2005 CAR 11 9 84 9.3 15 1 4 — — — — — —
GB 2 4 67 16.8 33 0 4 — — — — — —
2006 KC 14 2 17 8.5 13 0 1 — — — — — —
Career[10] 91 242 3,165 13.1 85 23 148 5 24 4.8 16 0 3

Personal life

Gardner competed on the thirty-sixth season of the American reality competition show The Amazing Race with his wife Leticia.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Rod Gardner: Clemson's Mr. Confidence - Clemson Football News - TigerNet". www.tigernet.com. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  2. ^ "Gardner Hauls In Semifinalist Nod For Biletnikoff Award". Clemson Tigers. October 26, 2000. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  3. ^ "Rod Gardner, Clemson, WR, 2001 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  4. ^ "Rod Gardner, Combine Results, WR - Ohio State". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  5. ^ "2001 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  6. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (July 28, 2005). "Redskins deal Gardner to Carolina for future pick". ESPN. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  7. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (December 19, 2005). "Packers claim Gardner from Panthers". ESPN. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  8. ^ a b Pasquarelli, Len (September 11, 2006). "Chiefs add Gardner after receivers net 69 yards in loss". ESPN. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  9. ^ "Chiefs Announce 14 Transactions". Kansas City Chiefs. August 28, 2007. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  10. ^ "Rob Gardner Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  11. ^ Gonzalez, Isabel (February 6, 2024). "Former Kansas City Chiefs player, wife become first members of 'The Amazing Race' 2024 cast". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  • v
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Washington Redskins 2001 NFL draft selections
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Washington Commanders first-round draft picks
Formerly the Boston Braves (1932), Boston Redskins (1933–1936), Washington Redskins (1937–2019), and Washington Football Team (2020–2021)