Blake High School retires Isaiah Rodgers' number 9
TAMPA, Fla. - Under the Friday night lights at Blake High School, it was a celebration of the present and the past. At halftime during the game against Freedom High School, the Yellow Jackets honored one of the greatest players in program history, Isaiah Rodgers, by retiring his number 9.
"I think the main thing was finally getting acknowledged for all the hard work I put in," Rodgers said. "That was a great feeling."
What made this night particularly special for Rodgers was having his mother Kelly O'Neal by his side. When Rodgers' father passed away in 2013, they needed one another by their sides.
"He was my only son, and he’s a baby, so it was like okay this could either go left, right, or straight," O'Neal told Fox 13 Sports. "It was my duty and my job to keep him straight."
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Rodgers, just a week away from his second season in the NFL as a member of the Indianapolis Colt, had the requisite message to any kids with similar dreams.
"Keep grinding, and really just stay in the classroom. That’s where it starts," Rodgers said. "No matter how good you are on the field it’s not going to mean anything if you’re not doing too well in the classroom."
However, his mother was more focused on what his father would have said to him.
"It definitely would be 'you did it son, and I’m so proud,'" O'Neal shared. "That was all he lived for, was to see these days. Even though I know he’s here in spirit, but he would definitely be proud."
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