Anita Tsuchiya - Aaron Rodgers. Biography of a Super Bowl MVP

"You can be the smartest quarterback in the world and have the greatest leadership skills and run around and all that, but if you can't throw the ball where it needs to be thrown, then none of that other stuff matters." ( Troy Aikman)

If thats the case, then Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers could well be the best quarterback to ever play in the NFL. That is what analysts say now, but this acknowledgement was a long time in coming.

Surpassing everyones expectations except his own, Rodgers flew under the radar for virtually his entire athletic career. He was the college junior who set season, game, and career records at Cal Berkeley only to get passed over by 23 teams on NFL Draft Day. He was the high school senior who set school and state records, only to be denied a single Division I scholarship. Hes the middle school kid who, when asked what he would contribute to the school during his admission interview, answered simply, "I'm going to make your sports programs better."

Rodgers spent the first three years of his professional career in the shadow of the great Brett Favre, waiting for his chance at the starting job. Once it was his, he had to endure the endless comparisons and criticisms. Hes too short. Hes not mobile. He cant win clutch games. Hes from California and wont perform in cold weather. Hes susceptible to concussions. Hes not Brett.

To his credit, Rodgers let his football skills do the speaking for him. Rodgers led the Packers from last place to a Super Bowl Championship in three seasons. In four years as a starting quarterback, hes amassed career statistics to match players with twice the playing time. He has an uncanny talent for hitting open receivers and avoiding covering defenders. He throws short and long passes with an accuracy unmatched by any NFL quarterback, active or retired.

Rodgers will embark on his fifth season as the starting quarterback in the fall of 2012. He wont turn 30 years old until December of that year. Hes durable, having missed only 2 starts in 64 games over four seasons as a starter. His stats in nearly every category have improved every season. Blessed with total recall, hes memorized the playbooks of every opponent in the NFL. He is an uber-competitor and lead-by-example role model who raises the bar for himself and expects his teammates to follow.

In debating how good Rodgers can get, one might as well ask, how high is the sky?

The house was clean. Food was always on the table. And there was always love. But asEdward Rodgersstruggled to make ends meet before finally becoming a chiropractor, there was never anything much.

Aaron Charles Rodgers was born in Chico, California, on December 2, 1983, the second of three boys for Ed and Darla Rodgers. His older brother Luke was born 19 months earlier, his younger brother Jordan , 5 years later (August 30, 1988).

Father Ed introduced his three boys to sports at an early age. Aaron and Luke were particularly competitive, fighting battles over the video game console, on the basketball court, and occasionally with punches.

Childhood scuffles aside, the Rodgers were (and still are) a close knit family, grounded in their Christian faith. Ed turned to religion after his playing days ended prematurely, by his own admission. Instead of staying in shape or studying to complete his degree, Ed lived to party, a life choice he regretted later when he struggled to support his growing family.

Ed was a standout tackle in high school who won All-Conference honors three years in a row as a guard. In his senior year he was voted Division II All-American honorable mention. After college, Ed played offensive guard for the semi-pro Twin Cities Cougars of Marysville, California , from 1978-81.

He married Darla, whom hed known since Chico State, and they started a family. The young family moved to Darlas hometown, Ukiah, California , where her parents, Barbara and Chuck Pittman still live today. Here, Rodgers attended Oak Manor Elementary School from 1990-1993. He showed his athletic talents early, winning a local free throw competition as a 9-year-old.

Concerned about injury, Ed and Darla didnt allow the boys to play organized football before middle school. Nonetheless, father and sons often played catch in the front yard. Rodgers was an avid football fan from very early age. By the time he was two years old, Rogers would sit quietly, transfixed by the games on television. He was collecting football cards and updating players statistics by the age of five. His favorite team was the San Francisco 49ers and he idolized star quarterback Joe Montana and later, Steve Young .

In 1994, the family moved again, this time to Beaverton, Oregon, so Ed could attend chiropractic school. Rodgers attended Vose Elementary School for the next three years. Being barred from organized football didnt stop him from supplying his own Nerf football and drawing up plays for his classmates during recess.

Rodgers was an excellent athlete, playing baseball and basketball all through elementary school. He showed the same competitive drive in team sports as he had with his brothers; playing against older athletes didnt bother him a bit. When he was 11 years old, he made the Raleigh Hills Little League 12u All-Star Team. One season in basketball, he averaged 20 points per game.

After finishing school in 1997, Ed and his family returned to Chico and set up his chiropractic office, which he still maintains. Finally allowed to play on school teams, Rodgers became a star quarterback for Pleasant Valley High School.

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"I thinkmy greatest motivationis making my parents proud and seeing the sacrifices they made. We grew up without a lot of money and dad moving from job to job and doing different things and going shopping maybe once a year for clothes and wearing the same pair of shoes for basketball that I wore for school. ( Aaron Rodgers )

Ed did his best to help his boys avoid making the same mistakes he had. He devoted quality time to them, nurturing their passion for sports. He counseled them to think of their careers beyond college and about the pitfalls of excessive drinking and partying.

The lessons stuck, as Rodgers credits his parents with being hard-working role models and loving influences throughout his life. He took their experiences, and more importantly their sacrifices, to heart in setting his own standards of excellence. Rodgers was a stellar academic student , graduating high school with a 3.9 GPA and scoring 1300 on his S.A.T. college entrance exams.

Rodgers as a high-school freshman was only 5 2, 130 lbs. By graduation hed grown to 6, 170 lbs., still not a particularly imposing figure. Nonetheless, he was a dedicated student-athlete and natural leader. Football offensive coordinator and baseball coach, Ron Souza confirmed Rodgers leadership abilities: mentally alert, always prepared, good at motivating people.

The A student also had an uncanny ability to visualize Xs and Os on paper into live-action plays on the field. After years of watching Bill Walshs sophisticated West Coast offensive strategy, he liked to discuss the details with Pleasant Valley head coach Sterling Jackson and Souza.

The other thing Rodgers possessed was long arms and large hands , which boosted his ball control and pass distance. The big grip let him put a tight spin on the ball when he threw it, a desirable skill that allows quarterbacks to throw the ball farther on long passes and thread the needle through dense coverage for shorter ones. Its no surprise to note his strong arm benefited him in baseball as well. Rodgers, as a high school pitcher, possessed a 91 miles-per-hour fastball.