Chris Rodriguez signs to play football at Concord University

By JIM CUNNINGHAM/Staff

Chris Rodriguez, a senior at Fort Chiswell High School, signed to receive a scholarship to play football at Concord College (W.Va.) during ceremonies held Wednesday afternoon at FCHS.
Fort Chiswell Head Football Coach Stephen James noted that Rodriguez accumulated over 4,500 all-purpose yards over his varsity career, that spanned nearly four complete years.
Rodriguez was moved up to the varsity team shortly after his freshman season began. The coach said he really began to become a standout runner in his junior and senior years.
This last season, Rodriguez broke the school by rushing for over 2,000 yards.
Rodriguez said that was one of the marks he is most proud of during his career.
“He is a great all-around runner,” said James, “whether it’s power running or finesse running…Anytime anyone can get their education paid for, that’s a great thing… He’s part of the group that helped turn this program around. I’m extremely happy for him; he’ll do well at Concord.”
Rodriguez made the all-district first team his junior year and was named the MED’s Player of the Year this past season. He was also chosen to the all-state first team as a running back.
Rodriguez also played on the varsity basketball team for three years, the track team for two years and the baseball team for one year.
He said he is planning on majoring in athletic training or entering the pre-med program at Concord.
His visit to Concord was a reason for choosing the school. “It has a very nice campus and all the coaches are nice,” he said.
At 5-11, Rodriguez weighs about 205-lbs. He said the coaches at Concord would like him to increase them to about 215.
Rodriguez attributes a lot of the success the team enjoyed this year to the closeness of the players. “It’s a well-knit group. We had fun on the field. This year it was a team effort.”