Former ASU offensive Player Brandon Rodd dies at 28

Former Arizona State football player Brandon Rodd, voted the team’s outstanding offensive lineman in 2007, died Friday in his home state of Hawaii at the age of 28. Rodd was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

In 2007 Rodd started all 13 games at left tackle and earned second-team All-Pac-10 kudos by PhilSteele.com. That same year he was named honorable mention All-Pac-10 and second-team All-Pac-109 All-Academic. Rodd also was named to the ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-District VII team. He was invited to play in the 2008 East-West Shrine and Hula Bowl postseason all-star games. He was named ASU’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman of the Year and was a main factor in ASU’s offense, which ranked third in the Pac-10 in scoring offense at 32.3 ppg.

As a junior in 2006 Rodd started 10 games at left tackle and earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors and was named second-team Pac-10 All-Academic. He helped contribute to ASU’s offense, highlighted by its greatly improved rushing attack, featuring the highest team total since 1999 and the team’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2001. ASU finished second in the Pac-10 Conference with an average of 169.7 rushing yards per game. As ASU’s top left tackle, he protected quarterback Rudy Carpenter’s blind-side, helping allow Carpenter to be only the second ASU quarterback in the past 10 seasons to start every game of the year. Rodd was ranked as the No. 51 offensive tackle in the nation by Phil Steele. He was named a preseason first-team All-Pac-10 honoree by Athlon Sports and regarded as a preseason third-team All-Pac-10 member by Phil Steele. A tremendous student, he has twice earned Pac-10 All-Academic recognition. For the second time in his career he was recognized as a Hard Hat Player in the team’s winter strength and conditioning program (top five overall).

After graduating from Arizona State University with a degree in business and education, Rodd played professionally in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and the Buffalo Bills.

A 2003 graduate of Aiea (Hawaii) High School, Rodd was a 2002 All-State football selection and O.I.A. Red Division Football All-Star. He was named Aiea High Lineman of the Week five times in 2003 and was the Aiea High team captain. He was a preseason all-state selection and participated in the H.U.B. Goodwill Football Classic. Rodd was team captain for Higher, Faster, Stronger as a junior and senior. He was the Aiea High Canoe Team Captain. In 2002, Rodd was a O.I.A. White Division Football All-Star and was all-state as a junior. He was the Aiea Lineman of the Week three times. He was an O.I.A. Canoe Team All-Star and was O.I.A. White Division Football All-Star as a sophomore. He made Aiea High Lineman of the Week twice. An excellent student, Rodd lettered four times in football and four years in paddling. He was coached by Wendel Say.

Agencies