Former UC football, basketball player dies
The University of Cincinnati has lost one of its top former athletes.
Rodrick "Rod" Monroe died of a heart attack at age 40 on Sunday in Houston, according to former UC basketball player Terry Nelson. Nelson is director of the Bearcats' "C" Club for athletic alumni letter winners.
"Sad to report that former Bearcat hoops/football player and Atlanta Falcon Rodrick Monroe has passed away," Nelson said via Instagram.
Nelson, in a text to The Enquirer, said that former UC assistant basketball coach Larry Harrison told him that Monroe was working out Sunday morning and collapsed in the weight room.
Monroe, from Hearne, Texas, played basketball for UC in the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons. Monroe then played one year of UC football in the 1997 fall season. Monroe was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in Round 7 of the 1998 NFL draft. After being waived by Dallas, Monroe signed with the Atlanta Falcons for the 1998 season.
Monroe was part of the Falcons' 1998 Super Bowl season but was not on the active roster for Super Bowl XXXIII on Jan. 31, 1999. Monroe was released in August 2000 by Atlanta, then was briefly on the Miami Dolphins' practice squad that year. On Dec. 7, 2000, Monroe was signed by the Cleveland Browns to their practice squad.
In the 2001 offseason, Monroe was allocated to the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe, where he caught 23 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns. Monroe also was with the Browns through 2003, including stints on injured reserve in 2002 and 2003.
According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, Monroe played in two games for Atlanta in 1999 and seven games for Cleveland in 2001, with three starts. Monroe had one career catch for 8 yards, with Atlanta in 1999.
Rick Minter, who was UC head football coach when Monroe played for the Bearcats in 1997, recalled that Monroe became a regular that season as the Bearcats reached the Humanitarian Bowl. Monroe caught two passes for 33 yards and one touchdown that year, according to the Sports-Reference.com college football website. Monroe became the No. 1 UC tight end after previous starter Josh Anderson suffered a season-ending knee injury.
"I’ve never been around a harder worker or a more pleasant guy," Minter, now defensive coordinator at Division II Florida Tech, said Tuesday via telephone. "He was a great teammate. We put him in more and more as that year went on."
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Monroe, listed at 6-foot-5 and 254 pounds during his pro football days, came to UC as a basketball player from McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. Playing under coach Bob Huggins, Monroe averaged 3.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game as UC reached the NCAA Elite Eight in the 1995-96 season. Monroe then averaged 4.6 points and 2.5 rebounds in 1996-97 for another Bearcats NCAA Tournament team.
"Rod was a great guy, great athlete," Huggins, now head basketball coach at West Virginia, said via telephone Tuesday. "He was a good defender. He was one of the top rebounders in junior college before he came to us."
According to a 1997 Enquirer story, Monroe was known for astounding feats in the weight room. Monroe bench-pressed 415 pounds and leg-pressed 1,130 pounds, which were UC basketball records at the time.
"Huggs and I always kidded each other about getting some of his guys out for football," Minter said. "Bob always was a football guy in the area of toughness. Once Rod got done with his basketball eligibility, he played football in his fifth and final year of eligibility. The day fall camp began, I'm sitting at my desk and there's a knock on my door. There stood Rod Monroe. He said, 'Coach, you told me if I'm ready I can play ball.' "
Monroe attracted NFL scouts with his size and athleticism, Minter said.
"A guy from the Atlanta Falcons noticed him the first day," Minter said. "He came by and said, 'Who the heck is this guy? I'm going to watch this guy closely.' "
Minter said that Monroe worked himself into being a professional athlete.
"He was a role guy in basketball, not a star but a great defender," Minter said. "In football, I wish we could have had him for four years."
In basketball, Monroe had his moments. Enquirer archives show that Monroe once had an 11-point, seven-rebound game against Arizona. Some fans also remember Monroe for a big block on UC superstar forward Danny Fortson at Midnight Madness one year. After the block, Monroe's only reaction was to trot silently downcourt.
''I'm just an everyday guy,'' Monroe once told The Enquirer. ''I only talk when I need to.''
Funeral arrangements for Monroe are not yet known, Nelson said.
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