Todd Rogers
Encyclopedia
Todd Jonathan Rogers is an American professional beach volleyball
player. He and his partner, Phil Dalhausser
, were the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 AVP Tour
champions, and are the reigning FIVB world champions
, and reigning Olympic gold medalists from the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Rogers and Dalhausser won the gold medal in beach volleyball at the 2008 Summer Olympics after suffering a first round surprise defeat to Latvia. In 2011 Rogers and Dalhauser set new single season records for the most wins in a season on the FIVB, finishing the year as the worlds number one ranked team.
, in 1973 to David and Heidi Rogers of Santa Barbara. He has one brother, Dean Rogers
, who lives in Japan, and is the CEO of a medium size language school chain. He is married to Melissa Masonheimer Rogers and has a daughter, Hannah, and son, Nate. Rogers currently resides in Solvang, California
.
, Rogers won a league championship in 1990. The following year, Rogers led his team to the CIF Division I Championship. Rogers has been inducted into the Santa Barbara Athletic round table hall of fame for his achievements in the sport of indoor and beach volleyball.
(UCSB), where he played for the men's indoor team from 1993–96 and was an All-American. He earned a degree in religious studies with a minor in coaching. At UCSB, he still ranks second in career digs with 783, and second in career assists with 4831.
Rogers was named an All-American in 1995 and 1996.
tournament in 1995 with partner, Canyon Ceman
. He played one additional tournament with Ceman that year.
, and began playing on both the domestic AVP Tour and the international FIVB World Tour
. Rogers took Rookie of the Year honors in 1997, and the pair notched their first tournament win in 1998.
In 2000, Rogers and Holdren won their first FIVB tournament in Rosarito, Mexico.
During their six years as partners, Rogers and Holdren were moderately successful, with 8 first-place, 7 second-place, and 4 third-place finishes.
. Recognizing his potential, Rogers partnered with him for the 2006 season and began coaching Dalhausser on the intricacies of the game.
The pair won eight AVP events and one FIVB event in 2006. Rogers also won the season-ending round-robin tournament, earning the title, "God of the Beach".
Despite their success, Rogers and Dalhausser finished the 2006 AVP season in second place, just six points shy of leaders Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger
.
The duo also won the FIVB World Championships in Gstaad, Switzerland, the first such win in U.S. men's beach volleyball history.
Rogers and his partner Dalhausser won the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal in men's beach volleyball, topping off a year that saw them win nearly every tournament they entered.
On August 22, 2008, Rogers and Phil Dalhausser won the gold medal. They defeated the Brazilian team of Fabio/Marcio in three sets.
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
player. He and his partner, Phil Dalhausser
Phil Dalhausser
Philip "Phil" Peter Dalhausser is an American professional beach volleyball player. He and his playing partner, Todd Rogers, are the 2007 AVP Tour champions and the reigning FIVB world champions....
, were the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 AVP Tour
Association of Volleyball Professionals
The Association of Volleyball Professionals, or AVP, is a beach volleyball tour which takes place throughout the United States. The summer tour starts in April and continues almost every weekend until the end of October....
champions, and are the reigning FIVB world champions
Swatch FIVB World Championships
The Swatch FIVB World Championships is an international beach volleyball championship....
, and reigning Olympic gold medalists from the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Rogers and Dalhausser won the gold medal in beach volleyball at the 2008 Summer Olympics after suffering a first round surprise defeat to Latvia. In 2011 Rogers and Dalhauser set new single season records for the most wins in a season on the FIVB, finishing the year as the worlds number one ranked team.
Personal life
Rogers was born in Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, in 1973 to David and Heidi Rogers of Santa Barbara. He has one brother, Dean Rogers
Dean Rogers
Dean Rogers is an American businessman and writer living in Japan.He is the co-founder and CEO of Dean Morgan English and French conversation schools in Japan.-Biography:...
, who lives in Japan, and is the CEO of a medium size language school chain. He is married to Melissa Masonheimer Rogers and has a daughter, Hannah, and son, Nate. Rogers currently resides in Solvang, California
Solvang, California
Solvang is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. The population was 5,245 at the 2010 census, down from 5,332 at the 2000 census...
.
Early life
Rogers attended San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara from 1987 to 1991. There, Rogers played indoor volleyball for notable coach, Jon Lee. Together with teammate Dax HoldrenDax Holdren
Dax Holdren is an American professional beach volleyball player. Holdren is currently on the AVP tour playing with Jeff Nygaard....
, Rogers won a league championship in 1990. The following year, Rogers led his team to the CIF Division I Championship. Rogers has been inducted into the Santa Barbara Athletic round table hall of fame for his achievements in the sport of indoor and beach volleyball.
College
Rogers attended the University of California, Santa BarbaraUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
(UCSB), where he played for the men's indoor team from 1993–96 and was an All-American. He earned a degree in religious studies with a minor in coaching. At UCSB, he still ranks second in career digs with 783, and second in career assists with 4831.
Rogers was named an All-American in 1995 and 1996.
Amateur career
Rogers played as an Amateur primarily with later professional partner Dax Holdren all through the amateur ranks. They largely dominated the A, AA, and finally AAA ranks, winning nearly 80% of their tournaments in their final year as an amateur team before turning professional.Professional career
While still a student at UCSB, Rogers played in his first AVPAssociation of Volleyball Professionals
The Association of Volleyball Professionals, or AVP, is a beach volleyball tour which takes place throughout the United States. The summer tour starts in April and continues almost every weekend until the end of October....
tournament in 1995 with partner, Canyon Ceman
Canyon Ceman
Canyon Ceman is a retired beach volleyball player from the United States, who won the silver medal at the 1997 World Championships in Los Angeles, California, partnering Mike Whitmarsh.-References:*...
. He played one additional tournament with Ceman that year.
1996–2001: playing with Dax Holdren
After college, Rogers partnered with high school teammate Dax HoldrenDax Holdren
Dax Holdren is an American professional beach volleyball player. Holdren is currently on the AVP tour playing with Jeff Nygaard....
, and began playing on both the domestic AVP Tour and the international FIVB World Tour
Swatch FIVB World Tour
The Swatch FIVB Beach Volley World Tour is an intercontinental beach volleyball tour....
. Rogers took Rookie of the Year honors in 1997, and the pair notched their first tournament win in 1998.
In 2000, Rogers and Holdren won their first FIVB tournament in Rosarito, Mexico.
During their six years as partners, Rogers and Holdren were moderately successful, with 8 first-place, 7 second-place, and 4 third-place finishes.
2002–2005: playing with Sean Scott
In 2002, Rogers split with Holdren and partnered with Sean Scott. The pair also found moderate success, but only made the winner's podium a total of four times on the AVP Tour, and none internationally.2006
While playing with Scott, Rogers took notice of a 6'9" up-and-comer named Phil DalhausserPhil Dalhausser
Philip "Phil" Peter Dalhausser is an American professional beach volleyball player. He and his playing partner, Todd Rogers, are the 2007 AVP Tour champions and the reigning FIVB world champions....
. Recognizing his potential, Rogers partnered with him for the 2006 season and began coaching Dalhausser on the intricacies of the game.
The pair won eight AVP events and one FIVB event in 2006. Rogers also won the season-ending round-robin tournament, earning the title, "God of the Beach".
Despite their success, Rogers and Dalhausser finished the 2006 AVP season in second place, just six points shy of leaders Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger
Stein Metzger
Stein Metzger is a beach volleyball player from the United States, playing in the AVP. In 2006 he played with his high school teammate, Mike Lambert, and they advanced to the Final Four in fourteen of the fifteen team events, winning five times...
.
2007
Rogers and Dalhausser finished the 2007 AVP season as the dominant winners, finishing with more than 800 points over the second place team with 10 tournament wins.The duo also won the FIVB World Championships in Gstaad, Switzerland, the first such win in U.S. men's beach volleyball history.
2008
Rogers and Dalhausser have been a dominant force on both the 2008 AVP and FIVB tours. They have eight domestic wins, and three international wins, all in Grand Slam events.Coaching
Rogers was the assistant men's volleyball coach at UC Santa Barbara from 2000 to 2005. He left coaching to devote full-time attention to his professional career.Rogers and his partner Dalhausser won the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal in men's beach volleyball, topping off a year that saw them win nearly every tournament they entered.
Olympics
Athens 2004
Despite being ranked as the #4 team in the world, Rogers and partner, Sean Scott, were beaten out for the top two available slots for U.S. teams. Rogers was named an alternate but did not play.Beijing 2008
Rogers and Dalhausser qualified as the number one team for the 2008 Olympics.On August 22, 2008, Rogers and Phil Dalhausser won the gold medal. They defeated the Brazilian team of Fabio/Marcio in three sets.
Awards
- AVP Best Defensive Player 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
- AVP Crocs Cup Champion 2007 (Phil Dalhausser), 2008 (Phil Dalhausser)
- AVP Most Valuable Player 2006
- AVP Rookie of the Year 1997
- AVP Team of the Year 2007 (Phil Dalhausser), 2008 (Phil Dalhausser)
- FIVB Best Defensive Player 2006, 2007, 2008
- FIVB Most Inspirational 2008
- FIVB Best Setter 2005