Who was Willard Rodgers?
Reflecting on the life and tragic death of Southwestern’s first Black lacrosse player, Willard Rodgers
In 1986, Willard “Rodgers—a 19-year-old sophomore at Southwestern University and the only Black player on the lacrosse team at the time—passed away under mysterious circumstances. While the official explanation cited complications from a minor accident in his dorm room as the cause of death, many of his Black classmates believed his fatal injury was sustained during a racially charged incident on the lacrosse field. Rodgers’ story serves as a somber reminder of the unspoken struggles Black students have faced at Southwestern and the need to confront difficult truths in the university’s past.
Willard “Sel” Rodgers was a Southwestern University sophomore, a member of the lacrosse team, and the first Black student to play the sport at Southwestern. Tragically, on October 6, 1986, Rodgers passed away at the young age of 19, leaving behind a legacy marked by both his achievements and the complex, unresolved questions surrounding his death.
Rodgers, born in Los Angeles and raised in Glendale, Arizona, arrived at Southwestern ready to make his mark. In addition to his role on the lacrosse team, he was a member of EBONY (Encouraging Blacks and Others to Never Yield) and worked in the residence life office. For the Black student community at Southwestern, Willard’s presence was a source of pride and camaraderie.
However, as the only Black player on the lacrosse team, he often encountered challenges that his white teammates did not. According to a former classmate, Rodgers endured harassment on the field, with incidents that crossed lines from rough play to what appeared to be racially motivated aggression. The classmate recounted one such incident in which Rodgers was struck in the head with a lacrosse stick by one of his teammates—a blow his peers believed was intentional and contributed to his untimely passing the following day.
The circumstances of Rodgers’ death remain controversial. The October 17, 1986 issue of The Megaphone reported that Rodgers’ fatal head injury—a contusion above his right eye—was sustained when he “walked into a door in his dorm room.” This explanation, however, stands in contrast to the accounts shared among Black students, who believed that Rodgers’ head injury was linked to the on-field incident. The article further stated that Rodgers had been taken to the hospital for “allergies” the night before his death, though neither his medication nor allergies were determined to have contributed to his passing.
Rodgers’ death left a lasting impact on his fellow Black students, who struggled to process both the tragedy of losing a friend and the institutional response, which many felt failed to acknowledge the racial dynamics surrounding his injury or his precarious place on the lacrosse team. For these students, Rodgers’ death symbolized the challenges Black students have faced at Southwestern, where incidents of exclusion and racial hostility often went unaddressed.
Today, remembering Willard Rodgers is a call to acknowledge the struggles of the Black students who came before us and literally put their bodies on the line as they endured environments that were often overtly unwelcoming. As Southwestern continues to reflect on its history, Rodgers’ story reminds us of the need to confront uncomfortable truths, honor those who came before, and work toward a better future.
Images
