Don Rogers Dies of Heart Failure

SACRAMENTO —  Cleveland Browns’ safety Don Rogers, a former UCLA football star, died Friday of heart failure, authorities said.

Rogers, 23, the Browns’ No. 1 draft choice in 1984 and the mainstay of their defense, died at 4:31 p.m. at Mercy San Juan Hospital, hospital spokeswoman Connie Huff said.

The spokeswoman said that Rogers arrived at the hospital in an ambulance and died a short while later, but she declined to provide details of the death.

The 6-foot 1-inch, 206-pound Rogers, a native of Arkansas, Ark., who grew up in Sacramento, has a brother, Reggie, who plays football for the University of Washington, and a sister, Jackie, who plays basketball at Oregon State.

Rogers was Cleveland’s 18th pick overall in 1984. He played in 15 games and started 14 as a rookie.

In his first regular-season game at Seattle that year, he forced a fumble and made a game-high 12 tackles.

In four years at UCLA, Rogers averaged more than 100 tackles a season, and he was second in the Pac-10 with seven interceptions as a senior.

In 1985, he was third on the team (behind linebackers Tom Cousineau and Eddie Johnson) with 109 tackles, including 83 solos and 26 assists.

He had one interception in each of his two seasons with the Browns.

He attended Notre Del Rio High School in Sacramento and was born Sept. 17, 1962, in Texarkana, Ark.