Juan Roque
No. 74, 73
Position:Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1974-02-06) February 6, 1974 (age 49)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Weight:332 lb (151 kg)
Career information
High school:Ontario (CA)
College:Arizona State
NFL Draft:1997 / Round: 2 / Pick: 35
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:17
Games started:3
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Juan Armando Roque (born February 6, 1974) is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for Arizona State University, and earned consensus All-American honors. A second-round pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the NFL's Detroit Lions and then the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. Roque was a color analyst for Fox Sports Arizona's broadcasts of Arizona State football games.

Early years

Roque was born on February 6, 1974, in San Diego, California,[1] to Armando and Maria Roque. Shortly after Juan's birth, Armando and Maria moved to the Roques' native Mexico, living in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. When Juan was three, the Roques returned to the United States and eventually resided in Ontario, California.[2]

Roque attended Ontario High School and played on its offensive line.[3] Coming out of high school, Roque was recruited by numerous colleges;[4] these included USC and Washington State.[5] Initially Roque verbally committed to USC but withdrew the commitment and decided to sign his letter of intent with Arizona State University to play for incoming head coach Bruce Snyder.[5][6] Roque was initially recruited as a defensive lineman.[7]

College career

Roque attended Arizona State University, where he played for the Arizona State Sun Devils football team from 1992 to 1996. He was moved to offensive tackle and redshirted during the 1992 season.[8] By his sophomore season, 1994, Roque had gained a starting spot for Arizona State at left guard.[9]

In 1995 Roque was named an honorable mention preseason All-American by Street & Smith's.[10] Following the season, he was named to the All-Pacific-10 Conference first-team and was a second-team All-American by The Sporting News.[11]

Before the 1996 season Roque was considered as a contender for the Outland Trophy as best interior lineman in the country.[12] In May 1996 Roque graduated from Arizona State, earning a Latin American history degree.[4] Roque started all 11 games for the Sun Devils that season, helping the team go 11–0 in the regular season.[11] Notable victories that season were a 19–0 upset of number one-ranked Nebraska,[13] a come from behind victory over UCLA,[14] a double overtime win against USC,[15] and a 56–14 rout of the University of Arizona in Tucson.[16] Arizona State won the Pacific-10 Conference championship for the second time in school history and earned a Rose Bowl berth with a 35–7 victory against California.[17] Roque received numerous honors that year. He was a consensus first-team All-American, All-Pacific-10 Conference first-team member for the second year in a row,[11] runner-up for the Lombardi Award, and an Outland Trophy finalist.[18] Roque played in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1997, against Ohio State University.[19] The second-ranked Sun Devils,[18] despite a strong effort by quarterback Jake Plummer, lost 20–17.[19] After the college season ended, Roque was invited to participate in the 1997 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, and did so.[20]

Professional career

During the 1997 NFL Draft Roque was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round (35th overall).[21] During his rookie year Roque played in 13 games. Against the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day, Roque received an opportunity to start. During the game, Roque suffered a serious left knee injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.[22] Roque did not play in 1998 as he spent the entire year on injured reserve due to lingering effects from the knee injury.[22]

In 1999 Roque earned a starting position at right tackle. He started the first two games and helped the Lions earn a 2–0 record.[23][24] Roque did not see further playing time until the final two games of the regular season, but saw action against the Washington Redskins during a Wild Card playoff game in January 2000.[24] Roque was released by the Lions before the 2000 season.[25]

In 2001 Roque signed a contract to play for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Listed as a defensive lineman, Roque played in seven games for the Argonauts in the 2002 CFL season before the team released him.[26]

Life after football

From 2007 to 2010 Roque worked as a color commentator for television broadcasts of Arizona State games on Fox Sports Arizona.[27][28] On October 17, 2009, Roque was inducted into the Arizona State University Sports Hall of Fame.[11] As of 2007, Roque resides in Chandler, Arizona, and is a legal administrator.[29]

References

  1. ^ "All-Time Players: Juan Roque". National Football League. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
  2. ^ Garrity, John (December 30, 1996). "Mighty Like A Warrior". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
  3. ^ Brewster, Louis (September 21, 2009). "Mosley's antics not surprising". The San Bernardino Sun. Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Gustkey, Earl (December 30, 1996). "Keeping His Commitments: Arizona State Lineman Roque More Than Makes Good on Promise to Complete Eligibility for Arizona State (page 2)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
  5. ^ a b Gustkey, Earl (December 30, 1996). "Keeping His Commitments: Arizona State Lineman Roque More Than Makes Good on Promise to Complete Eligibility for Arizona State (page 3)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
  6. ^ Metcalfe, Jeff (April 13, 2009). "Former ASU coach Snyder dies". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  7. ^ "Spring Football Preview". The Register-Guard. April 29, 1992. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  8. ^ Friend, Tom (December 31, 1996). "In the End, Pancakes Will Tell the Tale for Two Tackles". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  9. ^ Missildine, Harry (October 21, 1994). "Devil 'D' surely not soft". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  10. ^ Street & Smith's College Football 1995. New York City: Street & Smith's. 1995. pp. 22, 36.
  11. ^ a b c d "Juan Roque, Mike Sodders lead 2009 ASU Sports Hall of Fame Class". Arizona State University. September 11, 2009. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
  12. ^ "Sports Weekend – The Key Games In College Football: Game Of The Week". Los Angeles Times. September 6, 1996. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  13. ^ Dufresne, Chris (September 29, 2005). "Top-Ranked USC in for Devil of a Time?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  14. ^ Hodges, Jim (October 13, 1996). "With UCLA's Help, Arizona State Wins in Old Familiar Way". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  15. ^ "USC Hopes Officially Fade". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. October 20, 1996. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  16. ^ "Nemesis Michigan stuns Ohio State". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. November 24, 1996. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  17. ^ "Boilermakers shock Michigan; Buckeyes roll". The Item. Associated Press. November 10, 1996. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  18. ^ a b Wojciechowski, Gene (January 1, 1997). "Buckeyes' Bold Expectations Include Title". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  19. ^ a b Harig, Bob (January 2, 1997). "Sun Devils run out of miracles". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  20. ^ Cole, Jason (February 11, 1997). "Many Prospects On The Run From 40-yard Dash". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  21. ^ "1997 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  22. ^ a b "Knee injury ends Roque's season". Argus-Press. Associated Press. September 1, 1998. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  23. ^ "Lions will shift Roque to tackle for Miami game". Argus-Press. Associated Press. August 26, 1999. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  24. ^ a b "Juan Roque: Game Logs". National Football League. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  25. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. August 28, 2000. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  26. ^ "Player Profiles..." (PDF). Canadian Football League. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2004. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  27. ^ "Former ASU All-American Juan Roque Hired By FSN Arizona As Its New Analyst For ASU Football Telecasts". CBS Sports Network. August 24, 2007. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  28. ^ Haller, Doug (September 13, 2010). "ASU defense in spotlight Saturday at Wisconsin". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  29. ^ Coro, Paul (September 24, 2007). "Five minutes with ... Juan Roque". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 27, 2010.

External links

1996 College Football All-America Team consensus selections
Detroit Lions 1997 NFL Draft selections
Categories