The Army Black Knight
Andrew Rodriguez entered West Point as a direct admit from Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, VA in 2008. He saw no varsity action in his plebe season.
However, Rodriquez started at the Whip linebacker position in 2009 and led the team in total tackles with 85, including 1.5 TFLs and 0.5 Sacks. He also registered 2 interceptions, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was particularly effective in games against Army’s arch-rival service academy opponents with 15 tackles in the Navy game and 14 against Air Force.
Rodriguez injured himself in off-season conditioning and had to sit out the entire 2010 season.
He returned to the field in 2011 and was elected one of the team captains. He finished that season ranked 4th in total tackles with 69, including 1.5 TFLs. He recorded 1 interception and 3 passes broken up and had 2 fumble recoveries.
Rodriquez was the recipient of the coveted Campbell Award from the National Football Foundation. A true student-athlete, he graduated No. 3 in his class with a GPA of 4.14.
Military & Academically
As per his West Point biography, MAJ Andrew Rodriguez graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and commissioned as an infantry officer. He served in the 173rd Airborne Brigade and 75th Ranger Regiment prior to commanding a company in the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado.
MAJ Rodriguez holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Master of Business Administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is an instructor in the Vehicle & Weapons thread of the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at West Point.
West Point Family Connection
Andrew’s father, David, graduated from West Point in 1976 and is a former commander of 82nd Airborne Division and previously served as commander of International Security Assistance Force Joint Command in Afghanistan. The senior Rodriguez also served as the Commander of US Africa Command as his final position and US Army Forces Command prior to that.
Andrew’s sister, Amy, graduated from West Point in 2006 (majoring in Engineering Psychology) and was on the Parachute Team at West Point, along with being deployed to Iraq.
GBK's Joe Iacono caught up with Andrew for an insightful one-on-one. Let's look in on their conversation.
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