Sports
Sports

Sweeting's high school jersey to be retired

10101- Atlanta - Georgia Tech's Rod Sweeting (6) tackles Middle Tennessee State's Malcolm Beyah (4) at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, Oct 16, 2010. Tech won 42-14. Johnny Crawford jcrawford@ajc.com Cornerback Rod Sweeting was an undrafted free agent out of Tech, he was signed by the New Orleans Saints. (Johnny Crawford / AJC File)
10101- Atlanta - Georgia Tech's Rod Sweeting (6) tackles Middle Tennessee State's Malcolm Beyah (4) at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, Oct 16, 2010. Tech won 42-14. Johnny Crawford jcrawford@ajc.com Cornerback Rod Sweeting was an undrafted free agent out of Tech, he was signed by the New Orleans Saints. (Johnny Crawford / AJC File)
By
March 27, 2014

For being the first alumnus of his high school to become a professional athlete, former Georgia Tech cornerback Rod Sweeting will have his jersey retired at Luella High School Thursday.

10101- Atlanta - Georgia Tech's Rod Sweeting (6) tackles Middle Tennessee State's Malcolm Beyah (4) at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, Oct 16, 2010. Tech won 42-14. Johnny Crawford jcrawford@ajc.com Cornerback Rod Sweeting was an undrafted free agent out of Tech, he was signed by the New Orleans Saints. (Johnny Crawford / AJC File)
icon to expand image

Sweeting will take part in a ceremony at the Henry County school and be presented with his No. 6 jersey. The school, which opened in 2003, also will name the locker room after him.

“It’s a big accomplishment for him and the school, and we wanted to honor him,” Luella coach Nic Vasilchek.

Sweeting beat the odds by making the Saints roster after being signed as an undrafted free agent last April. He played nine games during the regular season and also saw action in both of the Saints’ playoff games.

About the Author

Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.

Follow Ken Sugiura on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Jackson State players celebrate victory over South Carolina State in the 2024 Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Tigers are once again in contention for a spot in the bowl game. (Hyosub Shin/AJC 2024)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Atlanta awaits: Celebration Bowl picture comes into focus

The annual showcase pits the champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in a spotlight game for HBCU football.

KEN SUGIURA

3-pointer: ACC’s risky schedule format, UGA’s potential bye, a Falcons bright spot

ACC’s future 9-game format could cause title confusion, and Georgia’s potential CFP bye might hurt more than help. Meanwhile, Falcons rookie Cobee Bryant impresses in debut.

The Win Column: Please rank Atlanta’s sports teams

The Latest

Jackson State players celebrate victory over South Carolina State in the 2024 Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Tigers are once again in contention for a spot in the bowl game. (Hyosub Shin/AJC 2024)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Atlanta awaits: Celebration Bowl picture comes into focus

KEN SUGIURA

3-pointer: ACC’s risky schedule format, UGA’s potential bye, a Falcons bright spot

The Win Column: Please rank Atlanta’s sports teams

Featured

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones — pictured at an August rally in Peachtree City that also featured Vice President JD Vance — appears to have scored another legal victory over gubernatorial rival Attorney General Chris Carr in their battle over campaign finance issues. (Arvin Temkar/AJC 2025)

Credit: Arvin Temkar / AJC

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones scores another victory over use of campaign cash

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones appears to have scored another victory over Attorney General Chris Carr as the Republican gubernatorial candidates battle over campaign finance issues.

Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr.’s season is over; needs surgery to repair ACL

Michael Penix Jr., whom the Falcons hoped was their quarterback of the future, will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn ACL in his left knee.

Typewriter Tom fuels a growing interest in analog writing devices

Roswell's Tom Rehkopf owns about 1,000 typewriters, which he tinkers with at his workshop and happily shares with fellow aficionados, curious youngsters and even Tom Hanks.