CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Football legend and Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier now has a permanent honor in his hometown of Camden, where officials on Tuesday renamed a recently repaved road after him.
East Camden’s 27th Street was in notoriously bad condition, known widely as one of the worst streets in the city, according to speakers from federal, state and local government. Now it’s a smooth ride after a $10 million repaving project.
Rozier, a two-time Pro Bowl running back who played for the Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons, said he grew up on that street. Seeing it repaired and seeing his name on the street sign, he said, is the greatest honor of his life.
“I think this tops all of them, even the Heisman and Pro Bowl, because these people sitting behind me right now, they raised me. They helped raise me with my mother,” he said. “I appreciate the Heisman, but this is family.”
Rozier choked up a little as he called himself blessed to celebrate the honor with his 93-year-old mother Beatrice and siblings by his side. He said he could live anywhere he wants, but called Camden his home.
“I’m close to my mom and dad, and my brothers, and all my friends,” Rozier said. “To have the street named like this, it’s fantastic.”
Lifelong resident Chaka Pratt said the road repair would save him lots of time and money spent at the auto repair shop.
“What they did is amazing. To be able to drive straight down smoothly, and the side streets also, I think they did an amazing job,” he said.
“If you drove on 27th Street, you had to go over here to the guy to fix your car because the roads were so bad, I couldn’t believe it. But it was just the way it was. All over the city, the roads were a terrible thing. For the city to make a comeback, the first thing has to be the roads and that’s what they’re attacking right now.”