By Pete Scantlebury, NAIA Manage of Athletics Communications

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - If you try to find the definition of "bittersweet" in the dictionary, you very well may stumble upon Aldrick Rosas' performance in the 2014 NAIA Football National Championship.

Rosas -- a kicker for Southern Oregon -- helped his team win the national title that year, defeating Marian (Ind.) 55-31 in the title game in Daytona Beach, Fla. That's the sweet part of the definition.

The bitter part, however, is that it's a game that directly led to his transfer from Southern Oregon. In the fourth quarter, Rosas tore his ACL while attempting a tackle on kick-off coverage.

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"I just didn't get a lot of the ball," Rosas said. "They returned it. He wouldn't have scored, but he kind of ran outside, and I kind of gave him a shove and my knee buckled. I didn't think anything serious of it at first. Felt good, and we won, but I got the MRI in January and they said I tore my ACL."

The injury led to Rosas' transfer from Southern Oregon, as the hilly campus provided a difficult setting for him on crutches. Despite that, Rosas looks back at his Southern Oregon and NAIA career as instrumental in developing him into the player and the man he is today. Rosas is the starting kicker for the New York Giants, and leads the NFL in field-percentage this season, converting 28 of his 29 attempts with a long of 57. 

"I think my development at Southern Oregon was huge," Rosas said. "Just the coaches always preached about responsibility, accountability, teamwork. Not only how to be a better football player, but a better person, a better husband, a better father.

"It was real crucial to my development. When you become a better person or become a better giver, the football aspect tends to get a little easier. It kind of comes hand-in-hand. I attribute a lot of my success to Southern Oregon and the coaches there."

Rosas went the NAIA route at Southern Oregon after offers from NCAA D-I schools "ended up disappearing" during the recruiting process. He was familiar with Southern Oregon after his high school's training camp was hosted by the Raiders' coaching staff. 

"Southern Oregon was always there," Rosas said. "I didn't want to go the junior college route, so I decided to give Southern Oregon a chance. They had a great team and I thought I'd have an opportunity to get a lot of film there."

Rosas speaks especially fondly of former Southern Oregon coach Craig Howard, who died in 2017 at the age of 64. 

"It felt like a real family aspect, especially with Coach Howard," Rosas said. "He instilled a lot of character values in us that brought us closer together and it was fun to go out and play for each other."

Rosas went from national champion to eventually signing with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2016. After being waived by the Titans, Rosas signed with the Giants. He took over the starting job for the Giants early in the 2017 season, and after some struggles, is currently enjoying an All-Pro-worthy season. Recently, Rosas was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after going 3-for-3 on field goals in an overtime win over the Chicago Bears, which included a game-winning 44-yard field goal and a career-long 57-yard field goal.

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