November 23, 2008 FSU's Rolle earns Rhodes Scholarship Play video

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Florida State safety Myron Rolle earned a Rhodes Scholarship on Saturday, then boarded a plane and joined his team for its game against Maryland.

A spokesman for Florida State said Rolle, 22, is the school's second athlete in three years to earn a Rhodes Scholarship. NCAA shot put champion Garrett Johnson of Tampa, Fla., was one of 32 Americans to earn the scholarship three years ago.

Rolle, an aspiring neurosurgeon, will be entitled to study for two years at the University of Oxford in England. He is the third Florida State student in three years to be awarded the honor.

He finished the interview in Birmingham, Ala., around 6 p.m. EST before boarding a private plane to catch up with his teammates for the game that started around 7:45.

Rolle arrived in the second quarter, quickly dressed and emerged from the locker room with 6 minutes left in the first half. He waved at the fans in the Florida State section of the crowd, then warmed up the sideline before entering the game with 1:30 left in the second quarter.

"It's a no-brainer," Bowden said earlier in the week. "I know academics comes first."

The 79-year-old Bowden had never coached a Rhodes Scholar during a career spanning six decades.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Video courtesy of ESPN.