Less than one month separated them at birth, and less than tenths of seconds separated them on the track.

But when former Saginaw Heritage, Purdue and Oakland Raiders standout Stuart Schweigert heard that Charles Rogers died Monday, he could only remember what brought them together.

“When we were on the court or the field or the track or wherever, we were competitive,” Schweigert said. “We definitely wanted to beat each other. There was not a whole lot of talking on the field. We wanted to win.

“We always respected each other. But when he got stabbed and punctured his lung during his senior season, I visited him in the hospital. After that, the relationship went from respect to friendship.”

Rogers was less than a month older than Schweigert, and they became stars at their respective schools, Rogers at Saginaw High and Schweigert at Heritage. They became rivals on the football field, the basketball court and the track as two of the top athletes in the state and country.

“People ask me how good Charles Rogers was, and I tell them he was the best I’ve ever seen,” Schweigert said. “I’ve played with Pro Bowlers, Hall of Famers, guys like Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Charles Woodson, Tim Brown.

“Charles Rogers was the best. He’s one of the most naturally gifted athletes I’ve ever been around. He would have won gold medals if he concentrated on track. He was so naturally gifted, but that comes with a price. When you’re that gifted, maybe you don’t establish the structure, the workouts or the discipline you might need later.”

They competed against each other in every sport, with each claiming victories. In football, Schweigert led Heritage to a regular-season win over Saginaw High during the 1999 season, but Rogers and Saginaw High came back to beat the Hawks in the playoffs on their way to a state title.

In 1999, Rogers won a state title in the 400-meter dash, with Schweigert edging Rogers to win the 100-meter state title. In 2000, Rogers won the 200-meter title, with Schweigert third.

“I always tell the story about getting ready to run the 100 against him,” Schweigert said. “I’m warming up, stretching, getting ready for 45 minutes. Last call comes and he’s not there. He’s sitting in his Monte Carlo drinking some hot chocolate to stay warm.

“He walks out, ties his shoes, does a few toe touches and runs a :10.7. Just amazing.”

The two remained friends during college, with Schweigert going to Purdue and Rogers to Michigan State. They met twice, with Purdue winning both games. In 2001, Schweigert had an interception in a 24-14 win, with Rogers catching seven passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Purdue also won in 2002, 45-42, with Rogers catching eight passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

“We would hang out, his friends and my friends. The thing I always tell people is how friendly Charles was. We were always talking, from the recruiting trails to college to the draft. I would drive from Purdue to hang out with him at State.

“Sometimes you can only talk about things with someone who’s going through the same thing, and there’s not a lot of us. So we would talk about what we were going through. I understood, because I went through a lot of the same things he did. I made mistakes. I made poor choices.”

Schweigert and Rogers helped at many of the same football camps.

“Charles was always willing to do things for his friends,” Schweigert said. “He had a problem saying no. Sometimes you get taken advantage of. If you don’t have the right people around you, you can get into the wrong stuff. Even if people see a problem, they don’t want to make you mad. They tell you what you want to hear.”

Rogers was the second pick overall in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions and played three seasons before he was released after two collarbone injuries and admitted drug problems. Schweigert was taken in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, playing four seasons with the Raiders.

“People are so quick to throw him under the bus,” Schweigert said. “Walk in his shoes. Ninety miles from where you grew up. You’re 21 years old. You have $15 million and a credit card that never says no. You’re sent home with no guidance after getting hurt. It’s easy to say what you think you would have done.

“It’s something that you can only really talk about with someone who has also gone through it. Having all that freedom, all that money sounds great. But it can get very, very tricky.”

Schweigert stayed close to Rogers, talking to him in Florida.

“He had fallen on hard times and felt people had deserted him,” Schweigert said. “He felt abandoned. I was trying to get him back to Saginaw, where people cared for him. Maybe he felt embarrassed, like everybody would be talking about him.

“He had so much pride. He couldn’t take that first step. I tried to tell him that it’s never as bad as you think. I’ve had some of the same struggles. You feel like a loser or a failure, and you think everybody else thinks like that. Then you talk to people and realize that’s not the case.”

Schweigert lives in West Lafayette, Indiana, but he knew Rogers was sick.

“But you always think he’s going to beat this, he’s going to be OK,” Schweigert said. “This hits hard. People who didn’t know Charles will have their own opinions. It’s easy to do. But if you knew Charles Rogers, you liked him.

“For me, it became almost a Rocky and Apollo Creed relationship. You’re harsh competitors, but then you realize that you’re the same and dealing with the same issues. Then you hear he died, and you realize this is real life. We’re not kids anymore. He’s never coming back.

“That scares the heck out of me.”