ABOUT
STA
Showtime Training Academy is more than just a sports training facility — it's a full-circle development experience for the next generation of elite athletes. We help high school and collegiate athletes elevate their game on and off the field through performance training, nutritional guidance, and financial education.
Our mission is to prepare athletes not only for the next play, but for life — by instilling discipline, promoting wellness, and building the tools to navigate investments, NIL deals, business opportunities, and consumer rights. At Showtime, we don't just train athletes — we develop professionals.
Our
Mission
Our mission at STA it to develop E.L.I.T.E athletes - on and off the field.
Through the principals of our ELITE pillars - Elevate, Legacy, Invest, Transform, and Excel - we equip each athlete with the skills, knowledge, discipline, and mindset needed to reach their full potential and achieve ELITE status.
At STA, we don't just prepare athletes for the game.
We prepare them for life.
E.L.I.T.E Pillars of STA
ELEVATE: Elevate your game.
LEGACY: Build your legacy.
INVEST: Invest in yourself.
TRANSFORM: Transform who you are.
EXCEL: Excel on & off the field.
Meet the Team
EVAN RODRIGUEZ
COACH E-ROD
Evan "E-Rod" Rodriguez is a native of North Bergen, New Jersey with an extensive athletic career. Beginning in his pop-warner football days, Coach E-Rod has known success in football all the way through to a professional career in the NFL. Coach E-Rod had a winning high school football career with 28-12 regular season wins and receiving numerous awards and honors, such as being awarded the North Bergen High School MVP Award for both his Junior and Senior years, being named to the New Jersey v. New York Governor's Bowl Game in 2007, and being named to the 2006 Heisman High School All-Star Team. During his 4 years as NBHS, Coach E-Rod had 40 consecutive varsity games starts in defense and had 30 consecutive offensive starts.
Upon completion of his high school football career, Coach E-Rod committed to West Virginia University where he played for a season. That year, West Virginia University was the Big East Champions, winners of the Fiesta Bowl, beating Oklahoma University, and securing an AP Ranking as the #6 team in the nation. The following year, Coach E-Rod transferred to Temple University. At Temple, Coach E-Rod played as the team's starting tight-end, making it to 2 bowl games (Eagle Bank Bowl v. UCLA in 2009 and the New Mexico Bowl v. Wyoming University in 2011) and receiving numerous awards. During his Junior season in 2010, Coach E-Rod received the following awards: All-MAC Conference First Team TE; ECAC FBS All-Star; GoDaddy Preseason All-American Team TE; Bleacher Report All-MAC First Team TE; College Football News All-MAC First Team TE; TE of the Year by College Football Performance Awards; and was on the John Mackey Award watch list. During his Senior season in 2011, Coach E-Rod received the following awards: All-MAC Conference First Team Tight End; Phil Steele All-Mac First Team Tight End; Tight End of the Week, College Football Performance Awards; 4-time Honorable Mention Tight End of the Week, College Football Performance Awards; and John Mackey Award watch list.
In 2012, Coach E-Rod was a 4th round draft pick, 111th overall, to the Chicago Bears where he played for a season, starting in 7 games. The following season, E-Rod was picked up by the Miami Dolphins before heading to play for the Buffalo Bills. His NFL career ended with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2015 season. Coach E-Rod spent a few years playing for the American Flag Football League from 2017-2018 before playing for a season with the San Antonio Commanders in the AAF. E-Rod’s final professional season as an athlete came in 2020 with the XFL Seattle Dragons.
Throughout his playing career, Coach E-Rod volunteered with a variety of organizations to coach high school and pop warner football camps. Coach E-Rod officially began his coaching career in 2021 as the co-head coach for the NB Red Raiders. Coach E-Rod remained with the Red Raiders through the 2022 season before taking over as the head coach of the North Bergen High School varsity football team. Prior to Coach E-Rod, the NB Bruins had a 1-8 record. During his tenure, Coach E-Rod elevated the Bruins to a 3-6 record for the 2023-2024 season and further elevated the team to a 6-1 regular season schedule during the 2024-2025 season. After leaving North Bergen, Coach E-Rod took over as the Offensive Coordinator for the Hudson Catholic High School varsity team.