Willie Wood
Armstrong (Washington, D.C.) | |||||||
College: | USC | ||||||
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Undrafted: | 1960 | ||||||
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William Vernell Wood Sr. (December 23, 1936 – February 3, 2020) was an American professional
Wood played college football for the USC Trojans, becoming the first black quarterback to play in what is now the Pac-12 Conference. Undrafted out of USC, he was granted a try-out with Green Bay. Wood changed his position to safety in his rookie year, and played for the Packers from 1960 to 1971, winning five NFL championships. He later coached in the NFL, World Football League (WFL), and Canadian Football League (CFL).
College career
After graduating from
He transferred to the
As a junior in 1958, he was sidelined with an injured shoulder,[5] and as a senior in 1959, he separated his right shoulder and missed several games.[6]
NFL career
Wood was not selected in the
.Wood won All-NFL honors nine times in a nine-year stretch from 1962 through the 1971 season, participated in the Pro Bowl eight times, and played in six NFL championship games, winning all except the first in 1960.
He was ejected for bumping back judge
Wood was the starting free safety for the Packers in
Wood finished his 12 NFL seasons with 48 interceptions, which he returned for 699 yards and two touchdowns. He also gained 1,391 yards and scored two touchdowns on 187 punt returns. He holds the record for the most consecutive starts by a safety in NFL history.[12]
Wood retired as a player after the 1971 season;[13] he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989,[1][2] and the Packers Hall of Fame in 1977.[14]
Coaching career
After retiring as a player in January 1972,
Wood was later an assistant coach for the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL under Forrest Gregg, a Packer teammate. When Gregg left after the 1979 season for the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL,[17] Wood became the first black head coach in the CFL, but after an 0–10 start in 1981, he was fired.[18][19]
Personal
His son, Willie Wood Jr.,
Wood later lived in Washington, D.C., and underwent replacement knee surgery.[21] In his later years, he had dementia.[19][22][23] Wood died of natural causes on February 3, 2020, at an assisted living facility in Washington, D.C., at the age of 83.[24][25] An autopsy conducted by a Boston University neuropathologist found that Wood had severe (stage 4) chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated hits to the head.[26] He is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with this disease.[27]
In March 2012, a block of N Street NW in D.C. (38°54′26″N 77°00′43″W / 38.9072°N 77.012°W) was named "Willie Wood Way."[28]
See also
- List of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
- List of NFL players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy
References
- ^ a b Clines, Frank (August 3, 1989). "History wants him". Milwaukee Journal. p. 1C. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ a b Lea, Bud (August 5, 1989). "A dream is fulfilled for Wood". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 2. Archived from the original on May 17, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ "Southern Cal pins Rose Bowl hopes on D.C. quartereback". Baltimore Afro-American. November 8, 1958. p. 30. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ a b c Kartje, Ryan (February 4, 2020). "Willie Wood, USC's first black quarterback and a Packers great, dies at 83". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ "Trojans to meet Tar Heels tonight". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. October 3, 1958. p. 13. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ "Trojan QB injured; lost most of season". St. Petersburg Times. Florida. Associated Press. October 2, 1959. p. 6C. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ Lea, Bud (January 27, 1989). "Wood's determination is rewarded". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 2. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ Kuechle, Oliver E. (January 16, 1967). "Interception vital". Milwaukee Journal. p. 15, part 2. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ "Wood's steal changed our plans: Stram". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. January 16, 1967. p. 1, part 2. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ Clines, Frank (August 3, 1989). "Wood shrugs off interception". Milwaukee Journal. p. 6C. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ "Willie Wood Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ "Packers legend, Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Willie Wood dies at age 83". CBSSports.com. February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ a b "Packers' Willie Wood retires, looks to head pro coaching job". Tuscaloosa News. Alabama. Associated Press. January 20, 1972. p. 11. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ Christl, Cliff. "Willie Wood". Packers.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "Willie Wood named coach of the Bell". Bangor Daily News. Maine. Associated Press. July 30, 1975. p. 22. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ Lea, Bud (January 24, 1977). "Willie Wood deserved a better fate". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 2. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ "Argonauts tab Wood". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 4, 1980. p. 26. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ "Toronto fires Willie Wood". Afro-American. Baltimore. September 26, 1981. p. 10. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ a b Woods, Paul (January 30, 2013). "Paying homage to Super Bowl trailblazer Willie Wood". Toronto Sun. Canada. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
- ^ Horton, Gary (February 25, 2008). "Move to Cleveland breathes life into franchise". espn.com. ESPN, Inc. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ Maske, Mark (March 16, 2007). "He's in need, but too proud to beg". Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
- ^ Johnson, Greg (October 17, 2007). "They're lining up on his side". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
- ^ "Former Packers safety Willie Wood dies at 83". Green Bay Packers. February 3, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ Silverman, Hollie (February 4, 2020). "Willie Wood, former Packers safety and Hall of Famer, dies at 83". CNN. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ Maese, Rick (March 12, 2021). "More football leads to worse CTE, scientists say. Consider NFL great Willie Wood". Washington Post. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ "Researchers Find CTE in 345 of 376 Former NFL Players Studied". Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Stewart, Nikita (March 21, 2012). "NW block named for former NFL standout Willie Wood". Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
External links
- Willie Wood at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference