Rod Woodson

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Rod Woodson
Date of birth	March 10, 1965 (age 42)
Place of birth	Fort Wayne, Indiana
Position(s)	Cornerback, Safety
College	Purdue
NFL Draft	1987 / Round 1/ Pick 10
Career Highlights
Pro Bowls	11
Awards	1993 AP Defensive Player of the Year 1993 UPI AFC Defensive Player of the Year
Honors	NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
Records	Most Interception yards Most Interception touchdowns
Stats
Statistics	CBS.com DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1987-1996 1997 1998-2001 2002-2003	Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers Baltimore Ravens Oakland Raiders

Roderick Kevin "Rod" Woodson (born March 10, 1965 in Fort Wayne, Indiana) is a former professional American football player.

1 Early life
2 Pro Football career
3 Retirement
4 Playing success
5 External link

[edit] Early life

Rod Woodson began playing football as a boy in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After graduation from Snider High School in 1983, Rod was awarded a full scholarship to Purdue University. He starred at Purdue, winning All Big Ten and All American honors in 1985 and 1986. Woodson also starred in track, holding the NCAA record in the 60m Hurdles for ten years.

[edit] Pro Football career

In 1987, Woodson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He returned punts and played defensive cornerback for Pittsburgh through the 1996 season. A highlight came in 1995, when Woodson became the first player to return from reconstructive knee surgery in the same season. That year he tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament in the first game and returned to play in the Super Bowl XXX between the Steelers and Dallas Cowboys just 19 weeks later. In that game, he broke up a pass intended for Michael Irvin, hopped up and pointed at his reconstructed knee.

Woodson's career took a somewhat nomadic turn after free agency from Pittsburgh. Although he remained to raise his family in Pittsburgh he hopped between three additional franchises, becoming one of the few modern cornerbacks to successfully make a transition to the safety position. Woodson signed with San Francisco for the 1997 season, Baltimore for the years 1998 to 2001 (where he won a Super Bowl), and the Oakland Raiders for 2002 and 2003 (where he appeared in his third Super Bowl). In the Raiders 2000 Super Bowl season, 37-year old Woodson led the NFL in interceptions (8) for the first time in his career.

[edit] Retirement

Woodson was released by the Oakland Raiders on July 27, 2004 after failing his team physical. He has since officially retired, and has stated to the press that he has no desire to resume his career [1]. His replacement at free safety for the Raiders was Stuart Schweigert, who coincidentally, broke Woodson's career interception record at Purdue.

[edit] Playing success

Woodson is among the NFL's all time leaders in games played as a defensive back and interceptions. In his 17 NFL seasons, Woodson recorded 71 interceptions, 1,483 interception return yards, 32 fumble recoveries (15 offensive and 17 defensive), 137 fumble return yards, 2,362 punt return yards, and 15 touchdowns(12 interception returns, 1 fumble return, 2 punt returns). He holds the league record for interceptions returned for touchdowns with 12, and is tied with 11 other players for the record for most fumble recoveries in a single game(3). His 1,483 interception return yards are also an NFL record.

For his excellence on the field, Woodson has been named to the Pro Bowl eleven times, a record for a defensive back. Woodson was named 1993's NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press.

National Football League stars of past and present participated in the ESPN Pro Bowl Skills Challenge, part of the ProBowl weekend, and put on a show for servicemembers in Hawaii at the J.W. Marriot Ihilani Resort and Spa, Feb. 10. The former greats kicked it off with the Alumni Air-It-Out flag football game. Steve Young (#8) and Michael Irvin (with ball) connected on several passes to defeatJohn Elway’s team. Woodson (26) is in the background.

In 1994, he was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team. In 1999, he was ranked number 87 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. The College Football News has also honored him as one of the 100 greatest players of the 20th century.

Woodson will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in 2009.

He now works for the NFL Network on "NFL Total Access" with Rich Eisen.

Since 1994, Woodson has operated an annual youth football camp, the Woodson/Fabini Football Camp, on the grounds of his former high school. He is also a partner in Woodson Motorsports, a BMW motorcycle dealership and repair shop in Fort Wayne.

Woodson splits his time between NFL Network studios in Los Angeles and his home in Pleasanton, California.