Gary Wood
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| Gary Wood | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | February 5, 1942 |
| Place of birth | Taylor, NY |
| Date of death | March 2, 1994 |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| College | Cornell |
| NFL Draft | 1964 / Round 8/ Pick 109 |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1964-1966 1967 1968-1969 1970-1971 |
New York Giants New Orleans Saints New York Giants Ottawa Rough Riders |
Gary F. Wood (February 5, 1942 — March 2, 1994) played professional football in the NFL from the year 1964 until the year 1969. The 5'11'' quarterback was drafted out of Cornell University in 1964 by the New York Giants in the eighth round of the NFL Draft. Wood posted unremarkable stats in his time in the NFL with a career completion percentage of 46.5% and a mediocre passer rating of 54.5 [1]. Wood was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on March 24, 1996 [2].
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[edit] College Years
Gary Wood had an outstanding career as the three-year starting quarterback at Cornell beginning in 1961, his sophomore season. Wood was the leading rusher and passer for the Big Red every year in which he was the starter.
Wood was elected team captain in 1963 and continued to perform well for Cornell.
[edit] NFL Years
In 1964, he was picked in the 8th round of the NFL Draft by the New York Giants (109th overall). Wood had a decent rookie season for the Giants backing up starter Y.A. Tittle. In 1967, Wood was picked up in the expansion draft for the New Orleans Saints. Wood played in only two games for the Saints in the 1967 season and was traded back to New York later for a draft pick. Wood spent the remainder of his NFL career in New York backing up future Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton. He ended his NFL career in 1969 having played in 63 games.
[edit] After the NFL
Once his NFL career had ended, Gary Wood played in the Canadian Football League from 1970—1971 for the Ottawa Rough Riders.
Following his stint in the CFL, Wood opened an insurance firm in New York City and helped build Temple Beth Torah in Melville, New York. He was inducted into the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
