Willie Wood
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other persons named Willie Wood, see Willie Wood (disambiguation).
| Willie Wood | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | December 23, 1936 |
| Place of birth | Washington, D.C. |
| Position(s) | S |
| College | USC |
| Pro Bowls | 8 |
| Honors | Green Bay Packers HOF, NFL 1960s All-Decade Team |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1960-1971 | Green Bay Packers |
| Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1989 | |
William Vernell Wood Sr. (born December 23, 1936, in Washington, D.C.) was a safety for the Green Bay Packers.
Contents |
[edit] College career
Wood played for the USC Trojans, where he was a star quarterback.
[edit] Football career
Out of the University of Southern California, Willie was not drafted by any National Football League team. He had to tryout before the Packers signed him as a free agent in 1960. He was recast as a free safety, and was a starter in his 1961 season. He started until his retirement in 1971.
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 one in 1960.
Willie was the starting free safety for the Packers in Super Bowl I against the Kansas City Chiefs and Super Bowl II against the Oakland Raiders. In Super Bowl I, he recorded a key interception that helped the Packers put the game away in the second half. In Super Bowl II, he returned 5 punts for 35 yards, including a 31-yard return that would stand as the record for longest punt return in a Super Bowl until Darrell Green's 34-yard return in Super Bowl XVIII. He won the NFL interception title in 1962 and the league punt return championship.
Wood finished his 12 NFL seasons with 48 interceptions, which he returned for 699 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also gained 1,391 yards and scored 2 touchdowns on 187 punt returns.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
[edit] Personal
Willie has a son, Willie Wood Jr., who played for (1992-1993) and later coached the Indiana Firebirds AFL team after coaching at Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C.
[edit] External links
- Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
- Willie Wood Profile at USC Legends
| Preceded by: Forrest Gregg |
Toronto Argonauts Head Coaches 1980–1981 |
Succeeded by: Tommy Hudspeth |
Categories: 1936 births | Living people | People from Washington, D.C. | American football quarterbacks | American football safeties | USC Trojans football players | Green Bay Packers players | Western Conference Pro Bowl players | National Conference Pro Bowl players | NFL 1960s All-Decade Team | Pro Football Hall of Fame | Canadian Football League coaches
