Woodrow Dantzler

Woodrow "Woody" Dantzler III (born October 4, 1979) is a former American football quarterback, running back, safety and return specialist.

College career

Dantzler redshirted for the 1997 season and went on to letter in 1998, 1999, and 2000. He wore number 11 during the 1998 season and number one during the 1999, 2000 and 2001 seasons. He made his Clemson debut in Week 1 against Furman. However, Dantzler did not start until Week 5 against the North Carolina Tar Heels. In 1999, Dantzler became the starter over Brandon Streeter. He threw for 1,506 passing yards and 9 touchdowns in 1999. He also rushed for 723 yards, and 4 touchdowns. In 2000 Dantzler had also changed his number from 11 to 1. The Tigers record was 9–3 that season. That year, Dantzler threw for 1,691 yards and 10 touchdowns. 956 of those yards and 6 of those touchdowns went to wide receiver Rod Gardner, who went on to be selected in the 1st round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins with the 15th pick overall. Dantzler rushed for 1,075 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2001. Also in 2001, Dantzler became the first player in NCAA football history to pass for more than 2,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 in a single season. His exact statistics in 2001 were 2,360 yards and 17 touchdowns (passing) and 1,004 yards and 10 touchdowns (rushing). He was also a Heisman trophy candidate in 2001. In August 2001, Dantzler graduated from Clemson with a degree in marketing. Dantzler was inducted into the Clemson football Hall of Fame in 2007. Dantzler holds 53 Clemson football records.^[1][2]

Professional career

National Football League

Dantzler was not selected in the 2002 NFL Draft. However, Dantzler was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys on April 29, 2002. Dantzler was included on the Cowboys' "Hard Knocks" TV Show for the Cowboys' in 2002, where fans get an inside look at an NFL team's training camp and preseason. Dantzler would be signed to the practice squad. On November 27, 2002, Dantzler was promoted to the active roster to return kicks for Dallas. He scored his first National Football League touchdown on December 8, 2002 when he returned a kickoff for 84 yards against the San Francisco 49ers. Dantzler went on to play for the Atlanta Falcons, where he rushed for one touchdown in 2003 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and had a few reps at Quarterback for the first time in his NFL Career. Near the beginning of the 2004 season, Dantzler was released by the Falcons due to a knee injury. Dantzler signed with the Cowboys again in January 2005. In February 2005, The Cowboys assigned Dantzler to the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe. He played free safety for the Galaxy. He was released by the Cowboys on September 3, 2005.

Arena Football League

Dantzler was signed to a two-year contract with the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League in December 2005. He won a championship in 2006, as the Rush defeated the Orlando Predators 69–61.

All-American Football League

In 2008, Dantzler was drafted and signed by Team Tennessee of the All American Football League (AAFL). He was one of five current Quarterbacks on the roster. However, his contract was terminated when the AAFL postponed its debut season for the second time.

American Indoor Football Association

In 2009, Dantzler was signed to the newly founded Harrisburg Stampede of the American Indoor Football Association.^[3] He missed the entire season due to a knee injury. He was released at the end of the season.

See also

• List of Arena Football League and National Football League players

References

External links

• NFL.com profile