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Woodson set for Hall of Fame induction
By Jerry DiPaola, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, August 7, 2009
[url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_637164.html"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 37164.html[/url]
The noise streaming from the big mouth of the third-year cornerback finally became too much for Rod Rust to ignore.
As the Steelers' defensive coordinator, Rust was talking to his players during a walk-through practice one day in 1989, trying to share wisdom gained from a coaching career that eventually spanned five decades. Meanwhile, one disruptive young man in the group just would not shut up.
"I was disrespecting him," Rod Woodson said Thursday. "I was talking while he was talking. When we came off the field, he gave me a tongue-lashing."
Luckily for Woodson, it didn't end there.
"He asked me: 'Do you want to learn how to think like a coach?' I didn't have anything else to do, so he took me into a meeting room, and we broke down (film of opposing) offenses."
Strangely, that confrontation became one of the defining moments in one of the greatest playing careers in NFL history.
"He was the one coach who challenged me as a player," Woodson said. "Without him taking me into that meeting room by myself and showing me how to tackle offenses, I don't know what would have happened.
"The green light went on. I realized what it took."
From that moment, Woodson's career accelerated, coming to rest, finally, in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He'll be inducted Saturday in Canton, Ohio, along with players Bob Hayes, Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith and Derrick Thomas and Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr.
Woodson, 44, was elected in his first year of eligibility and will become the 20th Hall of Famer with Steelers ties. His presenter will be business associate Tracy Foster, a childhood friend and rival from Fort Wayne, Ind.
After the '89 season, Woodson was named a first-team All-Pro cornerback, his first of six such honors in a 17-year career, and he played in his first of 11 Pro Bowls. Five years later — and 10 years before he retired — he was named to the NFL's 75th anniversary team.
Woodson retired as the all-time NFL leader in interceptions returned for touchdowns (12) and yards (1,483), but his time in Pittsburgh wasn't always rosy.
An All-American at Purdue, he was the 10th selection in the 1987 draft, but with a players' strike going on, he didn't sign a contract until November. He considered pursuing a career as a hurdler with an eye on the 1988 Olympics, and he was invited — but did not attend — the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. He did join the European track circuit, recording the fourth-best time in the world in the 110-meter hurdles (13.29 seconds).
"I beat everybody, except (1984 Olympic silver medalist) Greg Foster," he said. "It would have been exciting to run in the trials, but I was a football player who ran track. When the strike was over and the league started up again, I knew I wanted to come back."
And when he did, Woodson never stopped working.
"He did his job, and that's the biggest difference that separates a lot of college players," said Steelers assistant head coach John Mitchell, who joined the team late in Woodson's time in Pittsburgh. "They don't understand it's a job. And you've got to get better at your job every day because somebody's trying to take your job."
In the 1995 season opener, Woodson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while trying to tackle Barry Sanders. Out of respect to Woodson's work ethic, coach Bill Cowher saved him a roster spot.
Sure enough, Woodson recovered in time to play nickel back in Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys only four months after the injury. At one point, he broke up a pass to Michael Irvin and gleefully jumped up and pointed to his reconstructed knee as a badge of honor.
"I got a little excited, but we still lost the game," he said.
The Steelers incorrectly thought Woodson's injury and a sore shoulder stripped him of his special athleticism, and they did not offer him enough money — in Woodson's view — when he became a free agent in 1996.
Woodson played seven more seasons with three teams, moving to safety and helping the Baltimore Ravens win a Super Bowl and getting there with the Oakland Raiders.
All these years later, he said he doesn't hold a grudge against the Steelers.
"They did the best thing for their organization, and I thought I did the best thing for me," he said. "Unfortunately, we parted ways. But if I wouldn't have left Pittsburgh, I wouldn't have gotten a ring."
In retirement, Woodson lives with his wife Nickie and their five children in northern California. He is an analyst for the NFL Network, and on off days, he helps coach his 16-year-old son Demitrius' football team at Valley Christian High School.
"I try not to step on too many toes," he said.
Meanwhile, Woodson has taken up the cause of men's health, joining The Depend Campaign to End Prostate Cancer.
Woodson said he didn't know much about the disease that took the life of Hayes in 2002 until he discovered it strikes one in four black men. He is encouraging men to get the prostate screening, which he did a few weeks ago.
"It's an easy test," he said. "You get it done in the doctor's office in five minutes."
For more information, visit Dependpca.com.
Meanwhile, Woodson is studying for the ministry at a church in Dublin, Calif.
So far, he hasn't done much preaching.
"That's God's call," he said. "I will go where he leads me."
By Jerry DiPaola, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, August 7, 2009
[url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_637164.html"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 37164.html[/url]
The noise streaming from the big mouth of the third-year cornerback finally became too much for Rod Rust to ignore.
As the Steelers' defensive coordinator, Rust was talking to his players during a walk-through practice one day in 1989, trying to share wisdom gained from a coaching career that eventually spanned five decades. Meanwhile, one disruptive young man in the group just would not shut up.
"I was disrespecting him," Rod Woodson said Thursday. "I was talking while he was talking. When we came off the field, he gave me a tongue-lashing."
Luckily for Woodson, it didn't end there.
"He asked me: 'Do you want to learn how to think like a coach?' I didn't have anything else to do, so he took me into a meeting room, and we broke down (film of opposing) offenses."
Strangely, that confrontation became one of the defining moments in one of the greatest playing careers in NFL history.
"He was the one coach who challenged me as a player," Woodson said. "Without him taking me into that meeting room by myself and showing me how to tackle offenses, I don't know what would have happened.
"The green light went on. I realized what it took."
From that moment, Woodson's career accelerated, coming to rest, finally, in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He'll be inducted Saturday in Canton, Ohio, along with players Bob Hayes, Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith and Derrick Thomas and Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr.
Woodson, 44, was elected in his first year of eligibility and will become the 20th Hall of Famer with Steelers ties. His presenter will be business associate Tracy Foster, a childhood friend and rival from Fort Wayne, Ind.
After the '89 season, Woodson was named a first-team All-Pro cornerback, his first of six such honors in a 17-year career, and he played in his first of 11 Pro Bowls. Five years later — and 10 years before he retired — he was named to the NFL's 75th anniversary team.
Woodson retired as the all-time NFL leader in interceptions returned for touchdowns (12) and yards (1,483), but his time in Pittsburgh wasn't always rosy.
An All-American at Purdue, he was the 10th selection in the 1987 draft, but with a players' strike going on, he didn't sign a contract until November. He considered pursuing a career as a hurdler with an eye on the 1988 Olympics, and he was invited — but did not attend — the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. He did join the European track circuit, recording the fourth-best time in the world in the 110-meter hurdles (13.29 seconds).
"I beat everybody, except (1984 Olympic silver medalist) Greg Foster," he said. "It would have been exciting to run in the trials, but I was a football player who ran track. When the strike was over and the league started up again, I knew I wanted to come back."
And when he did, Woodson never stopped working.
"He did his job, and that's the biggest difference that separates a lot of college players," said Steelers assistant head coach John Mitchell, who joined the team late in Woodson's time in Pittsburgh. "They don't understand it's a job. And you've got to get better at your job every day because somebody's trying to take your job."
In the 1995 season opener, Woodson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while trying to tackle Barry Sanders. Out of respect to Woodson's work ethic, coach Bill Cowher saved him a roster spot.
Sure enough, Woodson recovered in time to play nickel back in Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys only four months after the injury. At one point, he broke up a pass to Michael Irvin and gleefully jumped up and pointed to his reconstructed knee as a badge of honor.
"I got a little excited, but we still lost the game," he said.
The Steelers incorrectly thought Woodson's injury and a sore shoulder stripped him of his special athleticism, and they did not offer him enough money — in Woodson's view — when he became a free agent in 1996.
Woodson played seven more seasons with three teams, moving to safety and helping the Baltimore Ravens win a Super Bowl and getting there with the Oakland Raiders.
All these years later, he said he doesn't hold a grudge against the Steelers.
"They did the best thing for their organization, and I thought I did the best thing for me," he said. "Unfortunately, we parted ways. But if I wouldn't have left Pittsburgh, I wouldn't have gotten a ring."
In retirement, Woodson lives with his wife Nickie and their five children in northern California. He is an analyst for the NFL Network, and on off days, he helps coach his 16-year-old son Demitrius' football team at Valley Christian High School.
"I try not to step on too many toes," he said.
Meanwhile, Woodson has taken up the cause of men's health, joining The Depend Campaign to End Prostate Cancer.
Woodson said he didn't know much about the disease that took the life of Hayes in 2002 until he discovered it strikes one in four black men. He is encouraging men to get the prostate screening, which he did a few weeks ago.
"It's an easy test," he said. "You get it done in the doctor's office in five minutes."
For more information, visit Dependpca.com.
Meanwhile, Woodson is studying for the ministry at a church in Dublin, Calif.
So far, he hasn't done much preaching.
"That's God's call," he said. "I will go where he leads me."
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