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Today in Patriots History
Danny Woodhead
Danny Woodhead
Happy 40th birthday to Danny Woodhead
Born Jan 25, 1985 in North Platte, Nebraska
Patriot RB, 2010-2012; uniform #39
Signed as a free agent on Sept 18, 2010
Pats résumé: 3 seasons, 45 games; 2,181 yards from scrimmage, 14 touchdowns; 231 yards and one TD in six playoff games
At 5'8 and 175 pounds, no college football powerhouses were interested in Danny Woodhead. He stayed local and went to the school his parents attended, division 2 Chadron State. While there he set NCAA records for most rushing yards in a single season (2,740), most 200 yard rushing games (19) and consecutive games scoring a touchdown (39).
Was it a Freudian slip when Jon Gruden would repeatedly call the Pats RB "Danny Woodcock" on Monday Night Football?
Between his size and being a D2 player, the NFL took the same approach as colleges did, and did not invite Woodhead to the rookie combine. The running back was only able to show off his abilities at a pro day; his times in the 40 and vertical would have ranked second among running backs, and his 60 yard shuttle was better than any RB at the combine.
The Jets signed Woodhead as an undrafted free agent immediately after the 2008 draft. He spent '08 on injured reserve after tearing his ACL early in training camp, and was released after one game in '09. When the Pats signed Woodhead a few days later, many suspected it was simply an intel move based on New England's week two opponent. A roster spot had opened up when Denver, decimated by injuries, was in dire need of a running back - and was willing to pay a steep price in a trade for Laurence Maroney. The Pats still had Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Kevin Faulk, so fleecing the Broncos for a player that was not going to see any action was a smart move. Woodhead was viewed as a developmental player behind those older veterans. He was inactive for the game vs the Jete - but Faulk suffered a season-ending knee injury that day.
The next week Woodhead saw limited action, but made the most of it, gaining 42 yards on three carries and scoring a 22-yard touchdown in a 38-30 win over Buffalo. His playing time quickly increased as it was apparent he was not only a capable runner and receiver, but also a reliable player who rarely fumbled or dropped a pass, willing to effectively block much larger pass rushers.
Danny Woodhead played in 45 regular season games in three years in New England. He scored 14 touchdowns and gained 2,181 yards from scrimmage, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 10.7 ypc on 92 receptions; he also returned 22 kicks for another 48 yards. Woodhead also played in six playoff games for the Patriots, with one touchdown.
San Diego signed Woodhead as an unrestricted free agent on March 15, 2013; he retired from pro football on March 17, 2018. In ten NFL seasons Woodhead had 5,694 all purpose yards with 15 rushing touchdowns, 17 receiving TD, and two 2-point conversions.
One Last Word from Danny Woodhead
Danny Woodhead made a name for himself in the NFL by being the everyman's player, the underdog, the undrafted 5' 8" running back, full of grit. As he announces his retirement, he looks back on all that and reflects on what's to come.
www.si.com
Danny Woodhead made a name for himself in the NFL by being the everyman's player, the underdog, the undrafted running back with a diminutive 5' 8" frame, full of grit.
Danny Woodhead (2023) - Chadron State College Athletic Hall of Fame - Chadron State College Athletics
Danny Woodhead, Class: 2007 Induction: 2023 Sport(s): Football - Danny Woodhead is undoubtedly the most successful and well-known football player that Nebraska has
chadroneagles.com
Although just 5-8, 185 pounds when he arrived at Chadron State in the fall of 2004, he had already come up big in everything he had done athletically. As a senior at North Platte High School when he rushed for 2,037 yards and 31 touchdowns, he was the Nebraska Gatorade Football Player of the Year, offensive captain of both the Omaha World-Herald’s and Lincoln Journal Star’s all-class, all-state football teams and was Huskerland Report’s Player of the Year.
Since both of Woodhead’s parents, Mark and Annette, were Chadron State graduates and older brother Ben was a senior wide receiver on the CSC team, the Eagles had an inside track in landing him.
Danny didn’t start the first game his freshman year, but he clinched the starting job in the third game when he rushed for a school-record 306 yards and scored five touchdowns. It launched a fantastic career. He would rush for 300-plus yards three more times, set the NCAA II record for most 200-yard or more games (19), score touchdowns in 38 consecutive games and romp at least 50 yards to the end zone 21 times.
He became college football’s all-time leading rusher with 7,962 yards, rolled up 9,480 all-purpose yards and scored 109 touchdowns (tying him for the most in college football annals), helping him win two Harlon Hill Trophies, which go to Division II’s outstanding player.
In addition, Woodhead was NCAA Division II’s National Scholar-Athlete as a senior in 2007 and graduated with a 3.72 GPA as a health and physical education and math major. Two years later, he was voted the RMAC’s All-Time Outstanding Offensive Player when its All-Century Team was selected. He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
Danny Woodhead - 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Spotlight - National Football Foundation
Danny Woodhead wasn't sure what was coming, even if he had inadvertently gotten tipped off.
footballfoundation.org
Woodhead is the first Chadron State player to make the Hall, an honor that is not lost upon him and all of the other overlooked players like him at the Division II level.
He was the Nebraska Gatorade Football Player of the Year, but he had no Division I offers. Chadron State was in his lineage, with his parents having attended the school and with his brother Ben playing as an Eagles receiver during Danny's freshman year.
"I didn't know what to expect, because at the end of the day, I played high school football," Woodhead said of college. "I don't care what anyone says: Division II has some really good football players who just got bypassed by D1 for different reasons. Now there's some that you know they're Division II players, but there are a lot of D2 players that could be D1. At big schools, too.
"And so you get there, and it's college football, just like anything else. I didn't know what I was getting into. The speed change is completely different, but obviously something that once you have a little bit of time, a little bit of practice, a little training camp you can adjust to."
Woodhead starred from the get-go, rushing for a school-record 306 yards in his just third career game, adding five touchdowns. It was a sign of what was to come, as the 5-foot-8, 185-pounder ended up tearing through the school and national record books.
Woodhead finished his career as college football's all-time leading rusher, with 7,962 yards, and his 109 touchdowns tied a career record. He tallied 9,480 all-purpose yards, four 300-yard rushing games, posted a Division II-record 19 games of 200 or more rushing yards and once scored a touchdown in 38 straight games.
A 2007 NFF National Scholar-Athlete and Campbell Trophy® finalist, Woodhead also excelled in the classroom, notching a 3.72 GPA as a double major. He was named a CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American in 2006 and 2007.
The biggest venue Woodhead remembers playing in was Montana State, where in 2006 he rushed for 215 yards on 33 carries in leading Chadron State to a 35-24 upset just one week after the Bobcats had shocked Colorado.
"I think that first (NFL) offseason, not that you arrived, but like you're like, OK, I can play with these guys," Woodhead said of knowing he was ready for the pros. "Like it's not not a big deal, but I didn't feel like people could maybe stay with me, maybe in coverage, or I could outrun people. And not that I questioned that ever, but it's just once you're there and doing it, you're like OK, I belong here."
Just as he did at Chadron State, where he twice won the Harlon Hill Trophy, which goes to the nation's top Division II player. And now, the Eagles can boast about a College Football Hall of Famer.
"It's small-town Nebraska, maybe 6,000 people there when school is in session. I mean, it's a small town," Woodhead said. "But man, it was right where I needed to be.
"Did I want to go to Nebraska? Yes, I did. But it wasn't in the cards and I'm OK with that. . .
Woodhead named to 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class - Chadron State College Athletics
CHADRON, Neb. -- Danny Woodhead, a Chadron State Football running back from 2004-07, has been selected as a member of the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class,
chadroneagles.com
In addition, Woodhead was NCAA Division II's National Scholar-Athlete as a senior in 2007 and graduated with a 3.72 GPA as a health and physical education and math major. Two years later, he was voted the RMAC's All-Time Outstanding Offensive Player when its All-Century Team was selected. He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
He was not drafted by an NFL team in the spring of 2008, but ended up enjoying a 10-year career in the National Football League.
After playing in 11 games for the New York Jets before being released, the Patriots quickly nabbed him and he played for them the next three years, rushing for 547 yards and five touchdowns in 2010 and catching a TD pass from Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.
The next four years he was an all-purpose back for the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers. He also was an invaluable piece of Philip Rivers' arsenal. He caught 76 passes for 605 yards and six touchdowns his first year there in 2013.
Woodhead, who was inducted into CSC's Hall of Fame this year, will officially be inducted into the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at the 66th National Football Foundation Annual Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A total of 5.7 million people has played or coached college football and only 1,304 (0.02%) of them can claim the honor of being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame like Danny Woodhead can.
Best of Danny Woodhead | Patriots & Chargers Highlights
5:54 Highlight Video
Where NFL Players Go When They Retire | NFL Films Presents
7:18 NFL Films Video
Woodhead feature on ESPN
7:54 Video
Danny Woodhead Interview a 10 year NFL Vet (Jets, Patriots, Chargers, Ravens)
46:52 Interview
Danny Woodhead Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Checkout the latest stats for Danny Woodhead. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, college, draft, and more on Pro-football-reference.com.
www.pro-football-reference.com
