Frank Thomas

Woodson Notable Sports Figures
Career Statistics
clinch Michigan’s victory. Both Michigan and Nebraska
ended the season undefeated and were each touted as the
national champion in different polls.
Wins Heisman Trophy
Only a couple of weeks before the Rose Bowl, Woodson
made history when he became the first primarily defensive
player to win college football’s most prestigious
award, the Heisman Trophy. It was a controversial decision,
protested by some who felt that University of Tennessee
quarterback Peyton Manning was more
deserving of the honor. Shortly after Michigan’s Rose
Bowl win, Woodson announced that he would forgo his
senior year of college in order to be eligible for the 1998
National Football League (NFL) draft. He was picked
fourth overall in the first round of the draft by the Oakland
Raiders, becoming the seventh Heisman Trophy
winner to play for the team. Others have included Marcus
Allen, Tim Brown, Billy Cannon, Desmond Howard,
Bo Jackson, and Jim Plunkett.
Woodson, who had signed a six-year, $20 million contract
with the Raiders, enjoyed an outstanding rookie year
in pro football, winning the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of
the Year Award at season’s end. He finished the 1998 season
with five interceptions and was named an alternative
to the postseason Pro Bowl. Of Woodson, teammate Albert
Lewis, a 16-year veteran cornerback, told the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch: “He’s an outstanding athlete with
ability and confidence, and he doesn’t get rattled. Most
guys don’t come into this league looking as good as he
does at that position, and he may be the best I’ve seen at
his age. He’ll experience some adversity, but for him to be
1806
Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
Yr Team GP TOT SOLO AST SACK FF BK INT TD
1998 OAK 16 64 62 2 0.0 2 0 5 1
1999 OAK 16 61 53 8 0.0 0 1 1 1
2000 OAK 16 79 67 12 0.0 3 0 4 0
2001 OAK 16 53 42 11 2.0 1 1 1 0
2002 OAK 8 37 36 1 0.0 4 0 1 0
TOTAL 72 294 257 37 2.0 10 0 12 2
OAK: Oakland Raiders.
Awards and Accomplishments
1992-94 Wins All-State honors at Ross High School
1994 Named Ohio High School Player of the Year
1995 Named Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year
1997 Named College Player of the Year by Sporting News
1997 Wins Heisman Trophy
1998 Named NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year
playing at that level this early is a rare occurrence.” Asked
to grade himself on his rookie season, Woodson told the
Dallas Morning News: “I’d give myself a B-minus. I
played pretty good, but I didn’t do a lot of the little things I
could have done, as far as watching more film, doing a lot
more studying. I pretty much played off athletic ability.”
Early in the 2002 season, Woodson fractured his right
shoulder in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a
result he missed several games but was back in action
later in the season. Commenting on the loss of Woodson
to injury, coach Bill Callahan said, “He will be missed.
It’s a blow, because he’s a four-time Pro Bowl player.
When you a quality corner of Charles’ caliber, who’s
played at an all-star level, that’s hard to replace. It’s
something we have to overcome.” With only five seasons
under his belt, the final chapter to the story of
Woodson’s football career is unlikely to be written for
another decade or so, barring serious injury. For now, he
is doing what he loves.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: c/o Oakland Raiders, 1220 Harbor Bay Pkwy.,
Alameda, CA 94502. Phone: (510) 864-5000.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Books
“Charles Woodson.” Sports Stars, Series 5. Detroit:
U•X•L, 1999.
Periodicals
“For Heisman, Good Defense Beats Best Offense.” USA
Today (December 16, 1997): 14A.
Layden, Tim. “College Football: Double Threat Michigan’s
Charles Woodson Is a Dazzling Two-Way Player,
and He’s Not Alone in His Versatility.” Sports
Illustrated (November 18, 1996): 44.
Peterson, Anne M. “Raiders Sign Heisman Trophy Winner
Charles Woodson.” AP Online (July 21, 1998).