Charles Woodson was born on October 7, 1976, in Freemont, Ohio. Woodson was born with club feet, but he overcame that condition and adversity to be named Mr. Football in the state of Ohio at Ross High School his senior year. That year, Woodson had 2,028 total yards and scored 230 points.
Instead of staying in his home state of Ohio, Woodson instead went to the University of Michigan, where he played for three years. In his freshman year, Woodson was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, plus was named All-Big Ten by the coaches. In his sophomore year, Woodson was named the Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year and an AP first-team All-American. No. 2 was also named All-Big Ten first-team by conference coaches and the media.
Woodson was a multi-threat weapon for the Wolverines, as he played defensive back, wide receiver, plus returned punts and that versatility was on full display his junior year. He was named to the All-Big Ten first-team for the third year and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. It was his second year winning the Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year award and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Woodson won the Jim Thorpe Award, an award which he was nominated for the previous year. But the two big prizes were winning the Heisman Trophy and also having his Michigan team win the 1997 national championship.
Woodson finished his college career with 18 interceptions and 30 passes defended.
In the 1998 NFL draft, Woodson was drafted fourth overall by the Oakland Raiders in the first round. As a rookie, Woodson was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, as he recorded 64 tackles, picked off five passes, including one for a touchdown. He also was named to the Pro Bowl squad.
In 1999, Woodson went to the Pro Bowl again, plus was named first-team All-Pro. The Pro Bowl trend continued for Woodson in Oakland, as he was also put on the squad in 2000 and 2001. In the 2001 AFC playoffs, Woodson was involved in one of the most famous plays in NFL history, as it appeared he had forced a fumble by quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. However, the officials ruled that Brady was attempting to pass and the fumble call was overturned. A year later, Woodson did play in the Super Bowl, but he played with a plate in his leg, as the Raiders were blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48-21. Woodson continued to play with the Raiders through 2005 until he was released by the team.
Woodson considered retiring at that point and he reluctantly signed with the Green Bay Packers. After a squabble with one of his coaches, Woodson soon became one of the leaders of the Packers. It was at this point that Woodson had the best period of his NFL career, as he played with the Pack until 2012.
In seven years in Green Bay, No. 21 had 38 interceptions (nine for touchdowns), 99 passes defended, 15 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown), 11.5 sacks and had 467 total tackles. Woodson was named to four straight Pro Bowls from 2008 through 2011, plus was named first-team All-Pro in both 2009 and 2011.In 2009, Woodson was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year. A year later, Woodson and the Packers were Super Bowl champions, as Green Bay defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV.
In 2013, Woodson returned to Oakland with the Raiders, where he finished out his NFL career in 2015. All told as a Raider in 11 seasons, No. 24 had 27 interceptions (two for touchdowns), 84 passes defended, 18 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown), 8.5 sacks and 753 total tackles.
Expect to see Woodson enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021, as he finished his NFL career with an incredible stat line overall. In 18 seasons, Woodson had 65 interceptions (11 for touchdowns), 183 passes defended, 33 forced fumbles, 18 fumble recoveries (two for touchdowns), 20 sacks and 1,220 total tackles.
While playing in Oakland, Woodson developed an interest in wine and he partnered with former Robert Mondavi winemaker Rick Ruiz to develop a signature wine label, “Twentyfour by Charles Woodson”.
In 2009, Woodson contributed $2 million to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital for pediatric research. Woodson has his own charitable foundation to support the fight against breast cancer known as “Charles Woodson Foundation”.
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