99 Facts About Charles Woodson

1.

Charles Cameron Woodson was born on October 7,1976 and is an American former professional football player who played as a cornerback and safety in the National Football League for 18 seasons with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers.

2.

Charles Woodson played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, winning the Heisman Trophy and the 1997 national championship as a junior.

3.

Charles Woodson left the Raiders after eight seasons to join the Packers, where he played his next seven seasons.

4.

Charles Woodson returned to the Raiders for his last three seasons, earning his ninth Pro Bowl selection in his final year.

5.

One of the NFL's most decorated players, Charles Woodson is tied with Rod Charles Woodson and Darren Sharper for the most defensive touchdowns, second in interceptions returned for touchdowns, and tied with Ken Riley for the fifth-most interceptions.

6.

Charles Woodson is one of the few players to appear in a Pro Bowl during three different decades.

7.

Charles Woodson was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

8.

Charles Woodson attended the University of Michigan, where he played for coach Lloyd Carr's Wolverines teams from 1995 to 1997.

9.

Charles Woodson became the starter after the second game of his freshman season and played in 34 straight games.

10.

In 1995, Charles Woodson was selected as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

11.

Charles Woodson was named to the All-Big Ten First-team by conference coaches, and second-team All-Big Ten by the media.

12.

Charles Woodson led the team with five interceptions and eight takeaways.

13.

In 1996, Charles Woodson set a Wolverine record for pass breakups with 15.

14.

Charles Woodson was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and named to All-Big Ten First-team by conference coaches and the media.

15.

Charles Woodson received 282 more voting points than runner-up Peyton Manning of Tennessee.

16.

Charles Woodson was the first and is still the only primarily defensive player to win the prestigious award.

17.

Charles Woodson led the Michigan Wolverines to an undefeated season and a share of the national championship in the same year.

18.

Charles Woodson won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the best defensive college player.

19.

Charles Woodson was named to the All-Big Ten First-team for the third year and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.

20.

Charles Woodson won the Jim Thorpe Award, an award which he was nominated for the previous year.

21.

Charles Woodson recorded another end-zone interception in the game, helping Michigan defeat the Cougars and win a share of the 1997 national championship.

22.

Charles Woodson finished his college career with 16 interceptions and 30 passes defended.

23.

Charles Woodson was joined in the honor by Tom Harmon, Desmond Howard, and Anthony Carter.

24.

Charles Woodson declared his eligibility for the NFL Draft following his junior season at Michigan and was selected as the fourth overall pick in the 1998 Draft by the Oakland Raiders.

25.

Charles Woodson started all sixteen games, becoming the first rookie Raider since 1971 to do so.

26.

Charles Woodson was third in the league in interceptions, returned one interception for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals, and produced one forced fumble.

27.

In 1999, Charles Woodson had his first career reception, a 19-yard catch, against the San Diego Chargers on November 14.

28.

Charles Woodson finished the season with 61 total tackles and a fumble recovery to go along with the pick-six.

29.

Charles Woodson was selected to his second Pro Bowl and was named All-Pro by the Associated Press.

30.

Charles Woodson finished the year with a career-high 79 tackles, intercepted four passes, forced three fumbles, and recovered one fumble.

31.

Charles Woodson was named to the All-Pro team by Sports Illustrated, and second-team honors from the Associated Press.

32.

In 2001, his fourth year in the NFL, Charles Woodson started sixteen games.

33.

Charles Woodson finished with two sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one blocked field goal.

34.

Charles Woodson returned punts for the first time in the NFL, returning four punts for 47 yards.

35.

Charles Woodson was named to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl.

36.

Charles Woodson made All-Pro teams of The Sporting News and College and Pro Football Newsweekly and the All-AFC squad of Football News.

37.

Charles Woodson became unhappy with new head coach Bill Callahan, and criticized him during the season.

38.

Charles Woodson remained healthy for the entire season, starting in his first fifteen games.

39.

Charles Woodson's contract was set to expire after the season.

40.

Charles Woodson reached an agreement with Oakland and was labeled as a franchise player.

41.

Charles Woodson finished the season with 73 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, one interception, nine passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

42.

Charles Woodson finished the season with 30 total tackles, one interception, four passes defensed, and one forced fumble.

43.

Charles Woodson earned $10.5 million in the first year of the deal and $18 million over the first three years.

44.

Charles Woodson would have received a $3 million bonus if he was selected to the Pro Bowl in two of the first three years of the contract.

45.

Charles Woodson has stated that at the time of the contract he "did not want to come to Green Bay" due to a perception that the city is less than cosmopolitan, but was forced to do so because the Packers were the only team to offer him a contract.

46.

Free of any major injuries during the 2006 season, Charles Woodson led the National Football Conference with eight interceptions.

47.

At the time, that was the most interceptions Charles Woodson had recorded in a single season.

48.

Charles Woodson was used as his team's starting punt returner for the first time in his NFL career, returning 41 punts for 363 yards.

49.

Charles Woodson recorded an interception in the game, his first of the season.

50.

Charles Woodson was named the NFC's Defensive Player of the Week for his performance versus the Redskins, which was the first time he had received that award.

51.

Charles Woodson finished the season with 63 total tackles, four interceptions, nine passes defensed, and two fumble recoveries.

52.

Charles Woodson returned the second interception 41 yards for a touchdown.

53.

Charles Woodson was named NFL Defensive Player of the Month for September in 2008.

54.

On December 16,2008, Charles Woodson was named to his fifth Pro Bowl, his first with the Packers.

55.

Charles Woodson is the first player in NFL history to have a sack, two forced fumbles, and an interception in a game.

56.

Charles Woodson was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.

57.

On November 26,2009, Charles Woodson had an impressive Thanksgiving game at Ford Field against the Detroit Lions.

58.

Charles Woodson recorded seven tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and recovery, four passes defended and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

59.

Charles Woodson covered star receiver Calvin Johnson and limited him to two catches for 10 yards.

60.

In January 2010, Charles Woodson was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for December 2009.

61.

Charles Woodson is the only defensive player to ever receive this award three times in the same season, and joins Barry Sanders and Mike Vanderjagt as the only NFL players to receive a Player of the Month award three times in a single season.

62.

Charles Woodson had more interceptions in his first four years with the Packers than he did in his previous eight with the Raiders.

63.

Charles Woodson has more touchdowns and sacks with the Packers than he did during his time in Oakland.

64.

Charles Woodson holds the Packers' franchise record for most defensive touchdowns.

65.

Charles Woodson won the 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.

66.

Charles Woodson earned his sixth Pro Bowl and second First Team All-Pro nomination.

67.

Charles Woodson was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team for the 2000s.

68.

On September 9,2010, despite having three years left on his current contract, a thirty-three-year-old Charles Woodson was offered and signed a two-year extension with the Packers, adding five years and $55 million to his existing pact.

69.

Charles Woodson was named to the 2011 Pro Bowl as a starting cornerback.

70.

Charles Woodson provided a huge performance, limiting Pro-Bowler DeSean Jackson to just two catches, and recorded five tackles in the Packers' win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round on January 9,2011.

71.

Charles Woodson played an important role in Dom Capers' defense in playoff victories against the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round and the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship and started against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.

72.

An emotional Charles Woodson gave a speech to his teammates during halftime.

73.

Charles Woodson told the team if the President did not want to see the Packers play in the Super Bowl then they would go to the White House.

74.

Charles Woodson responded by handing Barack Obama a certificate stating that Obama is a minority owner of the Packers.

75.

The number and terms veteran cornerback Charles Woodson used during his memorable postgame locker-room speech following the NFC Championship in Chicago.

76.

Charles Woodson was ranked 16th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.

77.

When Charles Woodson intercepted Cam Newton against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2 of the 2011 season, it marked the fourth time he intercepted a fellow Heisman Trophy winner.

78.

Charles Woodson finished the season with 74 total tackles, seven interceptions, one pick-six, 17 passes defensed, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two sacks.

79.

Charles Woodson earned his eighth Pro Bowl and third First Team All-Pro nomination.

80.

Charles Woodson started the 2012 season in a different role for the Packers, hoping to fill the void left by free safety Nick Collins, who had been out of football for almost a year with a neck injury.

81.

Charles Woodson sat out several weeks with the broken collarbone, but made it back for the first playoff game, the Wild Card Round against the Minnesota Vikings.

82.

Charles Woodson helped the Packers defeat the Vikings, but they would fall to the 49ers the following week in the Divisional Round.

83.

Charles Woodson was ranked 85th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.

84.

On May 21,2013, Charles Woodson signed a one-year deal with the Oakland Raiders.

85.

Charles Woodson played in the preseason and started in week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts.

86.

Charles Woodson earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his game against the Chargers.

87.

In Week 14 of the 2014 season, Charles Woodson earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

88.

Charles Woodson finished the 2014 season with 111 total tackles, four interceptions, eight passes defensed, one fumble recovery, and one sack.

89.

Charles Woodson was ranked 64th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.

90.

Charles Woodson lived up to his word and picked off Manning two times.

91.

Charles Woodson finished his final season with 74 total tackles, five interceptions, nine passes defensed, one forced fumble, and four fumble recoveries.

92.

Charles Woodson was named to the Pro Bowl in his final season.

93.

On February 12,2016, it was announced that Charles Woodson would be joining ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, replacing Keyshawn Johnson for the upcoming season.

94.

Charles Woodson served in that capacity until 2018 when he moved to Fox Sports to cover college football as an analyst.

95.

Charles Woodson is an oenophile who developed his interest in wine while playing football for the first time in Oakland, near the Napa Valley.

96.

Charles Woodson partnered with former Robert Mondavi winemaker Rick Ruiz to develop a signature wine label, "Twentyfour by Charles Woodson".

97.

Charles Woodson is based in Napa, California, and is a small boutique winery, producing fewer than one thousand cases per year of its two varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

98.

Charles Woodson was previously arrested twice: in 2000 for DUI, and in 2004 for public intoxication after refusing to get out of a woman's car.

99.

In October 2012, Charles Woodson donated $100,000 to the Hurricane Sandy relief effort.