Darren Ray Woodson was born on April 25,1969 and is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as a safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League from 1992 to 2003.
57 Facts About Darren Woodson
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Darren Woodson played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils, and was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 1992 NFL draft with the 37th overall pick.
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Darren Woodson was a teammate of Phillippi Sparks, who would go on to play nine seasons in the NFL.
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Darren Woodson served as team captain as a senior in 1991 and earned a degree in criminal justice.
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Darren Woodson participated at Arizona State's pro day and performed positional drills and ran a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash.
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Darren Woodson was the third safety drafted in 1992 and was selected with one of the draft picks the Dallas Cowboys acquired from the Minnesota Vikings in the Herschel Walker trade.
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Darren Woodson finished his rookie season in 1992 as a backup safety and an extra defensive back on the nickel defense.
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Darren Woodson appeared on special teams and led team with 19 special teams tackles and had one sack on defense in 16 games and two starts.
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Darren Woodson made the decision to play with his broken forearm before it had fully healed.
10.
Everett replaced Washington as the starting free safety with Darren Woodson taking over Everett's role as the starting strong safety.
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Darren Woodson finished the 1993 NFL season with 102 combined tackles in 16 games and 15 starts.
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Darren Woodson made his first career interception off a pass by Packers quarterback Brett Favre during the game.
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Darren Woodson was named the starting strong safety to start the regular season and started alongside free safety James Washington and cornerbacks Larry Brown and Kevin Smith.
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Darren Woodson intercepted a pass by Oilers'quarterback Bucky Richardson, that was intended for wide receiver Haywood Jeffires, and returned it for a three-yard gain in the third quarter.
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Darren Woodson started in all 16 games in 1994 and recorded 78 combined tackles, a career-high five interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
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Head coach Barry Switzer named Darren Woodson the starting strong safety in 1995 and paired him with free safety Brock Marion.
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Darren Woodson intercepted a pass by Redskins quarterback Gus Frerotte, that was intended for defensive end Tony Woods and returned it for a 37-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
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Darren Woodson started in all 16 games in 1995 and recorded 94 combined tackles, two interceptions, and a touchdown.
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Darren Woodson was selected to play in the 1996 Pro Bowl, marking the first selection of his career.
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Darren Woodson earned his third Super Bowl victory in four seasons.
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Darren Woodson has a combination of size speed and lateral movement that is rare in a strong safety.
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Darren Woodson is the kind of guy coaches like to build a team around.
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Darren Woodson started in all 16 games in 1996 and recorded 78 combined tackles, five interceptions, and made a career-high three sacks.
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Darren Woodson was inactive for the Cowboys' Week 9 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles due to an injury.
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Darren Woodson was sidelined for Dallas' Week 14 loss to the Tennessee Oilers after sustaining an injury the previous week.
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Darren Woodson finished the 1997 season with 73 combined tackles, two sacks, and an interception in 14 games and 14 starts.
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Darren Woodson was selected to play in the 1998 Pro Bowl.
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Darren Woodson finished the 1998 NFL season with 77 combined tackles, three sacks, and an interception in 16 games and 15 starts.
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Darren Woodson recorded two tackles and intercepted a pass by Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer during the game.
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Darren Woodson returned as the starting strong safety, but was paired with free safety George Teague.
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Darren Woodson was sidelined for the Cowboys' Week 5 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Darren Woodson completed the 1999 NFL season with 70 combined tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a sack in 15 games and 15 starts.
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Darren Woodson was ejected after he became upset when officials didn't call a penalty on 49ers' center Jeremy Newberry.
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Darren Woodson was inactive for the last five games of the regular season due to his fractured forearm.
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Darren Woodson finished the season with 71 combined tackles and two interceptions in 11 games and 11 starts.
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Darren Woodson started in all 16 games in 2001 and recorded 87 combined tackles, seven pass deflections, and three interceptions.
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On October 22,2002, Darren Woodson delivered a devastating hit to Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Darrell Jackson.
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The crown of Darren Woodson's helmet hit Jackson under his chin.
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Darren Woodson surpassed the Cowboys' franchise record for career tackles against the Seattle Seahawks.
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On November 26,2002, the Cowboys placed Darren Woodson on injured reserve for the remaining five games of the regular season.
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Darren Woodson finished the season with 49 combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception in ten games and ten starts.
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Darren Woodson started in all 16 games in 2003 and recorded 85 combined tackles, 14 pass deflections, an interception, and a sack.
43.
On July 27,2004, Darren Woodson underwent surgery to remove a herniated disc and was unable to physically participate in training camp.
44.
Darren Woodson sustained the injury while working out the previous week.
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On December 29,2004, Darren Woodson officially announced his retirement from the NFL.
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Darren Woodson was the last remaining member of the Dallas Cowboys dynasty.
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Darren Woodson retired as the Dallas Cowboys' all-time leading tackler with 1,350 career tackles.
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In October 2008, Darren Woodson became a first-time candidate on the Pro Football Hall of Fame's preliminary list.
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Darren Woodson is the eighth defensive player inducted into the Ring of Honor, and just the second who played in the 1990s era, along with Charles Haley.
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The only Cowboys player to suit up for both Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells, Darren Woodson had a rare ability to play both the run and the pass.
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In today's game, most teams put their best cover corner in the slot, but Darren Woodson did that for years from the safety position.
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Darren Woodson made his presence known on the football field, but played within the scheme and played smart.
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Darren Woodson is generally regarded as the greatest safety in Cowboys history.
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Darren Woodson grew up in Phoenix and was the youngest of four siblings raised by his mother, Freddie Luke.
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Darren Woodson was a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and admitted in a New York Times article he couldn't stand the Cowboys.
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Darren Woodson decided to hit some golf balls while waiting to be drafted in 1992 and had his friend page him when he was selected.
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In October 2011, Darren Woodson became a founder of GuideHop, an online marketplace for guided tours and activities.