26 Facts About Eric Wood

Eric Wood was born on March 18,1986 and is a former American football center.

Eric Wood played college football at the University of Louisville and was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League.

Eric Wood attended Elder High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he played both the tackle and guard positions.

Eric Wood chose Louisville over Bowling Green, Ohio, Cincinnati, Indiana and Columbia.

Eric Wood was an excellent student, earned Academic All-Big East accolades as well.

Eric Wood remained Louisville's starting center in his sophomore and junior seasons, starting all 13 and 12 games, respectively.

Eric Wood earned All-Big East honors in both years, and again in his senior season.

Eric Wood finished his career with 49 consecutive starts at center, the second-longest streak in school history behind Travis Leffew.

Alongside Alex Mack, Eric Wood was considered one of the best centers available in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Eric Wood has been compared to Brad Meester by The Sporting News, but his instincts and "nastiness" on the field had scouts comparing him to the NFL's old time centers like Mike Webster of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tim Grunhard of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Eric Wood was selected with the 28th pick of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, using the pick acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles via a trade for Jason Peters.

On July 28,2009, Eric Wood signed a five-year contract with the Bills, reportedly worth more than $12 million.

Eric Wood immediately became the Bills starting right offensive guard next to center Geoff Hangartner, with Levitre at left guard.

Eric Wood underwent season-ending surgery in a Jacksonville hospital and did not return to Buffalo with the team.

Eric Wood was placed on the injured reserve list on November 24,2009.

Eric Wood eventually started 14 games in the 2010 NFL season, missing only Steelers and Vikings games because of an ankle injury.

In 2011, Eric Wood was switched to center, between Levitre and new starting right guard Kraig Urbik.

Eric Wood was placed on injured reserve on November 14,2016.

On January 26,2018, after the Bills made their first playoff appearance since 1999, Eric Wood announced that he had failed his end-of-season physical and would no longer be cleared to play professional football.

Eric Wood had played through the entire 2017 season, handling every offensive snap that year without missing any.

Eric Wood had intended to wait until after the 2018 Pro Bowl to announce the injury; he had been designated as an alternate to the game and did not consider his condition to be a hindrance to playing in the game.

Eric Wood reached an injury settlement with the Bills on May 31,2018, and was officially released.

In September 2018, Eric Wood signed on as a columnist for The Athletic.

Eric Wood replaced Mark Kelso as color commentator on the Buffalo Bills Radio Network in 2019.

Eric Wood opted out of the 2020 season due to travel difficulties associated with the coronavirus pandemic, but returned in 2021.

The fund is named after his brother Evan Eric Wood who had cerebral palsy and died when he was 11 years old.