19 Facts About Willie Wood

Willie Wood played as a safety with the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League.

In 1989, Willie Wood was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Willie Wood played college football for the USC Trojans, becoming the first African-American quarterback to play in what is the Pac-12 Conference.

Willie Wood changed his position to safety in his rookie year, and played for the Packers from 1960 to 1971, winning five NFL championships.

Willie Wood later coached in the NFL, World Football League, and Canadian Football League.

Willie Wood transferred to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 1957 and played for the Trojans under first-year head coach Don Clark.

Willie Wood was not selected in the 1960 NFL draft, and wrote a letter to head coach Vince Lombardi to request a tryout; the Packers signed him as a rookie free agent in 1960.

Willie Wood won All-NFL honors nine times in a nine-year stretch from 1962 through the 1971 season, participated in the Pro Bowl eight times, and played in six NFL championship games, winning all except the first in 1960.

Willie Wood was ejected for bumping back judge Tom Kelleher while protesting a call during the third quarter of the 1962 NFL Championship Game vs the New York Giants.

Willie Wood was the starting free safety for the Packers in Super Bowl I against the Kansas City Chiefs and Super Bowl II against the Oakland Raiders.

Willie Wood led the NFL in interceptions and punt return yards in 1962.

Willie Wood finished his 12 NFL seasons with 48 interceptions, which he returned for 699 yards and two touchdowns.

Willie Wood gained 1,391 yards and scored two touchdowns on 187 punt returns.

Willie Wood holds the record for the most consecutive starts by a safety in NFL history.

Willie Wood retired as a player after the 1971 season; he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Packers Hall of Fame in 1977.

Willie Wood was later an assistant coach for the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL under Forrest Gregg, a Packer teammate.

Willie Wood later lived in Washington, DC and underwent replacement knee surgery.

Willie Wood died of natural causes on February 3,2020, at an assisted living facility in Washington, DC at the age of 83.

An autopsy conducted by a Boston University neuropathologist found that Willie Wood had severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated hits to the head.