Richard Wood (American football)

Last updated

Richard Wood
No. 58, 54
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1953-05-31) May 31, 1953 (age 70)
Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school: Thomas Jefferson (NJ)
College: USC
NFL draft: 1975  / Round: 3 / Pick: 68
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played - started:146–94
Interceptions:9
Fumbles recovered:6
Player stats at PFR

Richard Marlon Wood (born May 31, 1953) is an American former professional football played who was a linebacker for the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans, earning All-American honors. Wood was the team captain and leading tackler of the Buccaneers' early teams, coached by John McKay.

Contents

Wood became a coach in the NFL, International leagues, college and in high school.

Early life

Wood played high school football for Thomas Jefferson High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

College career

Wood attended the University of Southern California as a student and football player. There he was a three-time All-American for the University of Southern California Trojans during the 1972-74 seasons. The Trojans football team won two National Championships during Wood's years there. He was a modest-sized player for an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-A) linebacker, but made up for his lack of size with lightning speed, stamina, and hard-hitting tackles.

His trademark Batman "band of black" painted across his nose and around both eyes, as those eyes peered out from his helmet, was celebrated by his teammates, the sports press, and Trojan football fans, and they were a gesture to intimidate opponent's linemen and running backs.

Wood came to the varsity as a sophomore in 1972, and he not only led the undefeated Trojans in tackles, but also surpassed the total of his closest teammate by 30 tackles. He was given the responsibility of calling his team's defensive signals.

Wood had five interceptions, returning one for a touchdown and he deflected four other passes. For his efforts, he gained first-team All-American honors. In his junior year he once again led U.S.C. to a conference title and another trip to the Rose Bowl Game. He was a consensus All-American in 1973. In 1974, Wood was part of his second victorious Rose Bowl team and national championship team. He repeated as a consensus All-American honoree. While at U.S.C. the Trojans had a 31-3-2 won-loss-tied record.

In 2007, Wood was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Wood was selected by the New York Jets in the third round of the 1975 NFL Draft, but experienced a difficult rookie season. He also had trouble fitting into a Jets locker room atmosphere that he considered to be cold and unfriendly. A preseason trade to the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers reunited him with his former U.S.C. coach, John McKay, and placed him in a more favorable situation. [1] With the Buccaneers, he became a key player on one of the league's best defensive units. After moving into the starting lineup during the 1976 season, he started 88 consecutive games before being replaced by Scot Brantley in 1982. [2] He averaged 136 tackles per season as a starter, and his single-game high of 18 tackles remains tied as the team record. [3] [4] As of 2012, he ranks sixth all-time among Buccaneer defenders with 855 career tackles. [5] His two defensive touchdowns in 1977, one of which occurred during the franchise's first victory, [6] established a franchise record that stood until 1990. [7] With Ronde Barber and Derrick Brooks, he is one of three Buccaneers to have scored on both a fumble and an interception return in the same season. [8] Wood was captain of the 1979 squad that advanced to the NFC Championship game. [9]

When the new head coach Leeman Bennett declined to renew his contract in 1985, [10] Wood joined the news USFL Jacksonville Bulls team, where he was considered one of the league's most important signings. [11]

Coaching

Wood returned to the Buccaneers in 1991 as an assistant defensive coach under head coaches Richard Williamson and Sam Wyche. [12] Wood was fired by Wyche after the 1993 season, but he returned to serve as an honorary captain for the coin toss of the NFC Championship Game that resulted in their appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII. [13]

He served as the head coach with Amsterdam Crusaders in the Netherlands (1994) and the head coach of the German Football League Munich Cowboys (1997) before taking the head coaching position at Tampa's Paul R. Wharton High School in 1998. He coached that team to the state final game in the sixth year of its existence. [14] In 2003, Wood accepted a position as the defensive line coach with the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe, where he coached in two world bowl games and coached several players who went on to play in the NFL. [15] As of 2012, he is an assistant coach at Tampa Catholic High School.

Personal life

Has a brother, Jake Wood, who played Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1967 with the Detroit Tigers and the Cincinnati Reds, and also two older brothers who were career military airmen, Melvin and Walter Wood U.S. Air Force(Walter also retired as pilot for UPS) and a son, Marlon Wood, who played wide receiver for the University of Washington. Currently serving in the U.S. Army

Holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. [16]

A drummer, Wood occasionally performed in The Fifth Quarter, a band composed of Buccaneer teammates. [17]

Wood and Brantley have both been assisted by Gay Culverhouse, in her efforts to get recognition for the problem of football-related dementia. [18] He suffers from [headaches] occasionally also, [19] and has been involved in litigation with the NFL disability board, who have denied medical benefits despite his having required surgery to insert a metal rod into his spine. [20] Wood's post-football life has been characterized by financial hardship, as part of his NFL earnings were lost to corrupt advisors. [21]

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This article details the history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American football franchise.

The 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's first season in the National Football League (NFL). The Buccaneers played their home games at Tampa Stadium and their inaugural head coach was John McKay. The Buccaneers gained infamy as the first team to play an entire 14-game season without winning or tying a single game. It remains one of only four winless seasons since the merger. The Buccaneers did not score until their third game and did not score a touchdown until their fourth. They lost by more than a touchdown eleven times. Colorful, maverick former USC coach McKay, whose wisecracking remarks occasionally agitated fans and the league, led the team. The only bright spot was future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Lee Roy Selmon, who made his rookie debut in an injury-plagued season.

The 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 2nd season in the National Football League, the 2nd playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the 2nd under head coach John McKay. After one lone season in the AFC, it was the franchise's first season in the NFC, competing in the Central division. It continued the losing streak that encompassed the entire 1976 season, and extended it to 26 games, second only to the Chicago Cardinals who lost a total of 29 games in a row from 1942 to 1945. Fear of becoming the Buccaneers’ first victim provided motivation to opposing teams. It took nearly two seasons for the Buccaneers to achieve their first franchise victory, a 33–14 win over the New Orleans Saints in the second-to-last game of the year. The next week, the Bucs earned their first home victory, over the St. Louis Cardinals.

The 1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's third season in the National Football League the third playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the third under head coach John McKay. As their two 1977 victories had been in the last two games of the season, they entered the 1978 season with the longest active winning streak in the NFC Central.

The 1980 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 5th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 5th playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the 5th under head coach John McKay. They failed to improve on their 10–6 record from 1979 and finished 5–10–1.

The 1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 6th season in the National Football League the 6th playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the 6th under head coach John McKay. The team improved on their 5–10–1 record from the 1980 season and finished 9–7.

The 1982 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 7th season in the National Football League the 7th playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the 7th under head coach John McKay. The Bucs were regarded for the first time as a regular playoff contender. They were considered by some to be the best Buccaneer team yet, despite a mediocre offensive line and the lack of a feature running back. The team played only two games before the players' union called a labor strike, which resulted in a nine-game season. The season began with a three-game losing streak, as the Buccaneers outplayed their opponent statistically in each game, but showed a tendency for mental errors at crucial moments. The first game in which they were outgained by their opponent was their first win, a franchise-first victory over the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. The team made a playoff run against a difficult schedule, facing only two opponents with losing records. Their schedule included all four eventual Conference Championship participants. They overcame double-digit deficits to win on last-minute field goals in their final two games, and had to survive opponents' last-minute rallies in all five of their victories. In the strike-season playoff format in which the top eight conference teams made the playoffs, the Buccaneers' seventh-place finish gave them a first-round matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. Despite a poor performance by the offense, the Buccaneers carried a 17–16 lead into the fourth quarter, before the Cowboys rallied for a 30–17 victory following a controversial penalty call. This was the last playoff appearance of the John McKay era, and was followed by fourteen consecutive losing seasons.

The 1984 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 9th season in the National Football League the 9th playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the 9th and final season under head coach John McKay. They improved on their 2–14 season and finished 6-10, but missing the playoffs for the second straight season.

The 1985 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's ninth season in the National Football League, the ninth playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the first season under head coach Leeman Bennett. The team failed to improve on a 6–10 season, once again finishing at 2–14, the same as in 1983.

The 1986 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 11th season in the National Football League playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and their second under head coach Leeman Bennett. The team matched their 2–14 season from 1985, for one of the worst seasons in franchise history, and according to statistics site Football Outsiders, the sixth-worst team in the NFL since 1950. There is some sentiment that the 1986 team was even worse than the winless team of 1976, and the 473 points conceded was not beaten by any NFL team until the 2001 Indianapolis Colts gave up 486. The Buccaneers selected Bo Jackson with the top pick in the draft, but were unable to convince him to join the team. Three weeks after the draft, Jackson signed a three-year baseball contract with the Kansas City Royals. Despite holding four of the first forty selections in the draft, and the presence of a great influx of fresh talent from defunct USFL teams, the Buccaneers were unable to find any impact players in either the draft or free agency. They entered the season with a roster nearly identical to the previous season's 2–14 team.

The 1987 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League, the 12th playing their home games at Tampa Stadium, and the first under head coach Ray Perkins. It was a year of great change for the Buccaneers. Perkins had only needed three seasons (1979–1981) to build the New York Giants into a playoff team, and it was hoped that he would be able to repeat the feat with the Buccaneers. They improved over their 2–14 record from 1986 and finished 4–11.

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References

  1. ↑ Martz, Ron. "Bucs' Wood: Treatment from Jets was a crime". St. Petersburg Times. 13 Nov 1976. 3C
  2. ↑ Zier, Patrick. "Wood got chance and did the job". The Lakeland Ledger. 27 Dec 1982. 1D
  3. ↑ Huang, Nathan. "Wood vows to start - for someone". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 5 Aug 1983. 1-C
  4. ↑ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Public Relations Department. "2010 Buccaneers Media Guide".
  5. ↑ Tampa Bay Career Tackle Leaders. Accessed 27 Feb 2012
  6. ↑ News Services. 'Greatest victory in history of world'. The Miami News. 12 Dec 1977. 8C
  7. ↑ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Public Relations Department. "2009 Buccaneers Media Guide".
  8. ↑ Staff writer. "Did you know?" St. Petersburg Times. 5 Sep 2003
  9. ↑ Auman, Greg, Kevin Kelly, Brant James. "Young's comments motivate offensive line" St. Petersburg Times. 20 Jan 2003
  10. ↑ Staff report. "Raye to Join Bucs as Offensive Coach". Sarasota Herald Tribune. 5 Feb 1985. 1C
  11. ↑ Hairston, Jack. "USFL stumbles into third year". The Gainesville Sun. 22 Feb 1985. 1B
  12. ↑ All-time Coaches Roster at Buccaneers.com. Accessed 27 Feb 2012
  13. ↑ Auman, Greg, Kevin Kelly, Brant James. "Young's comments motivate offensive line" St. Petersburg Times. 20 Jan 2003
  14. ↑ Purks, Scott. "Holy Wildcats!" St. Petersburg Times. 11 Dec 2002
  15. ↑ Poiley, Joel. "Wharton's Wood makes resignation official". St. Petersburg Times. 29 Jan 2003
  16. ↑ Huang, Nathan. "Wood vows to start - for someone". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 5 Aug 1983. 1-C
  17. ↑ Smith, Jim. "Bucs training camp is weird and fun as well as work" Tampa Bay Times. 2 Aug 2008.
  18. ↑ Holder, Stephen F. "NFL takes concussions more seriously than before". Tampa Bay Times. 6 Feb 2010.
  19. ↑ Schwarz, Alan. "Ex-N.F.L. Executive Sounds Alarm on Head Injury". New York Times. 27 Oct 2009.
  20. ↑ Shelton, Gary. "Unfeeling NFL must make time for the pain" Tampa Bay Times. 3 Jun 2007
  21. ↑ Purks, Scott. "Holy Wildcats!" St. Petersburg Times. 11 Dec 2002
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