Danny Woodhead facts for kids
Woodhead with the Chargers in 2014
|
|||||||||||||
| No. 83, 27, 22, 39 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | January 25, 1985 North Platte, Nebraska, U.S. |
||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 204 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | North Platte (NE) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Chadron State (2004–2007) | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2008 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
|
College Football Hall of Fame
|
|||||||||||||
Daniel Jacob Henry Woodhead (born January 25, 1985) is an American amateur golfer and former professional football player. He played college football as a running back for the Chadron State Eagles. Later, he joined the National Football League (NFL) in 2008.
Woodhead played for several NFL teams, including the New York Jets, New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers, and Baltimore Ravens. He set many college football rushing records. He also won the Harlon Hill Trophy twice, which is given to the best player in NCAA Division II. In 2011, he played in the Super Bowl with the Patriots.
After his football career, Danny Woodhead became a golfer. He has even qualified for some major golf tournaments.
Contents
Early Life and High School Sports
Danny Woodhead grew up in North Platte, Nebraska. He played football at North Platte High School. He broke many records there.
In 2001, his team made it to the state finals. Woodhead helped them win a close game by blocking a field goal attempt. Even though they lost the championship game, it was a great season.
In his junior year, his team had a strong season, winning eight games. In his senior year, North Platte High had an undefeated regular season for the first time in 40 years. Woodhead became Nebraska's all-time leading rusher in Class A with 4,891 yards.
Besides football, Woodhead was also a star in other sports. He was a four-year letterman in track and field, basketball, and soccer. He set school or state records in all three sports. For example, he ran the 100-meter dash in just 10.5 seconds.
College Football Career
In 2004, Woodhead started playing for Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska. He rushed for 1,840 yards in his first year. He was the first player in Chadron State's history to receive a full athletic scholarship.
In 2005, he continued to play well, rushing for 1,769 yards and scoring 21 touchdowns. He also caught 30 passes for 367 yards.
The 2006 season was amazing for Woodhead. He rushed for 2,740 yards, setting a new record for rushing yards in a single season across all college divisions. He also led his team to the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Woodhead scored 606 points in his college career, which was the highest ever in NCAA Division II at the time. He rushed for over 200 yards in 19 games. He also scored in 37 games in a row, which are NCAA records for all divisions.
In 2007, he became college football's all-time leading rusher. He was also one of only six NCAA Division II players to rush for over 1,000 yards in four different seasons.
Woodhead won the Harlon Hill Trophy in both 2006 and 2007. This award goes to the best player in NCAA Division II. He was only the third player ever to win it twice.
He chose Chadron State because they showed a lot of interest in him. He studied math education while in college.
Professional Football Career
Joining the NFL
Danny Woodhead was not chosen in the 2008 NFL draft. However, the New York Jets signed him as an undrafted free agent right after the draft. This means he joined the team without being drafted.
He spent his first year on injured reserve due to an injury. In 2009, he showed his talent in a preseason game, rushing for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He later played his first regular season game on October 25, 2009. He finished the 2009 season with 64 rushing yards and 87 receiving yards. The Jets released him in September 2010.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots signed Woodhead on September 18, 2010. Just a week later, he scored his first NFL touchdown with a 22-yard run against the Buffalo Bills. He also scored a receiving touchdown against the Miami Dolphins.
In November 2010, Woodhead signed a two-year contract extension with the Patriots. He had a great 2010 season, rushing for 547 yards and five touchdowns. He also caught 34 passes for 379 yards and one touchdown.
In 2011, Woodhead continued to be an important player for the Patriots. He helped them reach Super Bowl XLVI. In the Super Bowl, he scored the Patriots' first touchdown. However, the Patriots lost the game to the New York Giants 21–17.
In 2012, he rushed for 301 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 40 catches for 446 yards and three touchdowns.
San Diego Chargers
Woodhead joined the San Diego Chargers in March 2013. He quickly became a key player for them. He scored his first touchdown as a Charger in Week 4. He led all NFL running backs with six touchdown catches that year. He also had 76 catches for 605 yards and rushed for 429 yards. In total, he gained over 1,000 yards and scored eight touchdowns in 2013.
In 2014, Woodhead suffered a leg and ankle injury that ended his season early. He worked hard to recover.
In 2015, he made a strong comeback. He rushed for 43 yards and scored two touchdowns against the Detroit Lions. Against the Miami Dolphins, he had an amazing game, scoring three receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. This was a career-high for him, scoring 24 points in one game. He finished the 2015 season with 336 rushing yards and three touchdowns, plus 755 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
In 2016, Woodhead suffered another injury, a torn ACL, which ended his season.
Baltimore Ravens
On March 9, 2017, Woodhead signed a three-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens. He got injured in his first game with the Ravens. He returned later in the season.
On March 17, 2018, Danny Woodhead announced his retirement from professional football after 10 seasons.
NFL Career Statistics
| Season | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2009 | NYJ | 10 | 0 | 15 | 64 | 4.3 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 87 | 10.9 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | NYJ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NE | 14 | 3 | 97 | 547 | 5.6 | 36 | 5 | 34 | 379 | 11.1 | 50 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2011 | NE | 15 | 4 | 77 | 351 | 4.6 | 12 | 1 | 18 | 157 | 8.7 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | NE | 16 | 2 | 76 | 301 | 4.0 | 19 | 4 | 40 | 446 | 11.2 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | SD | 16 | 2 | 106 | 429 | 4.0 | 14 | 2 | 76 | 605 | 8.0 | 39 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 2014 | SD | 3 | 0 | 15 | 38 | 2.5 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 34 | 6.8 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | SD | 16 | 2 | 98 | 336 | 3.4 | 27 | 3 | 80 | 755 | 9.4 | 61 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | SD | 2 | 1 | 19 | 116 | 6.1 | 23 | 0 | 6 | 35 | 5.8 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | BAL | 8 | 0 | 14 | 56 | 4.0 | 10 | 0 | 33 | 200 | 6.1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 101 | 14 | 517 | 2,238 | 4.3 | 36 | 15 | 300 | 2,698 | 9.0 | 61 | 17 | 4 | 3 | |
Golf Career After Football
After his NFL career, Woodhead returned to playing golf. He was a very good golfer in high school. He started playing more seriously again in college and especially when he was in San Diego.
In 2021, he qualified for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball tournament. This is a big championship for amateur golfers. In 2022, Woodhead even reached the final qualifying round for the U.S. Open, one of golf's biggest tournaments.
His goal is to qualify for the Masters Tournament by winning the U.S. Mid-Amateur Golf Championship.
Personal Life
Danny Woodhead grew up in a close family. He was homeschooled until ninth grade. Both of his parents went to Chadron State College. His father, Mark, played wide receiver for the Chadron State Eagles in the 1970s.
Woodhead and his wife, Stacia, have been together since high school. They have four children: Sis, William, Mae Mae, and Hopie.
Danny Woodhead also hosts a weekly podcast with another former NFL player, Matt Slauson. They talk about their football careers, life after retirement, and share stories and advice.
See also
In Spanish: Danny Woodhead para niños
