Danny Woodhead facts for kids
Woodhead with the Chargers in 2014
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| No. 83, 27, 22, 39 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | January 25, 1985 North Platte, Nebraska, U.S. |
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| 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 | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
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College Football Hall of Fame
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Danny Woodhead (born January 25, 1985) is an American amateur golfer and former professional football player. He was a talented running back who played for the Chadron State Eagles in college. Later, he joined the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2008.
Danny played for several NFL teams, including the New York Jets, New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers, and Baltimore Ravens. He was known for his speed and ability to catch passes. After his football career, he started playing golf and has even competed in major tournaments.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Danny Woodhead grew up in North Platte, Nebraska. He was a star football player at North Platte High School. He broke many school records there.
In 2001, Danny helped his team reach the state finals. He even blocked a field goal attempt in one important game. His team, however, lost the championship game.
During his junior year, his team had a great season, winning eight games. In his senior year, North Platte High had an undefeated regular season for the first time in 40 years. Danny became Nebraska's top rusher in Class A, with 4,891 yards.
More Than Just Football
Danny was not only great at football. He also excelled in three other sports:
- In track & field, he set a school record by running the 100-meter dash in just 10.5 seconds.
- In basketball, he once scored an amazing 47 points in a single game.
- In soccer, he scored 16 goals in one season.
College Football Career
In 2004, Danny Woodhead went to Chadron State College in Nebraska. He quickly became a standout player. As a freshman, he rushed for 1,840 yards. He was the first person in Chadron State's history to receive a full athletic scholarship.
In 2005, he continued to impress, rushing for 1,769 yards and scoring 21 touchdowns. He also caught 30 passes for 367 yards.
Setting Records
In 2006, Danny set a new record for rushing yards in a single season across all college divisions, with 2,740 yards. He led his team to the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Danny 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, both of which are NCAA records.
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.
Danny won the Harlon Hill Trophy twice, in 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 studied math education while at Chadron State.
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. This means he joined the team even though he wasn't drafted.
He spent his first year on injured reserve. In 2009, he showed his talent during a preseason game, rushing for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He 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 Danny Woodhead on September 18, 2010. Just a week later, he scored his first NFL touchdown, a 22-yard run against the Buffalo Bills. He also caught an 11-yard touchdown pass later that season.
In 2010, Danny played 14 games and rushed for 547 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also caught 34 passes for 379 yards and one touchdown.
In the 2011 season, he rushed for 351 yards and a touchdown. He also had 18 catches for 157 yards. The Patriots made it to Super Bowl XLVI that year. Danny scored the first touchdown for the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Even though he played well, the Patriots lost to the New York Giants 21–17.
In 2012, he continued to be an important player. He rushed for 301 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught 40 passes for 446 yards and three touchdowns.
San Diego Chargers
Danny Woodhead joined the San Diego Chargers in March 2013. He quickly became a key part of their offense. He scored his first touchdown as a Charger in Week 4.
In 2013, he had a great year. He led all NFL running backs with six touchdown catches. He also had 76 catches for 605 yards. He added 429 rushing yards, totaling over 1,000 yards from scrimmage.
In 2014, his season ended early due to a broken leg and ankle injury. He only played in three games.
He recovered and had a strong 2015 season. He rushed for 336 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 80 catches for 755 receiving yards and six touchdowns. In one game, he scored three receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, a career high!
In 2016, he suffered another serious injury, a torn ACL, which ended his season early again.
Baltimore Ravens
Danny signed with the Baltimore Ravens in March 2017. Unfortunately, he got a hamstring injury in his first game with the team. He was placed on injured reserve but returned later in the season.
On March 13, 2018, Danny Woodhead was released by the Ravens. A few days later, he 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, Danny Woodhead started playing golf more seriously. He was already a good golfer in high school.
In 2021, he qualified for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball tournament. This is a big championship in golf! In 2022, he even reached the final qualifying round for the U.S. Open, one of golf's biggest tournaments.
His golf coach hopes he can one day qualify for the Masters Tournament.
Personal Life
Danny Woodhead grew up in a close family. He was homeschooled until high school. Both of his parents went to Chadron State College, just like him. His father, Mark, also played football there in the 1970s.
Danny is married to Stacia, and they have four children together. They started dating when they were freshmen in high school.
Danny also hosts a weekly podcast with his friend and former NFL player, Matt Slauson. They talk about their football careers, life after retirement, and share stories.
See also
In Spanish: Danny Woodhead para niños
