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Tom Woodeshick

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Tom Woodeshick
refer to caption
Woodeshick from The Monticola, 1963
Personal information
Born: (1941-12-03) December 3, 1941 (age 83)
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Career information
College:West Virginia
Position:Running back
NFL draft:1963 / round: 8 / pick: 102
AFL draft:1963 / round: 4 / pick: 28
(By the Buffalo Bills)
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Thomas Woodeshick (/ˈwʊdəʃɪk/ WUUD-ə-shik;[1] born December 3, 1941) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL).

Early life

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Woodeshick was born on December 31, 1941 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.[2] He attended Hanover Township High School in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, where he excelled as a linebacker and halfback on the school's football team. In 1993, he was inducted into the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame.[3]

Football career

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College football

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Woodeshick played college football at West Virginia University (WVU) as a running back, from 1960-62.[4] In his senior year, Woodeshick had 433 rushing yards, 141 receiving yards, and three touchdowns on an 8–2 team. He was chosen to play in the 1963 Senior Bowl and was named a member of the 1960-69 WVU All-Time football team. Over his WVU career, he had over 1,000 total yards rushing and receiving, along with 183 yards returning kickoffs. In 2013, he was inducted into WVU's Sports Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was an inaugural member of WVU’s Mountaineer Legends Society.[4]

Professional football

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Woodeshick was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 1963 American Football League (AFL) draft (28th overall),[5] and by the Philadelphia Eagles in the eighth round of the 1963 NFL draft (102nd overall).[6] He signed with both teams, resulting in a legal dispute. It was determined that the Bills contract was invalid because he signed before the AFL draft had occurred and therefore the Bills had no signing rights at the time.[7] Woodeshick thought that this additional focus on him, and the fact that he outran Eagles star Timmy Brown in the 40-yard dash, gave him an increased opportunity to make the Eagles team.[7]

From 1963-1965, Woodeshick was a backup running back, playing sparingly on offense and starting only 1 game. In 1966, he was given the opportunity to start four games and averaged 3.9 yards per carry in 85 rushing attempts. He became a full-time starter at fullback in 1967, averaging 4.3 yards in 155 carries, with six rushing touchdowns; as well as having 34 receptions for 391 yards and four more touchdowns, with over 1,000 yards in total offense.[8]

The Eagles had a very poor team in 1968. They began the season 0–11 and finished 2–12, the team owner was in bankruptcy, and a notoriously difficult fan base was very hostile toward the team.[9] Woodeshick was a rare bright spot on the team. He rushed for 947 yards at 4.4 yards per carry, and had 36 receptions for another 328 yards. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and was named second team All-Pro by the Associated Press (AP).[2][10][11] He was third in the league in rushing behind Leroy Kelly and Ken Willard.[12]

Woodeshick regretted he was not able to rush for 1,000 yards that year.[3] Needing another 53 yards, he had to leave the last game of the season against the Minnesota Vikings in the third quarter with an injury that required ten stitches above his right eye. Playing in a more violent era, one defender held Woodeshick up while another rammed his helmet into Woodeshick's face, with blood pouring from the ensuing wound. The injury looked severe enough that Woodeshick heard one Vikings playing say Woodeshick had lost an eye. He never returned to finish the game.[9] Woodeshick had played in a game earlier that year with a flu so severe that he lost 15 pounds in a week, though he was not as effective as normal.[13]

Woodeshick was second team All-Pro again in 1969 (per the AP, United Press International, and Pro Football Weekly), rushing for 831 yards at 4.5 yards per carry, with 22 receptions.[2] He was also named first-team All-Conference by The Sporting News.[2] He only played in 12 games that year, as he tore his ankle in the second-to-last game of the season, that began a physical demise for him.[7][2] He was still fifth in the league in rushing yards that year, even missing two games.[14]

In the early 1970s he was hampered by knee injuries.[3] He was only able to play in six games in 1970, but averaged less than 10 rushing attempts per game; and in 1971 he played in 11 games, starting only five, with 66 rushing attempts at an abysmal 2.8 yards per carry.[2] Woodeshick had knee surgery in 1972,[3] and he was cut by the Eagles just before the start of the 1972 regular season, when the Eagles decided to use other running backs after Woodeshick was hampered by injuries early in training camp.[15] He said at the time of being cut:

I'm extremely bitter. There's no avoiding it. I wanted to go out like a pro and a champion. Not so much for myself but for the fans here. Nobody deserves a winner more than they do.[15]

The St. Louis Cardinals picked him up in 1972, but he played in only 4 games with 5 rushing attempts. He retired from the game that year.[2][3]

Over his career, Woodeshick rushed for 3,577 yards on 836 carries (4.3 yards per carry), had 1,175 yards receiving on 126 receptions (9.3 yards per catch), with 27 touchdowns.[4]

In a 2007 sportswriter poll, Woodeshick was listed as the 47th greatest all-time Eagle player by the Philadelphia Inquirer.[16] Sports Illustrated deemed him the best Eagle to wear number 37.[17]

Personal life

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He had received his Bachelor's degree from WVU in 1963, and later attended graduate school in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University.[4] During his off-seasons, Woodeshick attended night courses at the Wharton School of Finance of the University of Pennsylvania.[3] He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.[18] He is also a popular public speaker.[3][19]

After retirement, Woodeshick was a broadcaster for the Philadelphia Bell of the short-lived World Football League, was a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and had two years coaching at Moravian College.[3]

He has also owned a restaurant, worked as a stockbroker, and in the casino marketing business.[20]

He made an uncredited appearance as a member of the 325th Evac in the climactic football game in the film M*A*S*H, where he and former Eagle teammate Jack Concannon are shown passing a joint. Eagles great Timmy Brown, whom Woodeshick had bested in the 40-yard dash years earlier, was also in the movie, but as one of the stars.[21]

Year Title Role Notes
1970 M*A*S*H Football Player - 325th Evac. Uncredited

References

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  1. ^ "Tom Woodeshick profile". YouTube. Retrieved December 23, 2019.[dead YouTube link]
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Tom Woodeshick Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Tom Woodeshick". Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame — John Louis Popple Chapter. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "Tom Woodeshick (2013) - WVU Sports Hall of Fame". West Virginia University Athletics. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  5. ^ "1963 AFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "1963 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Antonik, John (April 22, 2010). "Draft Notes and Other Things". West Virginia University Athletics. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  8. ^ "Tom Woodeshick Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Breen, Matt (April 11, 2024). "Remembering when the 1968 Eagles frittered away a chance to draft O.J. Simpson". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  10. ^ "1968 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  11. ^ "1968 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  12. ^ "1968 NFL Rushing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  13. ^ Sielski, Mike (June 11, 2020). "In 1968, a pandemic hit pro sports, including the Eagles. No one remembers it or its lessons. | Mike Sielski". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  14. ^ "1969 NFL Rushing Statistics | The Football Database". FootballDB.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Woodeshick, Nance among Eagles' cuts". Standard-Speaker. September 12, 1972. p. 26. Retrieved August 30, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Best of the rest 11-53". www.inquirer.com. August 11, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  17. ^ "Underrated RB Tom Woodeshick is Eagles' Top No. 37". Philadelphia Eagles On SI. August 7, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  18. ^ "Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Inductees at a Glance". PA Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  19. ^ Hochman, Stan (May 11, 2012). "Flyer-turned-TV analyst Bill Clement shares his insights about leadership". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  20. ^ "WVU RB standout in NFL". The Journal. October 19, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  21. ^ Didinger, Ray; Macnow, Glen (October 17, 2011). "The ten greatest Philly sports movies". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.

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