Woodson Named to College Football HOF!

Submitted by zohizzle101 on

Woodson becomes the 31st Wolverine player to receive induction into the CFB Hall of Fame. It was just a matter of time he received this honor after retiring from the NFL.

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Charles Woodson

rob f

January 7th, 2018 at 2:14 PM ^

to fairly compare. You're looking at early 40's football vs late 90's football---a 5 1/2 decade evolution at that point (just look at how much it's changed in the 20 years post-Charles!). Athletes back in the 40's were much smaller and relied more on deception and strength than on speed. Receivers and throwing QBs and the entire passing game were much simpler and less-utilized than in the Woodson era. If you were 225+ lbs back then, you were almost certainly an offensive or defensive lineman (and a big 'un, at that), not a RB or safety. The fairest comparison I can make between Harmon and Woodson is that both were SO MUCH better in their era of College Football than anyone else that they were not only the best their Heisman Year but also the best of their decade or era. This is why I pretty much consider them as equals and among the absolute best Heisman winners EVER.

Joined: 11/11/2010

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swan flu

January 7th, 2018 at 11:27 AM ^

Is he the best football player ever?

 

Who else has won a Heisman, a National Championship, rookie of the year, an MVP, and a Super Bowl.

 

EDIT- According to this website (http://heisman.com/news/2016/2/7/Heisman_Winners_0207161628.aspx)... Since 1970, Marcus Allen and Roger Staubach have also won Heisman trophys and super bowls, and Marcus Allen also won a National Championship, rookie of the year, and NFL MVP.  So only Woodson and Allen

Joined: 08/16/2010

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Perkis-Size Me

January 7th, 2018 at 11:30 AM ^

Best ever, regardless of level? No. Figuring that out would be incredibly difficult if not impossible to quantify. That and everyone has their own opinon. 

But you could argue that few players have had as much success, individually and as part of a team, as he's had. He's been part of some great teams at all phases of his career, and he's either been a big contributor or THE contributor at each of those stops. 

Joined: 11/30/2011

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NicholsArboretum

January 7th, 2018 at 11:28 AM ^

He is in a group of one even in that elite group. And he is the face of the late 90s teams. Unbelievable that he and Brady were there at the same time even if Brady wasn’t Brady then.

Joined: 07/06/2016

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old98blue

January 7th, 2018 at 11:27 AM ^

Why did this take so long? He should have a statue out front maybe of the State pick. I would have thought he would have been the fucking curator of the place

Joined: 11/16/2015

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Perkis-Size Me

January 7th, 2018 at 11:32 AM ^

Was never a question of if. Only a question of when. One of the best to ever play the game in college, and has set the gold standard for excellence that no defensive player has (yet) acheived.

Joined: 11/30/2011

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bluenoteSA80

January 7th, 2018 at 11:45 AM ^

It's hard to argue against anything other than DB-GOAT when you take in his entire amateur and pro body of work. His offensive contributions were just icing on the cake at Michigan.

Joined: 01/18/2011

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CarrIsMyHomeboy

January 7th, 2018 at 11:47 AM ^

I think Woodson belongs to an echelon of the best athletes to ever play the game.

Recently, though, I've allowed myself to wonder whether his legacy is some part a function of that greatness as well as the product of fortune. Frankly, his narrative was built on the back of that final OSU game. What happens if Michigan wins that one with him getting tackled during a long punt return (rather than a TD, because the ball were punted and windblown slightly differently) or if his endzone INT were a PBU (because the ball were thrown slightly differently)?

How much of Jabrill's legacy, for example, is unfairly diminished because of the opposite kind of fortune. I could at least argue that Jabrill and Charles, after accounting for their skill sets being different as defined by their positions and eras, were equivalent insofar as they both belonged to that highest echelon of CFB athlete. And that what separates their legacies is a matter of chance.

Joined: 06/30/2008

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Rhino77

January 7th, 2018 at 12:15 PM ^

Both were great athletes, but Woodson was the best player on the best team in the nation. Great players make great plays (see his Michigan State interception). Desmond was special like that as well. I honestly think Michigan players are judged by memorable plays vs their rivals (ND, MSU, OSU) and maybe that is the point you are getting at. Aside from that 2pt conversion run back vs MSU, JP never had the moment.

Joined: 05/27/2011

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umchicago

January 7th, 2018 at 1:31 PM ^

to hell with that.  woodson was a great player who made great plays in big games.  that isn't a matter of chance.  that's taking the opportunity and seizing it.

peppers had plenty of opportunites to make big plays in big games (like the iowa or osu losses) but he didn't.

sorry, peppers was good but no where near close to the player woodson was.  woodson was the best player, regardless of position, at UM ever. PERIOD.

Joined: 02/05/2009

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CarrIsMyHomeboy

January 7th, 2018 at 3:13 PM ^

The matter of Peppers was just meant for relatability. Perhaps it fits imperfectly. But my larger point remains. A Great Person's greatness isn't formed solely of himself. For example, let's review what Churchill and A. Lincoln said of the difference between good men and legends and the role of the specific moment in which they live. Given a multi-billion world population, it's likely that people as great as Churchill and Lincoln are born in every generation but aren't made legends without the furnace of a highest stakes Civil or Worls War. And I call that a matter of chance, which is equatable to fortune. Woodson, by that example, would likely be regarded as very good rather than legendary if he had played for RR's or Hoke's worst rosters rather than Carr's best. You could counterargue that RR's and Hoke's worst teams would have jumped from garbage to all-timers if this hypothetical about swapping Woodson's eligibility were carried out but that's both debatable and altogether misses the point.

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Chitown Kev

January 7th, 2018 at 4:13 PM ^

Michigan's 2016 offense was actually better in every category than the 1997 offense...and Peppers had more offensive touches than Woodson...the 2016 defense was just a tad below the 1997 defense and you could argue that Peppers wasn't even the best defensive player on that squad

Woodson consistently made the most of the opportunities that he did get...at a time when Michigan needed them

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Chitown Kev

January 7th, 2018 at 1:47 PM ^

even spectacular plays in the biggest of games...yes, the 95 game was the Tim Biakabutuka show but don't forget that Woodson had 2 int's in that game...don't forget the int against MSU...don't forget the TD pass against Penn State on Judgment Day...that's not a matter of chance...when he was needed to make a big play, Woodson delivered.

Joined: 10/01/2011

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Craptain Crunch

January 7th, 2018 at 12:51 PM ^

IIRC, one has to wait 10 years after leaving college. He should have been inducted the first day after 10 years. 

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Hotel Putingrad

January 7th, 2018 at 1:24 PM ^

besides his superior athleticism and instincts, he had the fortitude to raise his already elite level of play even higher in the biggest games. Congratulations, Charles!

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NightTrain5

January 7th, 2018 at 2:17 PM ^

Congratulations to my favorite Wolverine. He was a shutdown corner who also affected the return game plus caught some key passes on offense. (And remember, it had been a long time since someone played both ways before #2 started it up again.) He was at his best when the moment was biggest, consistently making critical plays to lead his team to many victories and the National Championship. He did it all, and did it well. My pick for the GOAT.

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GoBlueTom

January 7th, 2018 at 4:31 PM ^

Really believe the number should be retired, I'm 32 and he's the greatest player I've seen put on the maize the blue..Maybe that will change one day! Next stop Canton

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