On Sunday, members of the football coaching staff were tucked away in their offices at Chadron State, performing the usual day-after-game ritual of breaking down Saturday's film - in this case, a 21-10 win over Adams State.
Then, during the early afternoon, the phones started ringing. And ringing. And didn't stop ringing all afternoon. You might have thought there was a telethon going on at the school.
After a while, coach Bill O'Boyle considered installing a Danny Woodhead hotline.
"We're here working all day, as soon as he scores (his first NFL touchdown with the
Patriots) the phone is ringing off the wall,"Â O'Boyle said Monday. "It's amazing how many people in the state of Nebraska still follow him. We were also getting bombarded with e-mails and phone calls from all the guys we played against, all the teams Danny played against. Those guys follow him week in and week out. I got e-mails from Abilene Christian in West Texas. Everyone wants to see the D-2 guys do well."Â
While Woodhead is carrying the banner for the Division 2 schools, showing that you don't necessarily have to go to a Div. 1 school to make it in the NFL, the recently signed Patriots running back-wide receiver stands for so much more.
His story resonates with so many people who have been told they can't do something, or can't reach for their dreams. Football players aren't usually the size of jockeys, but being small never deterred Woodhead for a second.
"With Danny, right out of high school, everyone was saying, ‘Look at his height!' Everyone was going to knock him on that," O'Boyle said with regard to the munchkin-sized back who rushed for 42 yards on three carries and a touchdown in his NFL debut against the Bills. "But no one was going to look at all of the other intangibles he has, and everything else he brings."Â
Listening to a few of his coaches, not to mention his dad Mark - a fellow former Chadron State football player - Woodhead is not someone you want to go up against if you expect to win. When O'Boyle and current Chadron State athletic director Brad Smith (who coached Woodhead his first year) recruited him out of North Platte High, they didn't just see a talented football player. They saw an incredible athlete who not only was the best football player at his high school, but also the best at hoop and soccer.
As a point guard, he led all of Nebraska in scoring his senior year. He was the No. 2 scorer in the state in soccer. He ran track for a year in college and broke Chadron State's 100-meter record at 10.5 seconds. And did we mention he was also a scratch golfer?
"Put a golf club in his hand, he'll beat anybody,"Â O'Boyle said. "The guy is amazing as far as being a competitor."Â
Woodhead, who as a kid drew a football field on the living room carpet with a green marker, has two brothers and a sister who are also very athletic. Both brothers played football, but there's just something different about Danny.
Something special.
"All my kids are pretty good athletes,"Â said Mark Woodhead, a teacher in North Platte who also coaches a girls basketball team. "With Danny, any ball he touches turns to gold. Football, basketball, soccer, golf, that's just him."Â
And did we mention his height yet? When told Woodhead was listed at 5-9, O'Boyle laughed.
"Yeah, I'd say that's stretching it,"Â O'Boyle said.
Papa Woodhead didn't want to reveal any family secrets, but said Danny was definitely shorter than him, and he's "5-10 on a good day."
No matter. Woodhead still managed to win Div. 2's version of the Heisman - the Harlon Hill Trophy - in 2006 and 2007. His single season total of 2,756 rushing yards in 2006 set an NCAA record for all divisions.
"He's the best athlete we've had at this place,"Â O'Boyle said. "I doubt I'll ever see another guy like him as long as I coach. He's just a special kid. Always has been."Â
Woodhead, of course, was waived by the Jets and picked up by the
Patriots the day before the showdown with Gang Green at New Meadowlands Stadium. While many thought this was just gamesmanship on the part of
Bill Belichick, given Woodhead was a favorite of Jets coach Rex Ryan, it's looking like the Pats saw something more.
As
Tom Brady cracked, Woodhead was around for about 10 minutes and still managed to contribute significantly in the 38-30 win over the Bills. Taking on some of the
Kevin Faulk role, Woodhead was used in the backfield. His second carry as a Patriot, he scampered 22 yards for a touchdown. Even with only three carries, you could see he was a natural, with great vision and a terrific feel for how to use his blockers.
"I'll bet the Jets are shaking their head after watching that,"Â O'Boyle said. "It's just a matter of someone giving him a shot and letting him get on the field to do some things. 'Cuz he's going to surprise people. But nothing he does will surprise us."Â
That's because the folks at Chadron State have seen it up close and personal. They've had the full Woodhead experience. Smart in the classroom, even better on the field.
"Yeah, he's kind of a freak,"Â said Smith.
"I'm telling you, it'll only get better the more he keeps going,"Â O'Boyle said. "ÂHe'll feed off that. Because there are so many guys that doubt him, even now. There's no guy that I've ever met that will feed off that more than he will.
"But, we're just elated with what he's doing now. If you know him, he's always going to succeed."Â
