Damien Michael Woody (born November 3, 1977) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict in ...

who played for the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and New York Jets of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played college football for Boston College. He was drafted as a

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

by the Patriots in the first round, 17th overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. During his pro career, he played every position on the

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

. A

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

selection in 2002, Woody won two

Super Bowl ring The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itsel ...

s with the Patriots.

Early years

Woody attended Patrick Henry High School in

Ashland, Virginia Ashland is a town in Hanover County, Virginia, United States, located north of Richmond along Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 7,225, up from 6,619 at the 2000 census. Ashland is named after the Le ...

, where he teamed with

Erron Kinney Erron Quincy Kinney (born July 28, 1977) is an American former college and professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the early 2000s. Kinney played college football for the U ...

and helped the Patrick Henry Patriots win the 1994 state football championship. He played college football for Boston College in

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Chestnut Hill is an affluent New England village located west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is located within one or more incorporated municipal entities. It is located partia ...

Professional career

New England Patriots

The Patriots selected him 17th overall in the first round of the 1999 draft. Woody would go on to start 76 games with the Patriots, mostly at center. Woody was known to struggle with delivering the snap in the

shotgun formation The shotgun formation is a formation used by the offensive team in gridiron football mainly for passing plays, although some teams use it as their base formation. Instead of the quarterback receiving the snap from center at the line of scrimmag ...

. When a play was called that required a shotgun snap to the quarterback, Woody would rotate to the guard position. As the anchor of a tough and effective New England offensive line, Woody was a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams, in 2001 and 2003. He did not play in Super Bowl XXXVIII against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

because of a knee injury.

Detroit Lions

Woody signed as a free agent with the Detroit Lions in March 2004 and started every game in the 2004 and 2005 seasons before missing most of 2006 on injured reserve. His play earned him a selection as a Pro Bowl alternate in 2004.

New York Jets

On March 2, 2008, Woody and the Jets agreed to a five-year, $25 million contract with $11 million in guaranteed money. During the Jets' post-season run during the 2010 season, Woody suffered a torn Achilles tendon in a victory over the Indianapolis Colts on January 8, 2011. Woody was subsequently placed on the injured reserve list on January 12, 2011. Following the injury, Woody was released by the Jets on February 28, 2011. Woody announced his retirement on July 26, 2011.

Broadcasting career

On August 5, 2011, Woody joined

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

as an NFL analyst. He can be seen on '' SportsCenter'', '' NFL Live,'' Fantasy Football Now, and other shows.

Personal life

Woody is a Christian. Woody is married to Nicole Woody. They have seven children: Kamille, Jalynn, Alexandra, Domonique, Deuce, Dontrell, and Jacoby. Woody was a contestant on Season 16 of the reality competition ''

The Biggest Loser ''The Biggest Loser'' is a reality television format which started with the American TV show '' The Biggest Loser'' in 2004. The show centers on overweight and obese contestants attempting to lose the most weight; the winner receives a cash priz ...

'', which premiered on September 11, 2014, on NBC under the name '' The Biggest Loser: Glory Days'', appearing along with former NFL quarterback Scott Mitchell. Woody is a fan of the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

's New York Islanders.

References

External links

Damien Woody Official websiteDetroit Lions bioNew England Patriots bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woody, Damien 1977 births Living people African-American players of American football American Conference Pro Bowl players American football centers American football offensive guards American football offensive tackles Boston College Eagles football players Detroit Lions players ESPN people National Football League announcers New England Patriots players New York Jets players People from Hanover County, Virginia