Charles R. "Tod" Goodwin (December 5, 1911January 7, 1997) was an American athlete who played
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
collegiately at
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...
. Playing the position of
end
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**End (gridiron footbal ...
, Goodwin spent the 1935 and 1936 season playing professional football for the
New York Football Giants
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.
Goodwin was the NFL leader in receptions with 26 in 1935, which earned him second-team honors on the
1935 All-Pro Team.
Biography
Early years
Charles R. Goodwin, known to family and friends as "Tod," was born December 5, 1911, in
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...
. He grew up in Bellaire, Ohio, attending
Bellaire High School in that city.
[Barry Gottehrer, ''The Giants of New York: The History of Professional Football's Most Fabulous Dynasty.'' New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1963; pg. 124.]
College career
Goodwin played football collegiately at
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...
(WVU), where the
end
End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to:
End
*In mathematics:
** End (category theory)
** End (topology)
**End (graph theory)
** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous)
**End (endomorphism)
*In sports and games
**End (gridiron footbal ...
gained a reputation both for superlative pass-catching skills and for an exuberant confidence that offended the sensibilities of some traditionalists.
As a sophomore at WVU, Goodwin's arrogant patter inspired head coach
Earle "Greasy" Neale to force him to wear a sign for a week reading ''"I Am Cocky,"'' in an attempt to shame Goodwin to humility.
At the end of the week of what was intended as a public humiliation, Goodwin showed up before the team with a new sign that he had made himself, reading simply ''"I Am Still Cocky."''
Professional career
Goodwin signed to play with the
New York Football Giants
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
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 ...
in 1935, the last year before institution of the
NFL draft
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
. The jocular and gregarious Goodwin was popular among his teammates, earning the nicknames "Dingbat," "Baby Face," and "Mouth" from his Giants comrades.
His brashness aside, Goodwin produced on the field, leading the NFL in receiving in the run-heavy year of 1935 with 26 receptions for 432 yards and 4 touchdowns.
[Gottehrer, ''The New York Giants,'' pg. 131.] Goodwin's reception total was a new league record, albeit short-lived, as in 1936 it was surpassed by future
Hall of Famer
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Don Hutson
Donald Montgomery Hutson (January 31, 1913 – June 26, 1997) was an American professional football player and assistant coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as an end and spent his entire 11-year professional career with the ...
of the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
.
[Gottehrer, ''The New York Giants,'' pg. 144.] The effort was good enough for Goodwin to be named as a second-team member of the
1935 All-Pro Team.
See also
*
1935 New York Giants season
*
1936 New York Giants season
The New York Giants season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League.
Schedule
Standings
See also
*List of New York Giants seasons
The New York Giants are an American football team based in East Rutherford, New Je ...
Footnotes
External links
"Tod Goodwin,"Pro-Football Archives.com, www.profootballarchives.com/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Tod
1911 births
1997 deaths
American football ends
New York Giants players
West Virginia Mountaineers football players
People from Bellaire, Ohio
Sportspeople from Wheeling, West Virginia
Players of American football from Ohio