Charles Woodson

Charles Woodson played 18 NFL seasons for the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers, starting 14 years at cornerback before moving to safety for his final four. Born October 7, 1976, in Fremont, Ohio, he starred at Michigan, where he earned All-American honors twice. In 1997, as a junior, he led the Wolverines to a national championship and became the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy.

The Raiders picked him fourth overall in the 1998 draft. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons and earned two first-team All-Pro nods. After eight years in Oakland, he signed with Green Bay, where he spent seven seasons. There, he was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2009, won Super Bowl XLV, and added four more Pro Bowl selections and two more first-team All-Pro honors, bringing his career totals to eight Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pros. He returned to the Raiders for his final three seasons, earning a ninth Pro Bowl in his last year.

Woodson shares the NFL record for most defensive touchdowns, ranks second in interceptions returned for touchdowns, and is tied for fifth in career interceptions. He is one of a handful of players to appear in a Pro Bowl in three different decades. He entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. In 2025, he became a limited partner of the Cleveland Browns.

In high school at Ross High, Woodson was named Ohio’s Mr. Football as a senior, set school records with 3,861 rushing yards and 466 points, and was a USA Today and Parade All-American. Colleges recruited him as a running back, but Michigan wanted him at cornerback. He also played basketball as a point guard and ran track in relays and the long jump.

At Michigan from 1995 to 1997 under coach Lloyd Carr, Woodson started after the second game of his freshman year and played 34 straight games. He returned punts and occasionally lined up at wide receiver. As a freshman, he was Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, and led the team with five interceptions and eight takeaways. As a sophomore, he set a school record with 15 pass breakups, was named Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year and an AP first-team All-American, and was a Jim Thorpe Award finalist.

In 1997, he won the Heisman by 282 points over Peyton Manning, becoming the first full-time defensive player to do so (two-way player Travis Hunter won in 2024). He also took the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, a second straight Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year award, and was Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Big Ten MVP, and Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year. He finished his college career with 18 interceptions, second all-time at Michigan. He made big plays in big moments: two picks as a freshman against No. 2 Ohio State; a one-handed interception against Michigan State in his Heisman year; and a punt return touchdown, an end-zone interception, and a 37-yard reception in a win over Ohio State that sent Michigan to the Rose Bowl.

In the Rose Bowl, he intercepted a pass in the end zone to help beat Washington State and claim a share of the national championship.

Woodson entered the 1998 NFL draft after his junior season. The Raiders took him fourth overall. As a rookie, he started all 16 games—the first Raider to do so since 1971—recorded 64 tackles, five interceptions (third in the league), one pick-six against the Arizona Cardinals, and one forced fumble. He was named AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and made his first Pro Bowl. In 1999, he recorded his first career reception.