The sad story of David Woodley
- Thread starter bamanut_aj
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Re: The sad story of Danny Woodley
Thanks for the link nut. I remember Woodley at LSU and vaguely with the Dolphins but had lost track of him and did not know he had died. A very sad story.
Thanks for the link nut. I remember Woodley at LSU and vaguely with the Dolphins but had lost track of him and did not know he had died. A very sad story.
Re: The sad story of Danny Woodley
Sadly, from the read, it appears that's the way he wanted it.
Re: The sad story of Danny Woodley
that really is a sad story. sounds like this guy had some deamons besides a poor second half in a super bowl.
that really is a sad story. sounds like this guy had some deamons besides a poor second half in a super bowl.
Re: The sad story of Danny Woodley
It's a very sad but too common story. Will the mods correct the title so we at least get the guy's name right?
Growing up I was a Dolphins fan and I remember David Woodley well, for an odd reason. I had a cousin named David Woodley, I remember being at their house one holiday watching the Dolphins game and seeing that name on the jersey. I thought it was neat that they had the same name. Unfortunately, I say "had a cousin" because they apparently had more in common than just a name.
It's a very sad but too common story. Will the mods correct the title so we at least get the guy's name right?
Growing up I was a Dolphins fan and I remember David Woodley well, for an odd reason. I had a cousin named David Woodley, I remember being at their house one holiday watching the Dolphins game and seeing that name on the jersey. I thought it was neat that they had the same name. Unfortunately, I say "had a cousin" because they apparently had more in common than just a name.
Re: The sad story of Danny Woodley
Not trying to be a butt about this, but it is David Woodley, not Danny Woodley. When I first clicked this, I thought it was about Danny Woodson and you had just messed up the name.
I remember him quite well. He was a pretty highly-touted prospect coming out C.E. Byrd High in Shreveport. I remember watching him play Alabama in 1977-1979. I remember in 1978 he had a long touchdown pass early on in the game to give them the lead, and it looked like we had a fight on our hands, but we shut him down the rest of the way.
The other two years he was absolutely terrible against us, but then again as good as we were at the time that was usually the case regardless of who we played. I specifically remember him splitting time with Ensminger in the 1979 monsoon game, just a few weeks before Charlie Mac stepped down. The LSU crowds were always generally pretty rough on him, for whatever reason. I remember the stadium breaking out in a cheer one time in 1979 when Ensminger came in, and how they started booing one time when he threw an incompletion. I don't know why, but they were pretty tough on him from what I remember.
His life as a whole was a sad, sad, story. The way he died was very odd, it was just with no fanfare whatsoever from I recall. Oddly enough, he died only about sixteen months or so after Charlie Mac himself died.
Not trying to be a butt about this, but it is David Woodley, not Danny Woodley. When I first clicked this, I thought it was about Danny Woodson and you had just messed up the name.
I remember him quite well. He was a pretty highly-touted prospect coming out C.E. Byrd High in Shreveport. I remember watching him play Alabama in 1977-1979. I remember in 1978 he had a long touchdown pass early on in the game to give them the lead, and it looked like we had a fight on our hands, but we shut him down the rest of the way.
The other two years he was absolutely terrible against us, but then again as good as we were at the time that was usually the case regardless of who we played. I specifically remember him splitting time with Ensminger in the 1979 monsoon game, just a few weeks before Charlie Mac stepped down. The LSU crowds were always generally pretty rough on him, for whatever reason. I remember the stadium breaking out in a cheer one time in 1979 when Ensminger came in, and how they started booing one time when he threw an incompletion. I don't know why, but they were pretty tough on him from what I remember.
His life as a whole was a sad, sad, story. The way he died was very odd, it was just with no fanfare whatsoever from I recall. Oddly enough, he died only about sixteen months or so after Charlie Mac himself died.
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That first year with the Fins was special though. Woodley was the first rookie quarterback to ever take a team to the Super Bowl. He didn't have a cannon NFL arm, but he had amazing poise for a youngster. He never got rattled and could scramble out of trouble.
He could have been All-SEC at LSU if he didn't have to split playing time with Steve Ensminger for four years.
He could have been All-SEC at LSU if he didn't have to split playing time with Steve Ensminger for four years.
Sad. I remember him. He was good. He was SEC and LSU and I pulled for him. I remember that.:BigA:
Yep, I remember that well. That was the year that John Riggins broke through the tackle on former Alabama star cornerback Don McNeal for the touchdown that really put them in control.
He had a really, really bad game in the Super Bowl though. I remember he had a huge bomb for a touchdown early on, but I think he only ended up with like four completions and only about twenty yards of passing after that. I'm pretty sure the former is an all-time low for a starting QB in the Super Bowl. The Dolphins offense was just completely terrible in the second half. If I remember correctly, I think they only had around 20 or 30 yards or total offense in the second half, and I don't think Woodley even completed a pass.
In all honestly, that poor Super Bowl performance not only cost the Dolphins the Super Bowl, but it cost Woodley his job too. A couple of months later, needing a quarterback, the Dolphins drafted Dan Marino. I remember Woodley started a few games in Marino's rookie year while he got ready, but I think after four or five games he gave way to Marino, and the rest is history.
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I too, remember David and his playing days, but he never became a household sports name. That's understandable, considering his Dolphin career was sandwiched between the greats of Bob Griese and Dan Marino. It is an understatement to say Miami expected excellence from their QBs. Can you imagine the pressure he was under? It is just sad the path he took.
Sadly enough it didn't get any better when he left Miami. After Marino took over, the Dolphins traded Woodley to the Steelers, where he replaced.... Terry Bradshaw, who of course came from Woodley's hometown of Shreveport.
Sufficed to say, from one pressure cooker to another.
I don't have a medical degree, nor do I believe strongly in psychiatric medicine! but this guy had strong mental health issues other than alcoholism!
I remember woodley well. He was a very good QB that could easily have made good money from his NFL and LSU careers, Sad story, maybe some intervention could have saved this troubled soul.
I remember woodley well. He was a very good QB that could easily have made good money from his NFL and LSU careers, Sad story, maybe some intervention could have saved this troubled soul.
The 79 team at LSU could have been good, playing two very good teams in Southern Cal and Alabama very close. John Ed Bradley, who was also on the team, goes into some detail about it. Apparently the booing got to Woodley even though he didn't deserve any of it. That's why I never boo and hate it when the morons in our fanbase do it. There is actually an illuminating thread on another tiger board for those of you who are interested.
I don't know if I agree with that or not. That 1979 team was a pretty decent one, but I'm not sure it was really all that special, or had the potential to be all that special. I know you guys played us close on the scoreboard, but that was mainly because of the terrible weather. I was there and we absolutely dominated that game, out-gaining you guys by almost a two-to-one margin. It was just that Bryant chose an extremely conservative strategy because of the weather, which kept it low scoring. If I recall correctly, we only threw like six or seven passes, and you guys never even got past our forty. I remember specifically the LSU radio guys after the game bemoaning that you guys had more punts than first downs.
You guys were pretty decent that year, but I don't think it was anything more than the mediocre that unfortunately became the norm in the mid-to-late 1970's under Charlie Mac.
Now I will agree with you 100% on that one.
I cannot stand when people do that. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of these type of guys who believes that once you put on Team X's uniform that you become a football God immune from criticism. I will be, and often am, very open and blunt about a player's abilities and / or shortcomings.
But don't show up to the games and boo, that is pathetic. I don't care if a player is flat out terrible, put it aside for three hours out of the week and just cheer. If you are going to pull that crap, just give your ticket away to someone who is actually going to support the team. Or heck, sell it to a rival fan. I'd much rather see a rival fan supporting his team than I would a home team "fan" booing one of our players.
Quite right, but considering you had beaten us by ten plus points since 1972, it was quite an achievement. Let me elaborate further. There was certain added pressure the team because it was Charlie Mac's last year.
Yeah, it got really tough for Charlie Mac at the end. Rumors were everywhere as it was, and when Dietzel was brought back as AD, if I recall things correctly, things went nuts. To this day, I still have several LSU friends who will go to their graves thinking that Charlie Mac did not really "resign," but was actually forced out. Not being an LSU fan I wouldn't really know, but either way a lot of people still feel that way apparently.
I will say, though, that I've always thought it was very odd that Charlie Mac retired so young. I know he spent a very long time at LSU, but he had just turned 56 when he retired. That is awfully young, and I've always found that a bit odd, especially considering how much Charlie Mac loved LSU and football in general.
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