Willie Wood, Packers great and Hall of Fame DB, dies at 83
Source: AP
By BETH HARRIS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Willie Wood, the Hall of Fame defensive back who won five NFL championships with the Green Bay Packers under coach Vince Lombardi and made the first interception in Super Bowl history, died Monday. He was 83.
Wood died of natural causes in Washington, according to Robert Schmidt, his longtime friend and former teammate at Southern California. Wood had suffered from advanced dementia for several years.
After being undrafted out of Southern California, Wood sent postcards to several NFL teams seeking a tryout. The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder signed as a free agent with the Packers and played safety for them from 1960-71.
“The Packers saw his heart while the others saw his size,” Jim Hill, who played for the Packers from 1972-74 and now is sports director for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles, told The Associated Press. “Vince had an eye like Joe Torre or Tom Lasorda. He could see talent where other people couldn’t.”
FILE - In this undated file photo shows Willie Wood of the Green Bay Packers. Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Wood, captain of the 1959 USC football team who played in the first 2 Super Bowls, died today, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020 of natural causes in Washington, D.C. He was 83. (AP Photo/File)
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