Exactly..Others are talking about who he reminds them of. He reminds me of my favorite Tatum story (and Jack wasn’t even there)
Woody was a very kind intellectual type when he wasn’t angry. He turned into a complete lunatic when he got mad though, and it could happen instantaneously.
One of the times it happened was at the start of the offense/defense draft for the 1968 season. Freshmen were ineligible at the time, so when the sophomore class became eligible, the offense and defense would hold an NFL style draft to apportion them to each squad. In 1968, the defense drafted first. I don’t remember why; if they flipped a coin for the first pick or if they alternated years. But in 1968, the defense considered that first pick a blessing and a curse.
It wasn’t because they couldn’t figure out whom to pick in that historically great class. No, even among that stellar group, Tatum was the obvious first pick. So no, the problem wasn’t that the pick was difficult, the problem was that Woody picked for the offense.
Previously, when the defense had the first pick, Woody would let it be known through copious less-than-subtle hints, which of the freshmen turning sophomore that he really thought was great, and the defensive coaches would always pick someone else. It was an unspoken agreement, and it was consistent with everything else that happened in the program. Woody let people make their own choices; Woody let them know which choice to make (or not make).
In 1968 though, even among that group of historically great players, they could not pass up Tatum. They had discussed it; they knew Woody would blow up, but they had to take him. Even though Woody had made it very clear that he just couldn’t wait to see #32 run the ball, they could not pass him up.
When the time came, they sat down for the draft, and no one said a word for several seconds. The details of what comes next are unclear as I’ve heard different versions, but having read the biography of Woody that was written in the 70s, there’s one version that I find most consistent with who he was. Woody asked, “So who are you going to start off with?” After several more seconds of silence, one word: “Tatum.” Woody went silent, then white. This was true danger-time, because when he turned red he yelled, but when he turned white, things broke (not always chalkboards). What happens next in this version is weird, but it is something that happened more than once according to his biography: Woody punched himself. As was his wont when he reached his highest fit of pique, he balled up both hands into white-knuckled fists and plowed them into both cheeks simultaneously. Then, after some heavy breathing and pacing, Woody sat down, picked Rex Kern, and no one ever said another word about it.
Henderson looks to me like what Tatum would’ve looked like as a running back. And I don’t blame Woody for being mad.
And oh by the way
Car dealership: Byers
Running back: Byars
