Gary Wood
| No. 19 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | February 5, 1942 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Taylor, New York, U.S. | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Cornell | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1964 / Round: 8 / Pick: 109 | ||||||||
| AFL draft: |
1964 / Round: 17 / Pick: 132 (By the Boston Patriots) | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| CFL All Star – 1970 | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Gary Fay Wood (July 9, 1942 – March 3, 1994) was an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League from 1964 until 1969.
The 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) quarterback was drafted from Cornell University in the 1964 NFL Draft by the New York Giants in the eighth round. In his time in the NFL, Wood had a career completion percentage of 46.5%, as well as a passer rating of 54.5.[1]
On March 24th, 1996, Wood was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[2]
College career
After graduating from Cortland High School in Cortland, New York, Wood had a career as a three-year starting quarterback at Cornell University beginning in his his sophomore season in 1961. Wood was the leading rusher and passer for the Big Red every year in which he was the starter. In 1962, Wood led the nation in all-purpose yards, with 1,395 (155.0 yards per game). In 1963, Wood was elected team captain, and during his senior year was elected to the National Honor Society.
Professional career
In 1964, Wood was selected in the eighth round (109th overall) of the NFL Draft by the New York Giants. In his rookie season for the Giants he backed-up starter Y. A. Tittle.
In 1967, Wood was picked up in the expansion draft for the New Orleans Saints. After playing only two games for the Saints in the 1967 season, Wood was demoted to third string behind Billy Kilmer and Gary Cuozzo. Following this season, Wood was then traded back to New York for a draft pick.
Wood spent the remainder of his NFL career in New York backing up Fran Tarkenton, and ended his NFL career in 1969 after having played 63 games.
After the NFL
After retiring from the NFL, Wood played in the Canadian Football League from 1970–1971 for the Ottawa Rough Riders.
Following his stint in the Canadian Football League, Wood opened an insurance firm in New York City, and was inducted into the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989, as well as the New York Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
Wood died in March 1994 of a heart attack, at his home on Long Island. He was 52.
See also
- List of NCAA major college yearly punt and kickoff return leaders
- List of select Jewish football players
References
- ↑ "Gary Wood". Jt-sw.com. January 20, 2003. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ↑ http://www.jewishsports.org/jewishsports/detail.asp?id=72