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XFL Vegas Vipers

Know My Name: Rod Woodson

February 16, 2023 - XFL (XFL)
Vegas Vipers News Release


The XFL has emphasized its desire to be a league of opportunity, where players on the margins of NFL rosters and professional football will get a chance to develop and grow in hopes of achieving their dreams.

Vegas Vipers head coach Rod Woodson, like all coaches across the league, has that goal for his players. He knows some of them will make it to the NFL, and wants to put them in positions to succeed when they get there.

But that's not the only teaching he wants to do. He wants his players to grow outside of the game of football as well. He wants the XFL impact to extend beyond the sidelines and end zones.

"The key for us is to make them better men, better brothers, better teammates, better fathers and then whatever community they live in, it'll be a better community," Woodson said. "That's our goal."

Woodson's NFL career was one that has been memorialized with a bronze bust in Canton, Ohio. Drafted out of Purdue after twice being named as an All-American, Woodson played 17 years in the NFL, including 10 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He earned first-team All-Pro honors six times, second-team All-Pro another three times, made 11 Pro Bowls and won the 1993 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

His 12 interceptions returned for touchdowns are an NFL record while his 71 interceptions is the third-highest mark in league history.

"He's a legend so obviously he's got a lot of knowledge," said Vipers defensive back Maurice Smith, who played for the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia. "We respect him as a former player but also as a coach and as a man."

Woodson started his journey as a professional coach with the Cincinnati Bengals thanks to the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship Program. He was then hired by the Oakland Raiders in 2011 to be the team's cornerbacks coach. He returned to the organization in 2015 as assistant defensive backs coach before returning to his old role as cornerbacks coach for the 2017 season.

This year marks a return to coaching for Woodson, who was excited about the chance to give back to XFL players and still continue to do work for his foundation, HOPE Through Football.

"He's still got that player mindset," wide receiver Jeff Badet said. "I think that's what we love about him as a coach. He is our head coach. But the way he just approaches the game, you'd think he's suiting up with us on game day."

That player mindset has played a big role in Woodson's coaching style and philosophy. Smith said he is laid back on the field, only stepping in when he feels people are slacking below the standard he has set for the team.

That goes back to Woodson's hope to develop not only good football players but also good men. Woodson is a believer in the power of sports in developing good habits and learning key life lessons.

"One of the things we always tell them is I've never seen an immature individual be mature on the field or court or whatever playing surface" Woodson said. "What that's telling me is the more mature you're in your own life, the more maturity you'll bring to the field."

Woodson knows that his players are not going to take every piece of advice he gives - and nor should they, he added. But he does want them to take nuggets of information they put in their toolbelts and use them to go from "an apprentice to master carpenter."

The players have been open to receiving the feedback. They understand the learning opportunities in front of them in the form of Woodson and his coaching staff.

"I got to take advantage of this," Smith said. "Not only on the field but just asking questions. It's a lot of knowledge, a lot of life that has been lived."

The Vipers open their 2023 campaign this Saturday at Choctaw Stadium in Texas against the Arlington Renegades. The game, which will be the first game of the XFL season, will be broadcast on ABC.

"I'm excited," Woodson said. "We've got a good group. They're extremely mature. Collectively they're coming together."

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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