MACCC Sports Hall of Fame

TEN YEAR NFL VETERAN WOODS PEGGED FOR MACCC SPORTS HALL OF FAME

One of the longest tenured professional athletes in the rich history of Northeast Mississippi Community College is adding another recognition to his stellar resume.

Jerome Woods was chosen as Northeast’s representative for the 2021 class of the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) Sports Hall of Fame.

The induction ceremony returns following a one-year hiatus due to the worldwide coronavirus outbreak on Tuesday, April 27 starting at 6 p.m. at Hinds Community College’s Clyde Muse Center.

“We congratulate Jerome for this honor and the legacy he has created,” Northeast president Dr. Ricky Ford said. “Jerome played a very integral part in the football history of Northeast. His contributions will be unequaled for many years to come.”

Woods is the fourth member of the football program to enter the MACCC Sports Hall of Fame and just the second athlete alongside fellow National Football League (NFL) alumnus David “Nub” Strickland. Former head coaches David Carnell and W.B. “Bill” Ward are part of that group as well.

“It means a lot just to be thought about and knowing that Northeast is where it all began for me,” said Woods, who spent each of his 10 seasons in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Woods’ decade-long stint is tied for the most years in the NFL by any former Tiger with Mario Addison. However, Addison is on pace to break that mark this fall with two seasons remaining on his current contract with the Buffalo Bills.

But Woods’ path to the NFL almost never happened. It took some convincing from University of Memphis (Tenn.) assistant coach James Fox and Northeast headman Hubert Tucker to continue pursuing his dreams on the gridiron instead of joining the Navy.

“At that point I was over football. I was like, ‘I’m going to go on and do something else with my life,’” Woods said. “(Fox) begged me and said, ‘I’ve got a coach I want to bring in before you sign up with the military. Let us come

and talk to you.’ I didn’t know that within 24 hours they’d be knocking on my door. “After coach Tucker made his pitch, I made the decision to give it a chance. So coach Tucker said, ‘Good. Grab your things. We’re fixing to go now.’ I put a little bag together. We got in his station wagon and we drove back to Booneville.”

That fateful meeting featuring Fox and Tucker forever changed the fortunes of Woods for the better. Tucker utilized the gifted Woods in all three phases of the game during both of his seasons with the Tigers from 1992-93.

Woods frequently showed glimpses of a future star in the making. He had a 46-yard reception during his very first outing with the Tigers against Pearl River Community College and later that year returned a punt for a touchdown in a triumph at Coahoma Community College.

The Melrose (Tenn.) High School graduate improved defensively during his sophomore campaign. Woods earned All-MACCC first-team accolades after finishing third in the league with a total of 77 tackles.

“Juco ball at Northeast was the hardest football I ever played,” said Woods. “The preparation and the things you had to go through on the juco level was so eye opening. That process in junior college prepared me to be successful when I left.”

Woods soared to even bigger heights after signing with his hometown institution of Memphis out of Northeast. He was the 1995 National Defensive Player of the Year among independent Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) members and a second-team All-American by Football News.

He accumulated a sensational 219 tackles over two seasons with the Tigers from 1994-95. Woods topped Memphis as a senior with team-bests of 120 takedowns and six interceptions.

Woods was selected by Kansas City with the 28th overall pick in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He appeared in all 16 games for the Chiefs as a rookie, but moved into a starting role at free safety during the 1997 campaign.

He was tabbed as the American Football Conference (AFC) Defensive Player of the Week after Kansas City’s victory over Seattle. Woods had eight tackles, one sack and picked off Seahawks quarterback Warren Moon in overtime to setup the game winning drive.

Woods won AFC Defensive Player of the Month for November later that same year. He amassed 30 stops across five contests and had a key interception that led to the go-ahead score versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. He started in 79 consecutive matchups as a defensive back for the Chiefs from 1997-2001. But a severe injury in 2002 threatened to end Woods’ career prematurely and left him hospitalized in Seattle for several weeks.

“I’ll never forget I woke up in the middle of the night and I flicked on the TV and was going through the channels and caught a (church) service towards the end,” Woods said. “The guy that was preaching had pointed his finger at the camera like it was pointing at me. The words that came out of his mouth were, ‘It’s not over until God says it’s over.’

“Those words kind of stuck with me. I made a speedy recovery. I was able to get back on the field quicker than the doctors expected. Then the very next year I made my first Pro Bowl. It was life lessons throughout the whole process that taught me so much.”

He was credited with two tackles during the 2004 Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. It capped a phenomenal comeback campaign that included 79 takedowns, three forced fumbles and two pick-sixes.

Woods retired from the NFL in 2006 after producing 540 tackles, 16 pass break ups, 15 interceptions, 11 forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and five sacks. He helped Kansas City capture playoff berths in 1997 and 2003.

He is married to Dana and the couple has five children. He was inducted into the Memphis M-Club Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Northeast Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.