Thanks Woodbuck.

I wrote about Willie Wood's coaching career on here a couple years ago when he was in the news for the many severe health problems he has, and the monetary problems resulting from it. As I recall, he took a reduced early NFL retirement to pay for some surgeries or something, and just kept sinking both medically and financially.

Wood was a head coach in the WFL (or whatever league was active then), which made him the first black head coach of a pro team in the modern era. He then went to Canada to be the first in the CFL. It was thought he was a front runner for one job in the NFL (LA Rams, I think), but ultimately didn't get it. He was rumored to be in line for a couple others, then just sort of disappeared. I think that was when his health issues first began to surface,

As a collegian at USC, he was the first black starting QB in the Pac 12; (or whatever the league was then), and had to put up with a lot because of it. That was in the late 1950s and befor the civil rights movement really took hold in the US.

Willie Wood was one of quiet barrier breakers who did a lot without saying a lot.