Gary Wood
Encyclopedia
Gary Fay Wood was an American football
quarterback
in the National Football League
from 1964 until 1969.
The 5' 11
out of Cornell University
in the 1964 NFL Draft
by the New York Giants
in the eighth round. Wood in his time in the NFL had a career completion percentage of 46.5% and a passer rating
of 54.5.
Wood was inducted into the New York Sports Hall of Fame on March 24, 1996.
quarterback
at Cornell beginning in 1961, his sophomore season. 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). Wood was elected team captain in 1963 and during his senior year was elected to the National Honor Society
.
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
. Wood played in only two games for the Saints in the 1967 season, and was traded back to New York later for a draft pick.
Wood spent the remainder of his NFL career in New York backing up Fran Tarkenton
. He ended his NFL career in 1969 having played in 63 games.
from 1970—1971 for the Ottawa Rough Riders
.
Following his stint in the CFL, Wood opened an insurance firm in New York City and helped build Christ City Church in Melville, New York
. He was inducted into the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989, and 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.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
from 1964 until 1969.
The 5' 11
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
out of Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in the 1964 NFL Draft
1964 NFL Draft
The 1964 National Football League Draft took place on December 2, 1963.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the eighth round. Wood in his time in the NFL had a career completion percentage of 46.5% and a passer rating
Passer rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
of 54.5.
Wood was inducted into the New York Sports Hall of Fame on March 24, 1996.
College career
After graduating from Cortland High School in Cortland, New York, Wood had an outstanding career as the three-year startingStarting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
at Cornell beginning in 1961, his sophomore season. Wood was the leading rusher and passer for the Big Red
Cornell Big Red
The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, at Cornell University. The university sponsors 36 varsity sports, as well as numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League.The men's and women's hockey...
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). Wood was elected team captain in 1963 and during his senior year was elected to the National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
.
Professional career
In 1964, Wood was selected in the eighth round (109th overall) of the NFL DraftNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In his rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season for the Giants he backed up starter Y. A. Tittle
Y. A. Tittle
Yelberton Abraham Tittle , better known as Y. A. Tittle, is a former football quarterback in the National Football League and All-America Football Conference who played for the Baltimore Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and the New York Giants...
.
In 1967, Wood was picked up in the expansion draft
Expansion draft
An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or franchises. This occurs mainly in North American sports. One of the ways of stocking the new team or teams is an expansion draft...
for the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. Wood played in only two games for the Saints in the 1967 season, and was traded back to New York later for a draft pick.
Wood spent the remainder of his NFL career in New York backing up Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton
Francis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....
. He ended his NFL career in 1969 having played in 63 games.
After the NFL
After retiring from the NFL, Wood played in the Canadian Football LeagueCanadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
from 1970—1971 for the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
.
Following his stint in the CFL, Wood opened an insurance firm in New York City and helped build Christ City Church in Melville, New York
Melville, New York
Melville is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Huntington in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, 14,533 people resided there.-Location:...
. He was inducted into the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989, and 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.