Woodhead creates Pats fanbase in sea of red
As most New England fans are well aware, Woodhead played his college ball at a small Division II school in western Nebraska called Chadron State. Chadron may be close to 7 hours from Omaha, but make no mistake, Omaha is the hub of all things Nebraska and its citizens make up the bulk of Nebraska’s population. Those Omahans are well aware when one of Nebraska’s native sons is out there in the world making a name for themselves, and they are proud of it. Nebraska doesn’t always get to dip its fingers in pop culture, but when it does, the whole state seems to unite in pride.
Such is the case with Danny Woodhead. Primarily a college sports state, Woodhead has made it fashionable to sport New England Patriots gear in any local Nebraska sports bar. Normally, you’ll see some Bears, Broncos, Chiefs, and Vikings jerseys sprinkled in with all the Husker red, but as of late, it is not uncommon at all to spot a Pats jersey at any local watering hole. More often than not, it’s a #39 jersey.
The fact that he is from Nebraska does not, however, completely account for the number of supporters he has in the state. Every year, the Church…err…University of Nebraska churns out four or five guys who get drafted into the NFL and have a lasting impact. Outside of the occasional Ndamukung Suh jersey, you don’t see many people wearing NFL jerseys of former Huskers.
Danny Woodhead’s continuing support from his home state has more to do with his story and his play on the field than his roots. He was the best player in the state as a high school senior, yet was denied a scholarship to play running back for the Huskers. Instead, he went to Chadron and became the all-time rushing leader in college football history, picking up two Harlan Hill (D-II Heisman) trophies along the way. After that, he went undrafted, only to be signed by the Jets. He makes the team, suffers a leg injury, yet New York still kept him around for another year. As soon as Mark Sanchez’s USC buddy Joe McKnight joined the team, however, the Jets cut him loose. You know the rest of the story. Belichick swooped in and the Pats and Woodhead never looked back.
With every handoff or reception, you see it in his body language, the fact that he won’t be denied. He’ll keep fighting play after play for every yard he can get, regardless of his size or his roots. He’s been doing that his whole life. I think many Nebraskans can relate. Now, however, with every yard gained, he carries the pride of an entire “flyover” state with him.
The perception of Nebraska, especially from those who have never been here, is that we don’t have much. That’s all relative. What we do have is football, and a homegrown kid who clawed his way to the NFL, tried out and made two different teams, and caught a touchdown pass in the biggest game you can play in from one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.
We have Danny Woodhead, and that’s enough for us.
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