Legendary former Michigan Wolverines football defensive back Charles Woodson got the call from Pro Football Hall of Fame President David Baker — he will be inducted into the Hall as part of the class of 2021.

The winner of the 1997 Heisman Trophy and a national champion during his time at Michigan, Woodson was selected to nine Pro Bowls as a member of the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers from 1998-2015 and was named All-Pro during eight seasons. He was the 1998 NFL Rookie of the Year and the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year.

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All of those accomplishments have been well documented and often talked about, especially in Ann Arbor, Green Bay and the San Francisco area, but after five years of retirement (he's currently working in broadcasting for Fox Sports), now it's official — Woodson is one of the best players to ever take the gridiron.

"I get told all the time, when people see me — I still workout quite regularly — people are like, ‘You look like you could still play,’" Woodson said on a press conference call this week. "And oftentimes I’ll go back and forth with them and say, ‘Yeah, I might be able to give them a play or two here or there.’

"But, I’m officially done playing football now, with going into the Hall of Fame. So this marks the end of what I did as a player. For 18 years in the NFL and all throughout college and high school, and now it's the beginning of, like David Baker says, ‘40,000 years that bust will last.’"

Woodson is set to be officially inducted into Canton on in August, and he will give a full speech at that time. But after some quick reflections over the weekend, Woodson expressed just how proud he is of his accomplishments and the recognition he is receiving by being a member of the Hall of Fame.

"I feel like this means I’m going to live forever," Woodson said "None of us will see 40,000 years from now, so that is forever. This means that this is immortality.

"This is a great, great accomplishment that I share with each and every coach and player and friend and family player that I have that supported me over the years. And this is the ultimate compliment that any player could ever achieve after their playing days are over. I’m so extremely grateful to be here."

A key piece for the Oakland Raiders and Packers throughout his career, Woodson registered 1,105 tackles, 20 sacks, 33 forced fumbles, 65 interceptions and 16 defensive touchdowns.

While his former teammate and fellow member of the 1995 Michigan football signing class Tom Brady was winning his seventh Super Bowl Sunday night in Tampa, Woodson was in the house and was honored on the field with the rest of the 2021 Hall of Fame class that includes Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson, Drew Pearson, Alan Faneca, Bill Nunn, John Lynch and Tom Flores.

Woodson is the 11th Wolverine to enter the Hall, joining George Allen (2002), Dan Dierdorf (1996), Len Ford (1976), Benny Friedman (2005), Bill Hewitt (1971), Elroy Hirsch (1968), Steve Hutchinson (2020), Ty Law (2019), Tom Mack (1999) and Ralph Wilson Jr. (2009).

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