Michigan Football: The Wolverine's Top-25 Since '97 - No. 1
The Wolverine concludes its series of the top 25 Michigan players since 1997 with No. 1, Charles Woodson.
Throughout the process of voting on the top-25, the Wolverine staff came across some vast differences of opinion on where players ranked. However, the decision to put Woodson at No. 1 was unanimous.
Michigan's most recent Heisman Trophy winner, Woodson has accomplished more in football than would fit in one article, but we will hopefully cover the highlights here.
A native of Fremont, Ohio, Woodson crossed the border to become one of the best players to ever don the maize and blue. During his career at Ross High School, he set school records for rushing yards and scoring. He was also named Mr. Football for the state of Ohio as well as a USA-Today and Parade Magazine All-American.
At Michigan, Woodson almost instantly became the best defender on the team, earning the starting job in the second game of the season and leading the team in interceptions and passes defensed. In the 1996 season he set a then program record with 15 pass break-ups in a single season, which still stands as the fifth best mark in school history. Woodson was also named All-Big Ten first team following the season.
The 1997 season goes down in Michigan history for multiple reasons, but primarily for the National Championship win, and Woodson was a huge part of that success. Woodson made eight interceptions, tied for third in Michigan history. He also took a punt back for a touchdown in the team's 20-14 win over Ohio State in the final game of the regular season. He also had four pass breakups in the Rose Bowl game alone.
Following the 1997 season, Woodson brought home nearly every award he was eligible to win, including winning the Heisman Trophy over Peyton Manning and Randy Moss. He also won the Walter Camp and Jim Thorpe Awards that season.
Throughout his career as a Wolverine, Woodson left fans with countless memories and images of his outstanding plays. As a freshman, he pulled down two interceptions in the game against the Buckeyes. During the 1997 season, he made a one-handed interception along the sideline against Michigan State that would make Odell Beckham Jr. jealous. Added to his punt return against Ohio State that year, Michigan fans will always remember his fight against Buckeye wide receiver David Boston in that 1997 game. And of course, fans will never forget the image of Woodson with a rose in his mouth after the OSU win.
In the 1998 NFL Draft, Woodson became the No. 4 overall pick, drafted by the Oakland Raiders. He played with the Raiders from 1998-2005 before joining the Green Bay Packers from 2006-2012, winning the Super Bowl in 2010. He rejoined the Raiders in 2013 until he retired following the 2015 season, calling a close to a first-ballot Hall of Fame Career. Woodson now works as a studio analyst for ESPN.
The full list:
No. 2: Mike Hart
No. 3: Jake Long
No. 4: Braylon Edwards
No. 5: Steve Hutchinson
No. 6: LaMarr Woodley
No. 7: Brandon Graham
No. 8: Chris Perry
No. 9: Anthony Thomas
No. 10: Leon Hall
No. 11: Chad Henne
No. 14: Denard Robinson
No. 15: Marlin Jackson
No. 16: Glen Steele
No. 17: David Baas
No. 18: Jourdan Lewis
No. 19: David Harris
No. 20: Ernest Shazor
No. 21: John Navarre
No. 22: Jake Butt
No. 23: David Molk
No. 24: Taco Charlton
No. 25: Jeremy Gallon