North Platte grad and former NFL player Danny Woodhead took time to visit with Broken Bow school students Tuesday morning at North Park Elementary School. Woodhead encouraged students to have a dream and to not be afraid to chase those dreams and fulfill them. Woodhead’s dream was to play in the NFL which he did. He went undrafted in the 2008 NFL draft but received a call from the New York Jets moments before the draft ended, about the two parties coming to an agreement on an undrafted rookie free agent contract. He was with the Jets from 2008-2010 then played for the New England Patriots from 2010-2012. He was also a member of the San Diego Chargers from 2013-2016 and spent one year with the Baltimore Ravens in 2017. In 2012, Woodhead played in the Super Bowl as a member of the Patriots and made a catch in the second quarter of Super Bowl 46 to score the first touchdown in the game for the Patriots. Following his presentation to the students, Woodhead took time to visit with the media and shared his enjoyment of interacting with and inspiring school students to dream and succeed.
“It’s cool. I was one of those kids. I remember when people would come and speak to us when I was younger whether it be Nebraska football players or whatever…It’s one of those things, like I was in those seats. More than anything, I have four kids 13, 11, 9, and 7 so I get them and I understand them. If there is one message I can get across, it’s okay to dream. It’s okay to have aspirations that are big and crazy. I think the importance is to just do your best, work as hard as you can and go after them.”
After a standout career as a high school football player and athlete at North Platte High School, Woodhead played football for Chadron State College where he rushed for 1,840 yards as a freshman. Woodhead accumulated 7,441 yards on the ground, for his career, giving him a career average of 190.8 yards per game.[9] He rushed for more than 200 yards in 19 of his 39 appearances and scored in 37 consecutive games. He won the Harlon Hill Trophy, the award in college football given to the individual selected as the most valuable player in NCAA Division II, in 2006 and 2007. In 2024, Woodhead was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He said the hall of fame was an honor that was as much about his teammates and coaches as it was about him.
“It was cool man. It was something I never aspired for. I think more than anything I’m happy for my teammates and coaches because they were a part of it as much as I was a part of it. I mean I was the one carrying the ball but they were a part of it and it’s a really cool honor and it’s something you never shoot for but when it happens it’s pretty neat.”
Woodhead currently makes his home in Omaha, NE.
