Duane Wood
| No. 48 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth: | September 20, 1937 |
| Place of birth: | Wilburton, Oklahoma |
| Date of death: | July 23, 2012 (aged 74) |
| Place of death: | McAlester, Oklahoma |
| Career information | |
| College: | Oklahoma State |
| Undrafted: | 1960 |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Player stats at PFR | |
Duane Wood (September 20, 1937 - July 23, 2012) was a former college and professional American football cornerback.
Early life and college career
Born in Wilburton, Oklahoma, Duane Wood was the son of Edgar Scott and Jessie (Ray) Wood. A multi-sport athlete at Wilburton High School, playing football, baseball and basketball as well as running track, Wood received a football scholarship to Oklahoma State University and appeared as both a running back and a defensive back. He scored all but one of OSU's points in their 15-6 Bluegrass Bowl victory over Florida State in 1958 (the only year the game was played). Duane married his high school sweetheart Saundra Callahan on June 29, 1957; they remained married until her death in 2004.
Pro career
Undrafted by the NFL, Wood headed north to the Canadian Football League in 1959, playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In his rookie season, Wood was named to the CFL All-Star Team, with 237 yards rushing on offense; on defense, he recorded three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. Wood was also an excellent kick returner, averaging 9.3 yards on 51 punt returns in an era without blocking on punt returns. After playing six games with the Tiger-Cats in 1960 (mostly on defense), Wood jumped to the Dallas Texans of the brand-new American Football League. He was in the Texans' 1962 AFL Championship game win over the two-time AFL Champion Houston Oilers in the longest professional football championship game up to that time. In 1963, Wood moved with the team to Kansas City and was selected to the AFL All-Star game; in all, he played five seasons with the franchise. In 1965, he headed back to Canada to finish his career with the Edmonton Eskimos.
After football
Upon retiring from football, Wood returned to Wilburton to manage several private businesses, including Duane’s Recreation and Pool Hall. He worked a couple of years with a dredging service on the Arkansas River and was awarded a medal of commendation for saving the lives of three people whose boat capsized on the river where he was working.
Duane Wood died on July 23, 2012, at the age of 74.