Christopher Wyatt Woods (born July 19, 1962) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

who played three seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) with the

Los Angeles Raiders The Los Angeles Raiders were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). The Raiders played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural ...

and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

. Woods also played for the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

and

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL).

Early life and college

Christopher Wyatt Woods was born on July 19, 1962, in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

. He attended A. H. Parker High School in Birmingham. Woods was a four-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

for the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...

from 1980 to 1983. He caught three passes for 26 yards as a freshman in 1980. In 1981, he recorded 13 receptions for 213 yards and one touchdown, seven carries for 72 yards, and 11 punt returns for 60 yards. Wood caught 21 passes for 406 yards and two touchdowns in 1982 and 15 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns in 1983.

Professional career

Woods signed with the

of the

(CFL) on March 5, 1984. In June 1984, he was selected by the

in the first round, with the 28th overall pick, of the

1984 NFL supplemental draft of USFL and CFL players The 1984 NFL supplemental draft of USFL and CFL players was a one-time draft of United States Football League (USFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) players held on June 5, 1984. While there were a few Hall of Famers and Pro Bowl players in ...

. During the 1984 CFL season, he totaled 38 receptions for 837 yards and six touchdowns, three carries for 60 yards, 18 kickoff returns for 442 yards, and 31 punt returns for 303 yards and one touchdown. Woods dressed in 13 games in 1985, catching 41 passes for 779 yards and six touchdowns while also returning ten kickoffs for 239 yards and 36 punts for 366 yards. In May 1986, Wood was traded to the

for future considerations. He dressed in 17 games for the Argonauts in 1986, recording 61 receptions for 1,163 yards and six touchdowns, eight kickoff returns for 152 yards, and 64 punt returns for 595 yards. He became a free agent after the 1986 season. Woods signed with the Los Angeles Raiders on April 17, 1987. He was placed on injured reserve on September 7 and was activated on October 31, 1987. He played in nine games, starting one, for the Raiders during the 1987 season, totaling one catch for 14 yards, 26 punt returns for 189 yards, and three kick returns for 55 yards. Woods played in two games in 1988, returning one kick for 20 yards, before being placed on injured reserve again on September 14, 1988. He became a free agent after the 1988 season. Woods was signed by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

on March 28, 1989. He was later released on August 29, 1989. Woods signed with the

on November 8, 1989. He played in one game for the Broncos, returning one kick for 17 yards and two punts for six yards, before being released on November 14, 1989.

Personal life

Woods was a candidate for mayor of his hometown of

in 1995. He ran again in 2017, finishing third with 18% of the vote behind

Randall Woodfin Randall Woodfin (born May 29, 1981) is an American lawyer and politician who is the 34th and current mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, after winning the October 3, 2017, runoff against incumbent William A. Bell. He previously served as president o ...

and incumbent William A. Bell. Woods also ran for mayor in the 2021 election, finishing fourth in the voting. Woods is the President and CEO of C.W. Woods Contracting. His uncle,

Abraham Woods Abraham Lincoln Woods Jr. (October 7, 1928 – November 7, 2008) was an American civil rights leader, who helped coordinate the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and stood behind Martin Luther King Jr. during his historic "I Have a Dre ...

, was a civil rights activist.

References

External links

Stats Crew profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Chris Living people 1962 births Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama Players of Canadian football from Birmingham, Alabama American football wide receivers American football return specialists Canadian football wide receivers Canadian football return specialists Auburn Tigers football players Edmonton Elks players Toronto Argonauts players Los Angeles Raiders players Cleveland Browns players Denver Broncos players 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American sportsmen Candidates in the 2017 United States elections Candidates in the 2021 United States elections