Michael Stephen Wood (born September 3, 1954) is an American former professional

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placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

and punter who played five seasons in the

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(NFL) with the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

and

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

. He was selected by the Vikings in the eighth round of the

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after playing

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Southeast Missouri State University Southeast Missouri State University (Southeast or SEMO) is a public university in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. In addition to the main campus, the university has four regional campuses offering full degree programs and a secondary campus housing t ...

Early life and college

Michael Stephen Wood was born on September 3, 1954, in

Kirkwood, Missouri Kirkwood is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis located in western St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 29,461. Founded in 1853, the city is named after James P. Kirkwood, chief engineer of the Pacific Railr ...

. He attended

Kirkwood High School Kirkwood High School is a public secondary school in Kirkwood, Missouri, United States. The school is part of the Kirkwood R-7 School District. History Kirkwood High School as an academic institution dates back to 1865, when the Kirkwood Sch ...

in Kirkwood. Wood was a four-year

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for the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks of

from 1974 to 1977. He set an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

record for career field goals. His number 67 was retired by Southeast Missouri State in 1978. Wood was inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame in 2002.

Professional career

Wood was selected by the

in the eighth round, with the 204th overall pick, of the

. He played in seven games for the Vikings in 1978, punting 31 times for 1,100 yards. He was released on October 20, 1978. Wood signed with the

on October 26, 1978. He appeared in eight games for the Cardinals that year, recording 51 punts for 1,919 yards. He had the longest punt in the NFL that season with an 81-yarder. His two punts blocked were also tied for the most in the league that year with seven other players. Wood also completed a 29-yard pass while with the Cardinals in 1978. He was moved to

in 1979 and played in three games for the Cardinals that season, converting two of seven

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...

s and six of seven

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s. He was released by the Cardinals on October 10, 1979. Wood was signed by the

on October 18, 1979. He appeared in nine games for the Chargers in 1979, converting 11 of 14 field goals and 28 of 31 extra points. He was named the ''

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'' NFL Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 11 of the 1979 season. Wood also played in one playoff game that year, making two of two extra points and missing one field goal. Wood played in one game during the 1980 season before being placed on injured reserve on September 10, 1980. In late August 1981, Wood was traded to the

for a future draft pick. He played in all 16 for the only time of his career in 1981, converting ten of 18 field goals and 29 of 33 extra points. He appeared in six games for the Colts during the 1982 season, recording one of one field goals, six of six extra points, one fumble recovery, and a five-yard touchdown pass. Wood was released on December 15, 1982. Wood signed with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

on July 16, 1983. He was placed on injured reserve on August 23, 1983, and missed the entire season. He was released in 1984.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Mike Living people 1954 births American football placekickers American football punters Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football players Minnesota Vikings players St. Louis Cardinals (football) players San Diego Chargers players Baltimore Colts players Sportspeople from Kirkwood, Missouri Players of American football from St. Louis County, Missouri San Francisco 49ers players

Early life and college

Professional career

See also

References