By Scott Nickerson
Elmore/Autauga News
“When I was 6-years old, I knew I wanted to play professional football,” said Bear Woods, who is currently in his second season as Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at Wetumpka High School. The path to professional football, and the journey as a pro, is a fascinating story.
Woods played quarterback at Baker County High School near Jacksonville, Florida. After his senior football season, Signing Day came and went without Woods earning a scholarship or an opportunity to continue his playing career. However, the Offensive Coordinator at Troy University happened to show up to see Woods’ high school coach. The two were former college teammates. During the visit, the Troy OC offered Woods a preferred walk-on spot at Troy for the next season.
“It was the Lord’s plan and timing that the Troy coach walked in at that time,” Woods realized years later.
While that got his foot in the door, Woods still had a big task ahead of him. He did not know a single person in Alabama when he left for Troy, and later moved to a new position, playing linebacker. But by his junior year, he started his first collegiate game at Middle Tennessee State. He finished the game with a whopping 24 tackles and 2 sacks.
“I played with the mindset that, when you put me on the field, you will not take me off,” Woods said, and the Trojans didn’t. He played on four Sun Belt Conference championship teams. He was named All Sunbelt 2nd Team as a junior, and All Sun-Belt 1st Team as a senior.
Woods spoke glowingly of his memories as a Trojan. “The people of Troy are so supportive. They are always great fans. Troy is like a family to me, and they are a big part of where I’m at in life.”
Still, the journey to play professional football posed a huge challenge. He was not drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft but did sign with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent. In September 2011, Woods signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. “The adjustment was huge,” Woods said. “All the signs were in French. It was a large city. I had to take the subway to get home. What should’ve taken 20 minutes took 3 hours.”
Woods stayed committed, and his breakout season finally occurred in 2014. He finished the season with 89 tackles and 7 sacks and was the East Division nominee for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player. After several seasons as a defensive starter, Woods holds the record as the Alouettes All-Time Leading Tackler.
A few seasons later, Woods signed with the Toronto Argonauts. In 2017, Woods led the team in defensive tackles and was named the team’s MVP, as the Argonauts went from worst to first, winning the Grey Cup, in a historic game that Woods recalled was “dark and cold.”
While playing for Toronto, Woods was also being groomed to coach, going through game preparation, schedule review, and leading team meetings. Woods put together game plans, and while he never officially led a team prior to becoming Head Coach at Wetumpka High School, he had plenty of first-hand experience in doing a coach’s job. That experience, combined with his love, passion, and knowledge of the game, made him an intriguing hire for the Indians football program.
“In 2014 we bought a home in Wetumpka, and while I played in Canada, we used the Wetumpka home as our home base because of the nomadic culture of football.”
Again, Woods credits the Lord’s timing with placing him in the right spot at the right time. It just so happened that former Wetumpka Coach Tim Perry resigned when Woods became available.
“Using the platform of football to share the gospel is my ultimate purpose. Wetumpka is my family’s hometown. For this season, we still have a shot to win the region. My goal is to win the region this season, and host and win a playoff game.”
Woods credits much of his success to his wife’s support. “She is the most selfless individual I’ve ever met. She’s an amazing person. She cheered at Troy and Atlanta, and she was an accountant, but gave it up to support me playing football. She’s built for it too. She’s a special woman, a good Christ-centered woman. I could never do it without her. I can’t overstate how important she is.”
