Earl Wood

Linebacker (1962-64)

Earl Wood was born in Cabool, Missouri, and raised on a dairy farm. He has an older brother Robert, a sister Eve Marie, and twin brother Burl. He completed high school in Cabool, where he was a left-handed quarterback. He attended CCC and was a walk-on for football. Earl’s stature (5’11” and 150 lbs.) put him on the bench his freshman year. He was red-shirted his second year because he lacked playing time. What Earl lacked in size, he made up for in speed, so Coach Billy Mills assigned him to the track team in spring 1964. He was a member of the 880-yard and mile relay teams that qualified for the Junior College National Track Meet that year. To the delight of Earl and his coaches, he grew and became the Raven’s middle linebacker in 1964, measuring 6’1” and weighing 205 lbs. That season, Earl was one of the leading tacklers for the Ravens, who were ranked #2 in the nation before losing to Northeastern Oklahoma in the last game. Earl’s best performance in a single game consisted of 24 tackles (16 solo) and helped earn him a spot on the Jayhawk All-Conference team. His determination and performance gained the attention of several major college coaches.

During spring 1965, Earl transferred to West Texas State University in Canyon, Texas, and played beside his brother, Burl, as a linebacker. After his senior year, he was named to the Dallas Morning News All Texas University and College Team.  His performance at WTSU caught the attention of several professional football scouts. After spending time with the Chicago Bears and two different Canadian football teams, Earl played professional football with the Norfolk Neptunes in the Continental Football League. He earned All-Star recognition for the 1968 and 1969 seasons, was voted Most Inspirational Player by his teammates, and was selected team captain.

After his fifth year in the professional ranks, Earl decided to begin his coaching career.  He took an assistant football coaching position at New Mexico Military Institute Junior College in Roswell, New Mexico.  He then moved on to coach at his alma mater, West Texas State, where he was inducted in the West Texas State University Hall of Champions, along with his twin brother Burl, in 1990.

Following his coaching career, Earl became a State Farm Insurance agent in Ft. Worth, Texas. During the past thirty-one years, he has received advanced certification as a Charter Financial Consultant (ChFC) and a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU). He has earned many company awards and recognitions including membership in State Farm’s Life Time Resident’s Club (50 agents out of 17,000) multiple times.   The most prestigious accomplishment as part of the 2002 Trophy Club, was being ranked #8 out of 17,000 in the State Farm Insurance Agency Force. Earl has also earned membership in the Million Dollar Round Table, which is world-wide recognition from the entire insurance industry.