Woodard Doesn’t Mind Being The Old Man Of The Cougs

PULLMAN — They say age is just a number, but Washington State Cougar senior tight end Ben Woodard’s number is higher than most. However, he doesn’t mind being the old man on the team.

Woodard gets called lots of things on the football field

“I have got a couple nicknames,” he says. “Poppa, Grandpa, but it’s all in good fun and I don’t mind.”

But the one thing the 26-year-old senior loves to be called most is versatile.

“I am willing to do whatever I have to do,” Woodard says. “If a guy goes down, I will be ready to step in and do whatever I have to do to help the team.”

Woodard, who went to high school in Cheney, should help the team plenty as it’s second string tight end. He had two touchdowns in 2007, and new head coach Paul Wulff is counting on him both as a player and a leader this year.

“He’s a mature guy and Ben is very steady,” Wulff says. “We know what we’re going to get, we can trust Ben and what we’re asking him to do. He’s a great leader because of his maturity and his presence.”

There’s also that age thing. Woodard took two years off from school in order to complete a religious mission. Now his mission on the football feld is to enjoy one more season playing so close to his family and friends.

woodard: “It’s been great to be able to have been home” says Woodard, “and to have that fan support at home and a lot of friends to support me and everything.”

And if the aches and pains on that old body don’t win out, he would love to be called a winner in his last season as a Coug.