Texas A&M Hall of Famer George Woodard passes away at 69

One of the more popular figures in Texas A&M football history passed away on Friday. George Woodard passed away in Arlington, Texas, according to his family. He was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.

Woodard was 69 years old. A former district champion in the 100-yard dash and the shot put at Van Vleck High School, Woodard shined immediately at Texas A&M. He set the Aggies freshman rushing record with 604 yards, including 100-yard games against LSU, Baylor, SMU, and Rice. He also helped guide the 1975 team to as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25 and earn a piece of the Southwest Conference title.

He was able to follow up his freshman season by becoming the first Texas A&M running back to post consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns. Woodard managed to shred opposing defenses for 1,153 yards with a school record and SWC-leading 17 touchdowns in 1976, while guiding the Aggies to a Sun Bowl berth. He ran for 1,107 yards in 1997 when Texas A&M earned a spot in the Bluebonnet Bowl. An injury held him out of action in 1978 and Woodard was limited to just 47 rushing yards as a fifth-year senior in 1979.

He wrapped up his career as a four-year letterman (1975, 1976, 1977, and 1979. Once the dust had settled, Woodard finished his Texas A&M career with 2,911 rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns. His rushing total ranked No. 2 in school history after he finished. It still ranks No. 8 in Aggie football history. The 35 total rushing touchdowns were a school record at the time, and now they rank fourth in program history.

For more on Woodard and his legendary career with the Aggies, you can see the press release written by Brad Marquardt, Assistant Athletic Director for Texas A&M.