Topping Harlon's Hill Twice

Chadron State's Danny Woodhead looks to repeat as D-II's player of the year

Aug. 21, 2007

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By Douglas Kroll

CSTV.com


	DOUG KROLL Doug Kroll is an editor for CSTV.com, focusing on baseball. E-mail here!

Chadron State's Danny Woodhead stands at only 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds. That doesn't mean he can't run.

Woodhead gained more all-purpose yards than any other player that played college football in 2006 at any level. His 3,159 total yards, 2,756 of them coming on the ground to lead the nation in all divisions, ended up being 700 yards more than anyone else.

If Woodhead hadn't won a Harlon Hill Trophy for being the Division II Player of the Year, it would have been a crime.

But it didn't always look like the North Platte, Neb. native would have a chance to do so. Merely weeks before the start of the season, Woodhead was still sidelined with a back injury that kept him out of the weight room, something that ate at him everyday.

"I just wanted to play football last year," Woodhead said. "Even before camp started I just remember thinking how am I going to carry the ball 25 to 30 times a game? I just couldn't get out there a lot. I don't think I was 100 percent going into camp last year, which makes this year so great."

Somehow he played and dominated, leading the Eagles to a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship and to the second round of the playoffs, bowing out to the eventual national runner-up, Northwest Missouri State, on the road.

The senior's name is littered all over the Chadron State record book, now owning the top three single-game rushing efforts with 324, 306 and 304 yards on the ground. Each of his three seasons are also at the top of the single-season list, with last season's number shattering the old mark he set his freshman year by nearly 900 yards.

His head coach, Bill O'Boyle, thinks that while a lot of what he's accomplished is thanks to his talent, it's the type of person he is, too.

"He's just a special running back," O'Boyle said of his star. "We're very fortunate to have him here. You'd never know he won it. He's just a great kid."

Of course, being a star athlete in a town that is a speck on the map in the middle of the Great Plains has its advantages and disadvantages. Nearly everywhere Woodhead goes now, people know who he is, and nearly everyone has the same reaction.

"It is kind of cool," Woodhead said. "It's nice when kids come up to you and know who you are. I'm not sure if a lot of people can pick me out as the running back, as everyone's always like, `Oh you're a lot shorter than I thought.'"

Winning the Harlon Hill Trophy twice is something that hasn't even crossed his mind, considering the 2006 trophy still hasn't set in yet as practice is nearly two weeks old in 2007.

Woodhead became the first non-quarterback to win the trophy since 1998 when Emporia State running back Brian Shay took home the hardware. If he can somehow win it again in 2007, it would be just the third time that a player has been a repeat winner, with the last coming in 2000-2001 when Dusty Bonner of Valdosta State won the trophy twice in a row.

It won't be easy, though.

A tough schedule combined with defenses zeroing in on the running back will make Woodhead's job a little more difficult, especially when they start throwing defenses at him he's never seen. Some of them O'Boyle just couldn't understand in 2006.

"The defenses are a lot better, our schedule is a lot better," O'Boyle said. "It's going to be tough, especially losing three good offensive linemen. When we go into a game, everyone's going to try and stop Danny. It's one of the things we have to look at as an offense. We saw some defenses that make no sense at all, just because of their alignment, and what they're doing. You'll see guys strictly responsible for Danny."

But luckily for Chadron State, they have their quarterback, Joe McLain, back as well, which always makes it easier to run.

"Any time you're returning a quarterback it's great for the system," O'Boyle said. "He knows the system better, and we know that we're going to have to throw the ball. We have a couple different formations with a bunch of different looks. Joe's done a great job preparing himself over the summer."

"Even the last few years we've seen a bunch of guys in the box," Woodhead said. "We have a bunch of depth on offense this year, and some experience at receiver and quarterback."

As much as opposing defenses have to try and stop Woodhead, he's never concerned about what they throw at him. Woodhead feels he's never been as strong before a season and feels smarter overall as a football player.

It was last year that the preseason No. 5 Eagles made waves across the nation when they knocked off FCS opponent Montana State. They'll have the same chance this year when they face Northern Colorado in the third week of the season.

First thing's first, though - nationally-ranked Washburn on the road is first on the list as Chadron State's season-opener, and that's something that Woodhead can't wait for.

"It's just great to get back into the swing of things," Woodhead said. "I'm looking forward to playing Washburn. They are a great team. We always look forward to playing the toughest competition. I think that's how it should be. You want to play the best."

Whether or not Woodhead returns to the podium in Florence, Ala. in 2007 as a Harlon Hill finalist isn't something that he'll be too worried about. During last season's magical year, it was only his teammates who talked about the chances of him winning.

There's a much bigger reason why he would want to end up in the Deep South again in December, and that's to win a national championship.