GREEN BAY, Wis. – Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Willie Wood died on Monday in his hometown of Washington, D.C.

Wood, a member of the Green Bay Packers dynasty of the 1960s, was part of five NFL championship teams and two Super Bowl winners. Perhaps the biggest play of his career was his interception against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I. He returned the ball to the Chiefs’ 5-yard line to set up a touchdown, a key moment that turned a 14-10 game into a 35-10 romp.

“We played well in the first half and at the start of the second half,” Chiefs coach Hank Stram said after the game. “But that interception by Wood changed the complexion of the game.”

Said Vince Lombardi: “That was the steal of the game. Willie Wood at his finest.”

It was one of 48 career interceptions for Wood – and one he didn’t remember. According to the team, Wood had been confined to assisted living facilities for roughly 13 years. He had been suffering from dementia for about a decade. The New York Times told his story in 2016.


https://www.si.com/nfl/packers/news/true-legend-willie-wood-dies-at-83