Raiders legend ranked as one of the best professional athletes of the century

After nearly 25 years of some of the greatest sporting events and performances in human history, ESPN recently released the first part of their list compiling the best athletes of the 21st century. The Raiders have not been remotely successful for roughly 80% of the century, but in the first batch of the rankings, they managed to land a player on the list. 

As of the writing of this, only athletes ranked 100-76 were released, and the plan is for 25 athletes to be released daily. A familiar face and a fan favorite barely made the cut; he is the embodiment of a Raider and exactly who fans want to see on this list. 

Charles Woodson ranked 100th

Charles Woodson needs no introduction. He's one of the greatest Raiders ever and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His greatness transcends the Raiders as he was ranked as the 100th greatest athlete of the 21st century. He was a nine-time Pro Bowler, three-time First-Team All-Pro, a member of the All-2000s team and the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year.

“Woodson's career was a three-act play. In Oakland, as a Heisman Trophy-winning No. 4 pick, he was a hard-partying, hard-playing Hall of Fame talent," Paul Gutierrez wrote. "In Green Bay, he became a Hall of Famer. And with his return to the Raiders, he became a legend, making the switch from wild youngster at cornerback to sage vet at free safety. And if he lost a step, it was one precious few others ever had. 'It was a beautiful transition,' Woodson said, 'if you will.' And his first NFL coach, Jon Gruden, most certainly would. The slower-paced lifestyle of Green Bay helped Woodson, well, slow down and center himself. 'And he met and married the right woman and had kids,' Gruden said."

If you have not read Gutierrez and Rob Demovsky’s piece about Woodson's career, I suggest all Raider fans do so. With incredibly high expectations coming out of college, C-Wood was still able to rise above and land among the greatest players to ever play the game. He was the 12th player in franchise history to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer and contributed to the Raiders in two separate stints as two very different players. 

Woodson collected 65 career interceptions and returned 11 of them for a touchdown, while also causing 33 fumbles, 18 of which he recovered, three of them for a touchdown. Woodson also had over a thousand tackles, 54 for a loss and 20.0 sacks.

Simply put, Woodson was an absolute force in his NFL career in every facet of the game, whether he was playing corner or safety, or if he was in Oakland, Green Bay, or Oakland again. He won both the Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Awards and was an All-Pro eight times. He was a First-Team All-Pro on four occasions and landed on the Second-Team four times as well, in addition to nine Pro Bowl appearances. 

Woodson may have had some of his greatest years in a Packers uniform, but no real Raider fan holds this against him. He still won many of his awards with the Silver and Black, and he is a Raider to his core. At the final game in Oakland (a game I attended with my family, against current Raiders QB Gardner Minshew), Woodson spoke at halftime and ignited the crowd like nothing I have seen before. I’m sure that even some Jaguars fans joined in on the “RAIDERS” chants he led the fans through; it was that moving. 

Not only does he make TV appearances and represent the Nation wherever he goes, but his bourbon, Woodson Whiskey, is the official bourbon of the Raiders organization. He can be spotted at games in Las Vegas and various Raider events, because he loves the team like us fans do. I am glad he gets the recognition he deserves in articles and rankings such as these because thankfully, that means his legacy is here to stay.