John Wooten (2004) - CU Athletic Hall of Fame - University of Colorado Athletics

John Wooten

Induction:
2004
Class:
1959

All-Century Football Team Member
All-Big Seven Conference Performer
All-American Offensive Guard, All-Pro NFL Career
Longtime NFL Player Personnel Executive

John Wooten was just the fifth player in Colorado history to earn All-America honors, the first lineman to do so when he was honored in 1958. A three-year letterman at guard (1956-57-58), the AFCA named him an All-American his senior year, after he had earned first-team all-Big Seven accolades as a junior the previous year. He was described as a quick, agile tackle that provided bone-crushing lead blocks in helping to make Colorado one of the top offensive teams of his day (and also played tackle on defense). One of the first two African-American varsity football players at CU (with Frank Clarke), in 1989, he was selected as a first-team member of CU’s All-Century Team. A fifth round draft pick by Cleveland in the 1959 NFL Draft, he had a stellar NFL career as he played nine seasons (136 games) with the Browns and one with Washington, attaining All-Pro status in his Cleveland days. He went on to have a long career in NFL administration with Dallas, Philadelphia and Baltimore; he was in player personnel from 1975 to 1989, and was named director of pro personnel in 1989, a position he held for three years. After one year in the NFL office, where he created player programs in continuing education and financial planning among several innovations, he returned to the front office with Philadelphia (1992-97) and the Baltimore (1998-2003) as a personnel executive; with the Eagles, he was one of the first to hold the title of Vice President of Player Personnel. >He retired form the NFL in 2003, and is now president of Wooten Printing, Inc., as well as Chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which works with the NFL to increase job opportunities for minorities in the league. He currently resides in Arlington, Texas.
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