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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 3 12 Rod Woodson is one of the great- est football players of all time, not just at Purdue but anywhere. And the former Boilermaker safety, an assistant coach for the Oakland Raiders, was finally recognized as such this year, when he was enshrined into College Football Hall of Fame. We caught up with Woodson when he was back on Purdue's campus for the Nov. 12 Northwestern game. Q. What was it like to be in Ross-Ade Sta- dium, hearing the cheers when you were in- troduced? Woodson: "It's good to come back to West Lafayette, born and raised in Indiana, in Fort Wayne. I haven't been back in quite a while, so to come back and hear it from the original black and gold, it was good to hear. It's good to be back in the state again." Q. Was the Hall of Fame overdue? Woodson: "No, I don't think like that, don't tick like that. A lot of student-athletes have played college football. For me, I just played at Purdue, tried to do my job, tried to do it to the best of my ability, had some great coaches and players with me while I was here at Purdue. If any- body wanted to think I was deserving to be in the Hall of Fame, then so be it, but I don't toot my own horn or pat my own back. My arms aren't that long. It's an honor. I'm just a country boy from Indiana. I'm honored to be here, honored to be part of the Hall of Fame and I'm glad I did Purdue proud when I was here." Q. You have a lot of memories I'm sure. What stands out? Woodson: "Initially, beating Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State in the same year, my sophomore year. But the whole time, coming through here and the friend- ships I've had over the years here we still talk and my teammates, we're still close. "That's what college is about. As a young man, you come in and kind of, as you get four years through it, you become a man. I think Purdue has helped me galvanize who I am today." Q. It's an anniversary year for you, playing both ways in the Bucket game 30 years ago. What do you remember? Woodson: "It was fun. We never lost to Indiana in my four years. The old school way of playing both ways was fun to do, because I did it in high school. But when you get to college, they want you to specialize in one side of the ball, and I did that. But I'm glad Leon (Burnett) gave me the opportunity to play both ways against those guys. It was a fun day." Q. What does it take to turn a culture around? Woodson: "You've got to win. You can speak all the jargon and have all the best motivational speeches in the world, but if you don't win, guys won't believe. … You've got to have success and when you start having it, it will galva- nize the stadium again, it'll be loud, rocking and it'll be fun." — As told to assembled media Boiler Index Purdue Athletics Rod Woodson