There is no doubt that the Geico commercial with Ickey Woods is currently one of the most popular commercials. The former Cincinnati Bengals running back is shown doing his infamous “Ickey Shuffle” dance that he made famous in 1988. He took the football world by storm back then. A lot has changed for Woods after a short lived career in the NFL.
Woods was selected in the second round of the 1988 NFL draft after a stellar career at UNLV. His rookie year was his only standout season as he rushed for 1,066 yards and 15 touchdowns. He rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns during the Bengals run to the Super Bowl in 1988. Unfortunately, that was the last season in which he was a significant contributor to his team. Woods tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the second game of the 1989 season. That injury kept him from playing for 13 months. He re-injured the knee in 1991 and was out of the NFL by the time he was 26 years old.
The once most popular athlete in the NFL was left to figure out what life after football would be like much sooner than anyone could have imagined. Woods was always a big personality. In January of 1989, he visited the Children’s Hospital of Cincinnati and brightened the kid’s day by teaching them his touchdown dance. He also went to Disney on Ice and taught Mickey Mouse how to do his dance. His fall from grace was rapid but he never let it beat him. It prepared him for an even more trying ordeal later in life.
Being out of the NFL so soon after he enjoyed great success was a mental blow to Woods. “It was hard, in my mind I knew I could do it but my body wouldn’t do it.” Woods said. He went from being someone that everyone wanted to get their hands on to someone that nobody cared about anymore outside of his dance. That dance has always been a tool for him.
That dance is what allowed him to get paid by the Bengals once again. Woods had a section at Paul Brown Stadium that was called the Ickey Woods Shuffle Zone. Once football was done, Woods did a variety of odd jobs from selling steaks door to door to selling flooring, cars and insurance. He even resorted to the dance to drum up business when people would ask him if he was the Ickey Woods that did the touchdown dance. Times were tough for him. He was doing whatever he could to support his wife Chandra and their six children. “There were times when I thought I couldn’t go on, but I just keep pecking away at it. It’s a grind. It’s been rough, really rough. Life continues on whether you are playing football or not, life goes on.” Woods said.
After three daughters, the Woods family welcomed their first son, Jovante. In 2003 Woods signed on to coach football, but this was going to be something different. Woods began to coach women football players, specifically the Cincinnati Sizzle of the full contact Woman’s Football Alliance. His wife Chandra told him that she would try out for the team and he jokingly said that he would coach. Chandra held him to it. Soon after Woods began coaching, he and his wife split up after 18 years of marriage. She left the team but came back shortly thereafter. Woods took on the job of having to coach his ex-wife. He took over as owner/coach in 2006.
Things seemed to be on the up for Woods back then. He had a positive relationship with his ex-wife, one that they referred to as a friendship. They had six children together and their oldest son Jovante was set to be a starting cornerback for Princeton High School in Cincinnati. True tragedy struck the Woods family as Jovante, who suffered from asthma since he was two years old collapsed at home after an asthma attack. His brain was deprived of oxygen for 30 minutes. Ickey Woods had lost his first son.
Woods described the feeling as someone having ripped his heart out. Jovante was his first son and he drew very close to him. He still visits his son’s grave. A tragedy such as this one will completely destroy some people. That wasn’t the case for Woods. His former teammate Solomon Wilcots described his friend’s personality. “He was one of those guys that no matter where we went, everyone wanted to talk to him. He had this infectious personality where he made everyone laugh. He put everyone at ease and he had fun.” Wilcots continued, “Ickey Woods is a bounce back kind of guy. He has been tested so many times and he has shown a great resolve.”
It became his mission to make sure that his son’s name is honored. “You have to do things to help keep his name and legacy alive.” Woods said. The Jovante Woods Foundation was created in honor of his son. Jovante Woods lives on through this foundation. The mission of the foundation is three fold. The first is raising asthma awareness and helping to fund the Cincinnati Children’s Asthma Research Division. They also work with the LifeCenter Organ Donor Network to teach others about how organ donation is the gift of life. The last area of focus is education. Jovante Woods was truly a student-athlete. He held a 3.8 grade point average. In honor of that, the “3.8 to be Great” scholarship fund awards a scholarship to a male and female athlete that holds a 3.8 or greater grade point average.
The chance to rediscover the fame that the “Ickey Shuffle” once brought Woods has been a welcome experience. He admits that he never thought his dance would be back on the scene so strongly 25 years later, but it’s very obvious that he loves it. Woods was recently on Inside the NFL. He showed Brandon Marshall and his former quarterback Boomer Esiason how to do the dance. The enthusiasm that he has shows that he is having fun again.
Things are once again looking good for Ickey Woods. He is able to use the rediscovery of his dance to help support the future of his son’s foundation. They even sell “Got some cold cuts” t-shirts to help raise money for the foundations three fold efforts. The next time you see that commercial with the guy that is overly excited about getting some cold cuts, just know that there was a time when life was much more dismal. Ickey Woods rose above some of the most trying times and still has the same infectious, fun attitude that he did during his 1988 run to the Super Bowl.
Follow on Twitter: @TDavenport_PPI / @PlayerInsiders
