<H1>GRIN AND BEAR IT: Troy linebacker Bear Woods bided his time, then made the most of his shot</H1>
<H4>By
Tommy Hicks January 06, 2010, 7:14AM</H4>
Forget any jokes that may be offered about his name.
He's heard them all.
The same goes for comments about his dreadlocks or the times he adds war paint on his face to highlight his aggressive nature on the football field.
All one needs to know about Troy linebacker Bear Woods -- given name Jonathan Mark Woods -- is that every member of his team considers him the emotional leader, that every opposing coach plans around him and that almost everyone respects him.
"Bear is one of those guys ... you always knew he had something special," Troy coach Larry Blakeney said. "You just didn't know where he would wind up (playing).
"He's really been a spiritual leader the whole time he's been with us, but we had to find the right place for him."
Blakeney knew one thing: Woods needed to be on the field somewhere.
During his career at Baker County High in Macclenny, Fla., Woods played a variety of positions including quarterback, linebacker, safety, cornerback and kick returner.
Despite his versatility, though, his college options were limited. He opted to walk on at Troy as a quarterback, then was quickly shifted to defense.
Woods demonstrated progress at linebacker but, with experienced players in the starting lineup, he saw only limited action his first three seasons. He made five tackles in 2005, participated in just nine plays in 2006 before being injured and made just 21 tackles in 2007.
However, when offered the chance to start in 2008, Woods was ready.
He made 108 tackles a year ago and leads the team with 138 this season, including 77 solo tackles.
"The one thing that stands out," Woods said when asked what moment he remembers most from his time at Troy, "is probably the first time I started, against Middle Tennessee. I was probably the question mark of the linebackers, and I wanted to prove that they could count on me. I knew once I got on the field I wasn't going to leave it."
Woods' tackle total this year is even more amazing considering he was suspended for the first two games this year after the NCAA declared there was no evidence for him to receive a medical redshirt for the 2006 season. He eventually was granted a fifth year but required to miss the first two games.
To Woods, it was just another sidestep in a college career filled with hurdles.
"Its been kind of surreal," he said. "But it's been exciting. It's been what I wanted it to be. We've won games and gone to bowls, and we've won conference championships. I was able to be a part of all that."
This year, Woods has collected 18 tackles for a loss, three sacks, one interception, three pass breakups and forced one fumble. Against Florida Atlantic, he was credited with 22 tackles, 16 of those being solo stops. Against Western Kentucky, he had 19 tackles (14 solo).
Entering tonight's GMAC Bowl against Central Michigan, Woods has 271 tackles in his Troy career with 26 tackles for a loss, six sacks, seven pass breakups and one interception. "Me and Bear, we have a lot of similarities," fellow All-Sun Belt linebacker Boris Lee said of Woods. "We're not that fast, we're not that strong, but we have a lot of heart. So we have that connection, and we always have.
"He knew the defense from the time he started playing there, and he should have been out on the field sooner. I told him, 'When you're opportunity comes you have to be ready.' He was patient, but when his opportunity came, he was ready."
And Woods said once he found his spot and received the chance to play, he wasn't going to let that opportunity slip away.
"I just wanted to prove what I could do," he said. "It seemed to turn around pretty fast from not playing that much to being a leader."
