By Lenny Moon
National Football League legend Jim Brown chats with veteran sports broadcaster Lenny Moon about former teammate John Wooten. The recently retired chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance is a candidate to become a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor.
Wooten’s all pro career in the NFL has totaled over half of a century, playing for Cleveland (1959-67) and finishing his active duty with the Washington Redskins in 1968. The Dallas Cowboys hired him in 1975 as their Director of Pro Scouting where he served until 1991. Among his many accomplishments there, assisted directly with the “Herschel Walker Trade” that led to multiple championships for the Cowboys in the 90s spearheaded primarily with draft picks from that famous trade. He created Player Programs/Player Development programs for the NFL in 1991.
Additionally, the former all pro guard served as President/Player Personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1992 and served as Assistant Director of Pro/College Scouting for the Baltimore Ravens before retiring in 1998. When the Fritz Pollard Alliance was established in 2003 by the late Johnnie Cochran and attorney Cyrus Mehri, Wooten was selected to become the NFL advocacy organization’s first chairman where he served until retiring earlier this year