Post by livinganewlife on May 3, 2006 16:26:39 GMT -5
Earl Woods, Father of Golfer Tiger Woods, Dies at 74
May 3 (Bloomberg) --
Earl Woods, the father of top-ranked golfer Tiger Woods and the man who introduced his son to the sport he'd come to dominate, died today some two years after a recurrence of prostate cancer. He was 74.
Woods, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, died at his home in California, Tiger Woods said in a statement on his Web site.
The elder Woods was diagnosed with cancer in 1998, which returned in 2004 and spread to other areas of his body.
``My dad was my best friend and greatest role model, and I will miss him deeply,'' the younger Woods said in the statement. ``I'm overwhelmed when I think of all of the great things he accomplished in his life.''
Woods nicknamed his youngest son after a South Vietnamese Army colonel he met during a second tour of duty in the Vietnam War and helped the child discover golf when he was 10 months old. Tiger Woods, now 30, spent a record 334 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world golf rankings and regained that spot in April 2005.
``I just unstrapped him out of his high chair,'' Earl Woods said in a February 2001 Golf Digest interview. ``He picked up a putter, put a ball down, waggled and hit a ball into the net. First time.''
Since then, Tiger Woods, whose given name is Eldrick, has won 10 major tournaments, trailing Jack Nicklaus's record of 18. His first major title came at the 1997 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, where he became the first black person to win the event.
`Legacy'
``He was an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend,'' said Tiger Woods, who has taken a break from golf in recent week's because of his father's illness. ``I wouldn't be where I am today without him, and I'm honored to continue his legacy of sharing and caring.''
Earl Woods also broke down racial barriers.
A former baseball catcher at Kansas State University, Earl Woods was the first black player in the Big 12 Conference. The school's golf course management and research foundation named its youth golf academy in honor of him in August 2002.
``Earl was completely committed to broadening opportunities in the game of golf for young people of all backgrounds,'' PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement today.
Woods, the winner of 66 individual events, also won the Masters in 2001, 2002 and 2005. Earl Woods traveled to the tournament in Augusta, Georgia, for the most recent victory but was too sick to make it to the course. His absence brought Tiger Woods to tears during his victory speech that day.
`Bear Hug'
``Every year that I've been lucky enough to win this tournament, my dad's been there to give me a big hug,'' he said. ``And today, he wasn't there. I can't wait to get home and see him, and give him a big bear hug.''
A day before the 2006 Players Championship, Tiger Woods skipped a practice session and news conference to fly to California from Florida in his private plane to be with his father. ``He just wasn't doing all that well,'' the golfer said at the time. ``At least he's trying to hang in there.''
Tiger Woods said he considered not playing in the event, golf's richest of that season with an $8 million purse. He finished tied for 22nd.
Earl Woods was born in Manhattan, Kansas, on March 5, 1932. He went to Kansas State on a baseball scholarship, earned a bachelor's degree in sociology in 1953 and joined the U.S. Army.
Namesake
While serving his second tour of duty with the Army's Green Beret Special Forces unit, Woods was an adviser to Vuong Dang ``Tiger'' Phong, a deputy province chief with the South Vietnamese Army. He credits Phong with saving his life on several occasions.
Woods used many of the prisoner-of-war interrogation techniques he learned to toughen his son's mental focus.
Earl Woods met his second wife, Kultida, while stationed in Thailand. Tiger Woods is their only child.
Earl Woods, who was 43 when Tiger was born, has three other children from a previous marriage.
Woods, who also had diabetes, underwent heart surgery in 1996. He said he thought he died during that procedure and saw a bright light at the end of a tunnel before being revived.
``It scared the hell out of Tiger,'' Earl Woods said in a February 2004 Golf Digest interview. ``Me, all I felt was a momentary pang of regret that I was back in the hospital. That tunnel was so peaceful, just like people describe. I haven't feared death since.''
There was no immediate word on funeral services in the statement from Tiger Woods.
Praying for Tiger and his family............
May 3 (Bloomberg) --
Earl Woods, the father of top-ranked golfer Tiger Woods and the man who introduced his son to the sport he'd come to dominate, died today some two years after a recurrence of prostate cancer. He was 74.
Woods, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, died at his home in California, Tiger Woods said in a statement on his Web site.
The elder Woods was diagnosed with cancer in 1998, which returned in 2004 and spread to other areas of his body.
``My dad was my best friend and greatest role model, and I will miss him deeply,'' the younger Woods said in the statement. ``I'm overwhelmed when I think of all of the great things he accomplished in his life.''
Woods nicknamed his youngest son after a South Vietnamese Army colonel he met during a second tour of duty in the Vietnam War and helped the child discover golf when he was 10 months old. Tiger Woods, now 30, spent a record 334 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world golf rankings and regained that spot in April 2005.
``I just unstrapped him out of his high chair,'' Earl Woods said in a February 2001 Golf Digest interview. ``He picked up a putter, put a ball down, waggled and hit a ball into the net. First time.''
Since then, Tiger Woods, whose given name is Eldrick, has won 10 major tournaments, trailing Jack Nicklaus's record of 18. His first major title came at the 1997 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, where he became the first black person to win the event.
`Legacy'
``He was an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend,'' said Tiger Woods, who has taken a break from golf in recent week's because of his father's illness. ``I wouldn't be where I am today without him, and I'm honored to continue his legacy of sharing and caring.''
Earl Woods also broke down racial barriers.
A former baseball catcher at Kansas State University, Earl Woods was the first black player in the Big 12 Conference. The school's golf course management and research foundation named its youth golf academy in honor of him in August 2002.
``Earl was completely committed to broadening opportunities in the game of golf for young people of all backgrounds,'' PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement today.
Woods, the winner of 66 individual events, also won the Masters in 2001, 2002 and 2005. Earl Woods traveled to the tournament in Augusta, Georgia, for the most recent victory but was too sick to make it to the course. His absence brought Tiger Woods to tears during his victory speech that day.
`Bear Hug'
``Every year that I've been lucky enough to win this tournament, my dad's been there to give me a big hug,'' he said. ``And today, he wasn't there. I can't wait to get home and see him, and give him a big bear hug.''
A day before the 2006 Players Championship, Tiger Woods skipped a practice session and news conference to fly to California from Florida in his private plane to be with his father. ``He just wasn't doing all that well,'' the golfer said at the time. ``At least he's trying to hang in there.''
Tiger Woods said he considered not playing in the event, golf's richest of that season with an $8 million purse. He finished tied for 22nd.
Earl Woods was born in Manhattan, Kansas, on March 5, 1932. He went to Kansas State on a baseball scholarship, earned a bachelor's degree in sociology in 1953 and joined the U.S. Army.
Namesake
While serving his second tour of duty with the Army's Green Beret Special Forces unit, Woods was an adviser to Vuong Dang ``Tiger'' Phong, a deputy province chief with the South Vietnamese Army. He credits Phong with saving his life on several occasions.
Woods used many of the prisoner-of-war interrogation techniques he learned to toughen his son's mental focus.
Earl Woods met his second wife, Kultida, while stationed in Thailand. Tiger Woods is their only child.
Earl Woods, who was 43 when Tiger was born, has three other children from a previous marriage.
Woods, who also had diabetes, underwent heart surgery in 1996. He said he thought he died during that procedure and saw a bright light at the end of a tunnel before being revived.
``It scared the hell out of Tiger,'' Earl Woods said in a February 2004 Golf Digest interview. ``Me, all I felt was a momentary pang of regret that I was back in the hospital. That tunnel was so peaceful, just like people describe. I haven't feared death since.''
There was no immediate word on funeral services in the statement from Tiger Woods.
Praying for Tiger and his family............
