Gary Woods

Professional baseball player

What is Gary Woods known for?

Gary Lee Woods, known as Gary Woods, was a notable alumni from San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, California (CA), born on July 20, 1954 in Santa Barbara, California. He later attended Santa Barbara City College and, following a 14-year professional career, earned an MBA at Pepperdine University. Before embarking on a promising baseball career, Woods also played in the minors, starting with the Oakland Athletics' Class A minor league Lewiston Broncs in 1973, and moving on to the Tucson Toros in 1976.

Woods debuted in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder on September 14, 1976 for the Oakland Athletics and last appeared on September 27, 1985, for the Chicago Cubs. His career spanned nine seasons. Throughout this period, Woods played for several teams including the Oakland Athletics in 1976, the Toronto Blue Jays from 1977-1978, the Houston Astros from 1980-1981, and the Chicago Cubs from 1982-1985. Over his illustrious career, he amassed a batting average of .243, with 13 home runs and 110 runs batted in. With the Astros, in late 1980, Woods was called up to the majors, hitting .377 in 19 games. He also participated in four games in the Astros' League Championship Series, scoring 2-for-8.

Off the field, Woods' career was just as distinguished. After being selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft, he played in the team's debut game on April 7, 1977. Beyond his playing career, Woods also made a significant contribution to his former team, the Blue Jays, by helping to lay the foundation of a young team trying to find its way in the major leagues. He passed away on February 19, 2015, in Solvang, California, at the age of 60.

For more detailed information, please refer to the official MLB website's Gary Woods page.