John Wooten

 

John B. Wooten is a true pioneer in the sports agent world and a worthy enshrine in the Sports Agent Hall of Fame. He was the first person of color to represent multiple first-round draft selections in the NFL College Entry draft, at a time when a minority in the sports agent business was almost non-existent. His contributions to the industry have paved the way for future generations of sports agents.

 

Wooten (born December 5, 1936) is an American former professional football player who was a guard for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins. Wooten played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and was selected in the fifth round of the 1959 NFL Draft.

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Wooten was born in Riverview, Texas. His family then moved to Carlsbad, New Mexico and he attended segregated schools through the 9th grade, before attending the newly-integrated Carlsbad High School. Wooten first played high school football as a sophomore in 1952, and he eventually earned All-State honors in football and basketball. He received offers to play football at Dartmouth College, Florida A&M University, UCLA, the University of New Mexico, and New Mexico State University. Still, he chose to go to the University of Colorado at Boulder instead.

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Wooten attended and played college football at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He joined the team in 1955 and became the second African-American varsity football player in the program's history (Franklin Clarke was the first). As a senior, Wooten earned American Football Coaches Association All-America honors and was selected to play in the Chicago College All-Star Game. He is believed to be one of the first African-Americans to earn All-America honors playing a position in the interior line. He graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education.

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College Honors​

Wooten was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012. He was also selected as one of 25 members of Colorado's All-Century Team in 1989, honoring the school’s first 100 years of intercollegiate football.

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Cleveland Browns

Wooten was drafted in the fifth round (53rd overall) of the 1959 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, where he would play left guard for the next nine seasons. During that time, he blocked for Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, widely regarded as one of the top running backs in NFL history. Brown led the league in rushing for six of the seven seasons Wooten served as one of his blockers, and was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1965 with 1,544 yards and a league-best 21 touchdowns.[1] The Browns defeated the Baltimore Colts, 27–0, to win the 1964 NFL Championship Game. They also played in the 1965 NFL Championship Game and lost to the Green Bay Packers, 23–12. In 1979, he was named to the Browns All-Time All-Star Team. In 2010, Wooten was inducted into the Browns Ring of Honor, as well as the Browns Legends program.

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Washington Redskins

In 1968, Wooten demanded a trade from the Browns after a dispute with the organization involving an all-white Browns' golf outing in Ashland Ohio. He was released from the Browns by owner Art Modell. The Washington Redskins signed Wooten in August, and he played his final year with them.

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Sports Agent

John Wooten's passion for sports didn't end with his retirement from football. He became a sports agent at Pro Sports Advisors from 1973 to 1975 and was the first agent of color to represent multiple first-round picks in the NFL draft. Throughout his career, he represented 125 players in all three major professional sports, including seven first-round draft choices in the 1973 NFL draft.

The players include: 

Billy Joe Dupree- TE - First Round Pick 1973 - Dallas Cowboys.

Burgess Owen’s - DB- First Round Pick 1973 - New York Jets.

Chuck Foreman- RB  - First Round Pick 1973 - Minnesota Vikings.

Otis Armstrong- RB  - First Round Pick 1973 - Denver Broncos.

Ernie Price-DE - First Round Pick 1973 - Detroit Lions.

Darryl Stingley-WR - First Round Pick 1973 - New England Patriots.

Wally Chambers- DE - First Round Pick 1973 - Chicago Bears.

He also represented such players as:

Drew Pearson- WR- FA- Cowboys- HOFER

Dusty Baker- LA Dodgers - became World Series Manager.

Jim Cleamons - Ohio State-1st round selection- Los Angeles Lakers

John Also represented Charlie Taylor, the great receiver of the Washington Redskins 

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Front Office

John has had an impressive career in the NFL. He started as a college scout for the Dallas Cowboys in 1975 and worked his way up to of Pro Personnel by 1980. He then moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1992 as Player Personnel and was promoted to Vice President of Player Personnel in 1994. In 1998, he joined the Baltimore Ravens as Assistant Director of Pro and College Scouting. John retired in 2003 after working as a consultant with the Ravens for three years.

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Currently, he is a "Football GM & Scouting" instructor for the online sports-career training school Sports Management Worldwide, founded and run by Dr. Lynn Lashbrook.

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Fritz Pollard Alliance

In 2003, Wooten became the Chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance. Wooten's leadership as chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance has promoted diversity and inclusion in the National League. The advocacy group works closely with the NFL to increase minority hiring in coaching, scouting, and front-office positions. Since 2003, Wooten has been a driving force behind this important initiative.

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Personal life

Wooten is a resident of Arlington, Texas, where he lives with his wife. They have five children and five grandchildren

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Awards & Honors

NFL

• 1964 NFL Champion (as a player with the Cleveland Browns)

• Two-time Super Bowl Champion as a front office executive (XII with the Dallas Cowboys, XXXV with the Baltimore Ravens)

• 1968 First Team All-Pro

• Two-time Pro Bowl selection

Halls of Fame

• Cleveland Browns Legends (class of 2010)

• College Football Hall of Fame (class of 2012)

State/local

• Mural/statue commemorating the Cleveland Summit, of which Wooten was a participant.