Boston College Athletics
Three Eagles Taken on First Day of 1999 NFL Draft
June 21, 1999 | Football
April 17, 1999
Three Boston College players -- Damien Woody, Mike Cloud and Doug Brzezinski -- were selected in the top three rounds of the 1999 NFL Draft. Woody was selected by the New England Patriots with the 17th pick in the first round. Cloud was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 54th overall selection (second round). Brzezinski was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 64th overall pick (third round). Below is a brief look at these three players.
Mike Cloud
RB 5-11 201
Portsmouth, RI (Portsmouth)
BC's all-time leading rusher, Cloud finished his BC career with 3,597 yards. The previous record was held by Troy Stradford (1982-86), who had 3,504 yards...Consensus first-team All-America selection (Associated Press, Football News, Football Writers)...Finished his career with a 179-yard performance vs. West Virginia...Set a BIG EAST and BC single-season rushing record with 1,726 yards (the previous BIG EAST record was held by West Virginia's Amos Zereoue)...He rushed for 100+ yards in all but one game in the 1998 season...He stormed into the 1998 season by reeling off the second-best game of his career with 200 yards vs. Georgia Tech. Perhaps most impressively, he rushed for 186 yards against a Virginia Tech defense that ranked first in the nation against the run...He wore the number 21 at BC in honor of his older brother, Kevin, who broke his neck in a football game when Mike was 14. Kevin Cloud was unable to play football again, so Mike has said he plays to help his brother live out his football dream...His high school coach, Foxy Parker, gave Mike a T-shirt shortly before his death in 1995; Mike has worn that T-shirt under his football jersey, sometimes sewing it back together before games, in every single game of his career since.
1997 Season
Played in 10 games...led the Eagles in rushing with 886 yards on 136 carries, an average of 6.5 per carry and 88.6 per game...established a BIG EAST single-season record for yards per rush...also scored eight touchdowns...recorded 20 receptions for 225 yards...led the Eagles in all-purpose yardage (116.5 per game ) and scoring...ranked third in the BIG EAST in rushing yards per game and fourth in the BIG EAST in all-purpose yards per gam...Cloud rushed for more than 100 yards in four games...named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on September 15 after rushing for a career-high 211 yards on 24 carries and scoring two touchdowns in the win over West Virginia; in that victory over the Mountaineers, he came in late in the first half and gained 209 yards in the second half, including a 66-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter...with that performance he became the first Eagles' player in six years to rush for more than 200 yards in a game...finished with 166 yards on 35 carries, scored three rushing touchdowns, and caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Matt Hasselbeck, in the victory at Rutgers...injured his ribs early in the loss to Cincinnati and missed the game against Georgia Tech, but returned to action against Virginia Tech...rushed for 157 yards on 19 carries and scored on a 37-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter at Miami...in the victory over Pittsburgh, Cloud led the Eagles with 117 yards on 13 rushes and scored two touchdowns; also had seven receptions for 43 yards in the win over Pittsburgh.
1996 Season
Saw action in all 12 games, picking up 359 yards on 68 carries - a rushing figure second only to team leader Omari Walker...his best effort was a 14-carry, 104-yard performance in the victory over Rutgers; that figure included a 26-yard touchdown run...that was the fourth 100-plus rushing day in his two-year varsity career.
1995 Season
Led the team in yardage and yards-per-carry in his first varsity season, chalking up 626 net yards on 102 carries; he ranked second among BIG EAST players with 6.1 yards per carry...he had a number of impressive outings, including 122-yards on 26 carries in the win over Rutgers...he had another big day at Syracuse, picking up 113 yards on just 10 carries, which included a 58-yard run -- the Eagles' longest rushing play of the year...he also sparkled in the Miami game, rolling up 109 yards in just 12 attempts, and just missed a fourth 100-yard game against Pitt, when he ran 18 times for 99 yards (including his first career TD on an 11-yard run.)
1994 Season
Redshirted.
High School
Earned All-America accolades from SuperPrep magazine...selected as USA Today's 1993 Rhode Island Player of the Year...earned All-Eastern honors from Blue Chip Illustrated...was a three-year All-State and three-time All-County honoree...rushed for 1,958 yards and scored 30 touchdowns as a senior, leading Portsmouth High School to an 11-1 record and its third consecutive Class A championship...was a two-way player who played cornerback as a sophomore and linebacker as a junior and senior...finished his three-year career with 4,447 yards and 65 touchdowns...played for coach Foxy Parker... played in the first-ever All-American Bowl in Allentown, Pa.; the game featured the top 33 players in the East against the top 33 in the West.
Personal
Michael Alexander Cloud, born July 1, 1975...received his bachelor's degree from the College of Arts & Sciences this past May; is now pursuing a second major...born in Charleston, S.C. where his father served in the Navy, before moving to Rhode Island at age 5...Mike is the youngest of Ethel and Charles Cloud's three sons.
Damien Woody
OL 6-4 312
Beaverdam, VA (Patrick Henry)
Two-time Second Team All-BIG EAST at center...Part of the reason BC racked up 4,527 yards in total offense during the 1998 season...New England All-Star Team, New England Football Writers...The Eagle coaching staff calls him everything that you want, a leader on the offensive line; he makes all the offensive line calls...Won the starting position at center as a freshman, and added 30 pounds of muscle to his body in off-season conditioning...Strong and fast, he is a powerful blocker and an outstanding pass protector.
1997 Season
Started at center on the Eagles' offensive line...earned All-BIG EAST second team honors...an important component of the offensive line that helped three different Eagle running backs register a combined seven 100-yard rushing games.
1996 Season
Won the starting job in the middle of the line during spring practice...started every game except for the final two against Temple and Miami when he was sidelined with knee problems.
1995 Season
Redshirted.
High School
Earned All-State honors as an offensive tackle at Patrick Henry High School; also played defensive tackle...led the school to a 14-0 record and the 1994 Division 5 state championship...also captured All-Metro, All-Region and All-District accolades...earned USA Today All-America honorable mention honors, and was a Super Prep All-Region choice...a member of the Roanoke Times Top 25 and the Richmond Times-Dispatch Top 30...played for head coach Ray Long, Jr.
Personal
Damien Michael Woody, born November 3, 1977...enrolled as a sociology major in the College of Arts & Sciences...Damien is the middle of Nancy and Wayne Starkes' three children.
Doug Brzezinski
OL 6-5 305
Livonia, MI (Detroit Catholic Central)
The standout left guard is part of the reason BC racked up 4,527 yards in total offense during the 1998 season...1998 First Team All-BIG EAST...New England All-Star Team, New England Football Writers...The 1998 team co-captain (along with Brian Maye), BC's coaches call Brzezinski a prototypical BC-type lineman, a blue-collar player. His knowledge, skills, work ethic and coachability make him one of the cornerstones of BC's offensive line..Brzezinski added 10 pounds of muscle over the winter to help further his success in the trenches..A 1998 Football News Pre-Season All-BIG EAST selection, Brzezinski anchored the offensive line after an award-winning 1997 season.
1997 Season
Earned All-BIG EAST First-Team honors...continued to be a dominating presence on the front line...for the third consecutive year, he started in every game, running his streak to 35 consecutive games.
1996 Season
He was in the starting lineup for all 12 games...with one year of collegiate experience to his credit, his improved knowledge and skills made him a highly-effective member of the Eagles' offensive attack.
1995 Season
Started pre-season practice as the No. 2 man at both left guard and right tackle, but it only took him a matter of days before he nailed down the starting assignment on the left side...he was the only rookie among the Eagles' starting offensive line in 1995...started all 12 games for the Eagles before heading into the weight room to put on an additional 14 pounds of muscle and raised his bench-press to an impressive 452 lbs...the coaching staff rated him one of the OL's Most Improved players as he sharpened his pass protection and pulling skill.
1994 Season
Was one of three true freshmen -- defensive backs Willie Wright and Shalom Tolefree were the others -- to make the team's two-deep...he was listed as a back-up to right tackle Dan Oriskovich...he did not play in a game, however, so the coaching staff was able to preserve a season of eligibility.
High School
Earned All-America accolades from Blue Chip Illustrated, SuperPrep and Scholastic Coach magazines...earned All-Midwest and All-State honors...was selected to the Detroit Free Press Dream Team...an All-Catholic selection...served as team captain as a senior...dominated on both sides of the ball for head coach Tom Mach's Detroit Catholic Central team...finished his senior season with 80 tackles and four sacks...led his 1992 team to a 13-0 record, the Class AA state title and a ninth-place ranking by USA Today...played in the Michigan East-West All-Star Game at Michigan State University on July 30, 1994...was also an All-Area and All-Catholic shot putter on the track team...won a Detroit-area power lifting competition as a junior...was nominated by the Archdiocese of Detroit for the John Shada Award that recognizes civic and athletic excellence.
Personal
Douglas Gregory Brzezinski, born March 11, 1976...he is enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences, majoring in sociology...Doug and his younger brother Nicholas are the children of Christine and Gregory Brzezinski.
