Writing a personal pitch letter directly to Vince Lombardi in 1960 proved to be the ultimate gamble for Willie Wood, an undrafted quarterback out of USC who couldn't catch an NFL draft call. Lombardi brought him in for a free-agent tryout, immediately moved the quick-footed athlete to free safety, and watched him turn into the back-end general of Green Bay's defense for the next twelve years.

By his second season in 1961, Wood was installed as the starting safety, and he celebrated his third year by putting together a defensive masterclass in 1962. He led the NFL with 12 interceptions, earned his first of eight career Pro Bowl trips, and secured First-Team All-Pro honors while helping power Green Bay to its second consecutive world championship. Wood’s closing speed and uncanny spatial awareness turned the Packers' secondary into a no-fly zone throughout the 1960s, while his vision made him a dual threat as the league's top punt returner in 1964 with a 13.3-yard average.

Wood's defining signature moment arrived on pro football's biggest stage in Super Bowl I. With Green Bay holding a tight 14–10 lead over Kansas City early in the third quarter, Wood stepped in front of a Len Dawson pass, picking it off and returning it 50 yards down to the Chiefs' 5-yard line to set up the game-clinching touchdown. That momentum-shifting turnover sparked a blowout and cemented Wood’s reputation as one of the game's ultimate big-stage performers, anchored alongside Herb Adderley in a secondary that won five NFL Championships and two Super Bowls.

His individual accolades piled high across the decade, yielding nine overall All-Pro honors—including five First-Team All-Pro selections (1964–1967, 1969)—and five total rings. Wood retired following the 1971 season having never missed a single game in his 12-year career, leaving as the premier free safety of his era and earning a spot on the NFL’s 1960s All-Decade Team.

Wood retired after the 1971 season. He compiled 48 interceptions for 699 return yards, two pick-sixes, 139 punt returns for 1,391 yards (a 10.0 career average), and two punt return touchdowns, along with five NFL Championship rings and two Super Bowl titles. Wood was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.