Troy University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2025
One of the most decorated runners in Troy track and field history, Marcus Woody, will forever be enshrined in the Troy Sports Hall of Fame following a remarkable athletic career that will remain the standard for what the program has and can achieve.
Woody, a two-time All-American and three-time winner of the James Batie Award for Troy’s Outstanding Track Athlete, is one of the most dynamic performers in the program’s history and has become the standard for what can be accomplished when running at Troy.
Woody ran a 1:49.40 in the 800m, a time that remains the fastest in program history, and was one of the most dominant participants in the event during his career. He recorded a fourth-place finish at the 1993 NCAA Division II National Championship Meet and a fifth-place finish at the 1992 NCAA Division II National Championship Meet.
His route to these impressive feats was out of the ordinary, though, as Woody never ran in high school. In fact, he had little experience running prior to joining the Trojans.
Doc Anderson, who coached Troy from 1969-1980 and returned in 1990, was looking for any way to help bring the track and field program back to the successes it had during his first tenure.
During that process, a former alum of the university reached out to Anderson and told him he knew a kid who could really run. But running ability wasn’t the only thing he was looking for.
“I didn’t care if I had grants or aids,” Anderson said. “If they have a great attitude, it doesn’t matter; they are going to go. And this guy did. The best way to describe Marcus is head and heart, legs and lungs. He didn’t run in high school. He was at a community college that didn’t even have a track program. But he ran a lot of road races, and the rest is history.”
He did things the unconventional way, which helped him excel in his athletic career and what would come after it.
“This guy was something else. He didn’t have a lot of background, but he still holds a school record and was always so impressive in what he did, both athletically and academically. He was a real student-athlete,” Anderson said.
Even with all of his success he had over his time running for Troy, Anderson believes that with just a little bit more time, Woody could have been even better.
“Marcus is a phenomenal guy,” he said. “But by the time he was really starting to run well, he graduated and walked across the stage. I was so thrilled he came back to help coach.”
Away from the track, Woody has continued to excel in so many different areas of life. He earned his master’s degree while serving as a graduate assistant coach at Troy before eventually becoming an assistant coach from 1995-98. Following his track and field competition days, he and his wife Contessa became pillars of the Alexander City, Ala., community, where they have been for 25-plus years.
The couple owns and operates Woody Woodpecker Learning Center, a daycare and after-school service they opened in 1997 for children ages 0-12. The Woody’s have touched the lives of more than 50,000 children over the years.
"Marcus has done nothing but succeed. From getting his master’s to running a daycare center with his wife,” Anderson said. “What an amazing person and great addition to the Troy Sports Hall of Fame.”
