Ex-NFL Star Charles Woodson Returns to Alma Mater as Michigan Names Woodson Whiskey Its 1st Spirit Sponsor

Charles Woodson shared that the company is partnering with the University of Michigan as its first spirits sponsor. (Photo: Woodson Whiskey)

Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson announced on Tuesday that he’s, in a way, returning to his alma mater, the University of Michigan. Woodson’s whiskey brand, Woodson Whiskey, has become the inaugural spirits sponsor of the Wolverines’ Athletic Department.

“Those Who Stay Will Be Champions’ were words I lived by every day while at the University of Michigan… but what happens when you leave? Well, I now have the answer for that: ‘Those Who Come Back Will Be Champions Once Again!'” Woodson said in a news release. “As a proud UM Alum, I am now excited to have Woodson Whiskey be the very first spirit sponsor in the history of Michigan Athletics! Go Blue!”

The NFL player intends to head to Ann Arbor this weekend and will be at No. 10 UM’s big game against No. 3 Texas, a clash of football titans.

This marks a particularly pivotal moment for the University of Michigan, as it is the first year alcohol sales are allowed in Michigan Stadium. The University explained it will give the whiskey brand “visibility” inside the stadium, and that Woodson Whiskey will be featured in two custom cocktails.

Woodson Whiskey spends six months undergoing an “accelerated” aging process that features ultrasonic waves and then is finished in Woodson’s Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. The brand’s core whiskey costs $40.

In August, the NFL player announced the release of a limited edition bourbon as part of a collaboration between Woodson Whiskey and the Las Vegas Raiders. Woodson played both cornerback and safety positions for the football team.

Charles Woodson played at the University of Michigan from 1995 to 1997. He was what the brand referred to as the “first and only primarily defensive player” to win the Heisman Trophy in 1997, the year he led the team to win a National Championship.

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