Mr. Woodley. Coach, teacher, father, ex-pro hockey player? These are all things that describe Mr. Woodley. Mr. Woodley is a teacher of Computer Concepts and the head coach of the Varsity Hockey team. Before Regis and before the NHL Mr. Woodley was a 15 year old growing up in British Columbia. That year Mr. Woodley made a decision. He would drop out of school to persue a Professional Hockey career. From school 15 year old Dan Woodley joined a Junior Hockey league. “Well my father was a professional hockey player. So when I came to age I started playing. When I turned 15 I dropped out.” says Mr. Woodley. Junior Hockey is where young men go to play hockey and prove their skills. Junior Hockey is the NHL proving ground and that is what Mr. Woodley wanted to do, prove himself enough to be selected to an NHL team. Overall Mr. Woodley played for 12 junior hockey teams and played for the Vancouver Canucks for 5 games in the 1987-88 season. He retired in 1995 playing professional and junior hockey from 1983-1995 overall playing 8 seasons of professional hockey. In the history of the NHL Mr. Woodley is the only Oklahoma native to ever be selected in the first round of an NHL draft.

After his playing career Woodley went to Regis University and got his degree in Computer Information Systems and Business. After college, Mr Woodley started a hockey training camp for young players to learn the skills they needed to be successful. When asked how he go into teaching Mr. Woodley replied, “Some of the kids (at the hockey arena) thought I was a great teacher. Some of the boys were on the RJ hockey team. When the position opened up they put my name in and I was hired. I started as a phys ed teacher while I got my teaching license. When I got it I was able to use my knowledge in computers to teach computer concepts.” In Mr. Woodley’s first years at Regis he was Phys Ed teacher. “While I coached hockey I became a the Phys. ed teacher while I got my teaching degree. After I was able to use my knowledge in Computers to teach computer concepts.”

Mr. Woodley is the Head Hockey Coach here for Varsity and in charge of the Jv Squad. If interested in on Mr. Woodley past, present or future you can usually find him in the Freshman hall Computer lab. If interested in the RJ Hockey you can email him at dwoodley@regisjesuit.com.

This has been Teacher Tuesday a weekly post on rjmedianow.com. The weekly series is focused on the teachers of Regis Jesuit and their lives before coming to teach at RJ.