One thing was for sure about Jerry Woodley, Jr.: You met his big smile before you met him.
That was one of the many great qualities I learned about Jerry during the last 20 years I’ve covered sports in this market. Jerry was a longtime sports journalist and a friend to us all.
Unfortunately, Jerry died on Jan. 15. He was 69.
While we are all sad about Jerry’s sudden passing, we are all left with so many great memories of a man who was a friend to us, a mentor, and just an all-around fun guy. He knew a lot, too, when it came to college sports in the area, especially women’s college basketball.
Coach Ronald Hughey opened his postgame press conference with comments about the passing of my friend, colleague, and mentor Jerry Lee Woodley, Jr. pic.twitter.com/wWBF2uw5Ib
— Kris M Gardner (@TheHRReview) January 22, 2025
Jerry and his camera were fixtures at games, whether it was Texas Southern, Rice, University of Houston, or Houston Christian. And I could always count on some laughs and nuggets of knowledge I hadn’t had before.
We all felt we were friends with Jerry, but TSU Sports Information Director Ryan McGinty and Houston Roundball Review founder Kris Gardner were his true running buddies. Jerry and Kris made road trips to the NCAA Women’s Final Four every year for the last 20-something years. He and McGinty formed a bond after making impromptu runs together or when Jerry became a fixture around TSU events working the scorers’ tables on gamedays.
“He was just a likable guy,” McGinty said. “When he came into a room it was, `Ah man, Jerry Woodley is here.’ You are going to get a good laugh or something out of him.”
Jerry was also about his business. Over the years, he worked with Ralph Cooper at KCOH and did freelance work. But his passion was his own. Jerry worked for himself, shooting video interviews of all the sporting events around the city and then posting on his YouTube channel, @jerrywoodley.
But he didn’t just do sports. You might bump into Jerry running the elevator over at Toyota Center, where he had worked as an usher for years. He also worked high school games and helped at Conference USA and Southland Conference tournaments that came through town.
Jerry knew everybody. Everybody knew Jerry.
He was a proud 1973 graduate of Phillis Wheatley High School and an enthusiast for all things sports. He rode with the Comets until the end and was a presence at most of the women’s basketball games, but he didn’t limit himself to basketball. It wasn’t unusual to bump into him at soccer matches, softball games… you name it.
“He was one of the last of the few,” McGinty said. “He grew up in the area and kind of knew a lot. He was going to the Women’s Final Four before women’s basketball really took off. We were like, you’re going where and for what. He would jump on a Greyhound and find a train.
“Jerry was down to earth. It’s hard to replace people like that.”
