A Match Made On The Field

DURHAM, N.C. ? For as long as Erin Pridemore has known Ryan Wood, there has always been a football game to watch him play.

Pridemore, who became Erin Pridemore Wood on June 21, 2008, in Gainesville, Ga., met the current Duke wide receiver when they were sophomores at Buford High School ? he a football standout, she a cheerleader.

After attending a private school for her first year of high school, Erin transferred to Buford before the tenth grade when her younger brother, Matt Pridemore, chose the football powerhouse for the opportunities it offered on the gridiron.

It was Ryan Wood's father ? Buford's football coach and athletic director ? who gave Matt and Erin their first tour of the school. Erin met her future husband for the first time at the football team's picture day that year and it was an instant connection, although neither of them were too willing to make the first move.

“We started off as friends, and it was just a gradual progression to where we started dating,” said Wood. “Things got more serious in the spring of our sophomore year. That was the start of it and the rest is, as they say, history.”

But, according to Erin, it was a process that needed to be nudged along a bit.

“I remember I told my parents, ?You know who I could see myself liking?'” she recalled. “And they immediately were like, ?Ryan Wood!' Everyone knew we liked each other but we wouldn't say anything.”

Finally, as Valentine's Day rolled around, the assistant football coaches at Buford had had enough of the stalling, and planned a surprise lunch date for them in the school cafeteria. The date was complete with decorations and a rendition of ?My Girl' by Ryan's teammates.

It was then that Erin and Ryan finally had a real conversation, and finally started dating.

They dated for the rest of high school and all through college, an arrangement that became long-distance as Ryan embarked on his Duke football career and Erin enrolled at the University of Georgia before taking a job with the Atlanta Falcons after graduation in 2007 ? a post she held until the wedding in June.

“Last year was tough because I was up here, and the football schedule is so demanding,” said Wood. “She would be with the Falcons on the weekends and I think I might have seen her once in the fall. She came to two games. It was tough after always having her there in high school.”

But even with the distance, Erin always had a game, scrimmage, practice, or camp to keep up with ? even if she had to hear about it via phone call or a hurried text message. Now, as her husband enters his senior season with the Blue Devils with Erin living in Durham and working in the Duke sports promotions office, there's still a bittersweet feeling about it.

“It's exciting to be here for his senior year, but it's also kind of sad in a way because it's his last season,” Erin said. “When I think back on it, we met during a football season as high school kids and since then I've always been able to ask him how he did, drive up for games [at Duke] ? for as long as I've known him. I'm excited to be here and be in the stands, to wear his jersey, for his last season.”

That had a lot to do with their decision to get married this summer, six months after Ryan proposed at Christmas. The guest list, naturally, included Ryan's teammates, while the chocolate cake was decorated with his Duke jersey, No. 82.

Another big perk for the couple lately is getting to be around Matt, who enters his sophomore season with the Blue Devils and recently switched to wide receiver ? like his brother-in-law ? from his old post of cornerback.

The long-time teammates have taken their fair share of ribbing over the years as they played together throughout high school and now for a year at Duke.

“I've pretty much been getting teased since I've been here, but it's not too bad,” joked Matt. “In football there's an old saying that you're ?brother-in-lawing' each other when you're out on the field and you do something soft or play less than full speed, and when I was originally here as a cornerback I'd be covering Ryan and we definitely got some of those jokes.”

“We're used to it,” Ryan added.

Matt also had the advantage of getting the inside scoop from Ryan as he made his college decision, and eventually joined him in Durham. It also helped to know someone at Duke ? someone practically like family ? before he arrived.

“Me and Woody have always been pretty close,” said Matt. “After he and Erin started dating we got closer outside of football, and then since I've come to Duke we've always hung out together. It played a factor in my decision because, on the one hand, I got to know more about Duke than what you might be told on a visit, and since he was already almost a part of my family it was nice to know he'd be here.”

Football has been part of the Pridemore and Wood fiber for as long as any of them can remember. Matt and Erin's father, Tom, played collegiate ball at West Virginia and later with the Falcons, while Ryan's father, Dexter, played at Alabama and is still the A.D. at Buford. The Pridemore's younger brother, T.J., is a freshman on the University of Florida football team.

“That's one of the great things about Erin, that she grew up in a football family and knows what to expect with all of this,” Ryan said. “She knows how rigorous it can be, and it's funny because now she can relate to her mom at this time of year from when her dad was away at camp. It's just fun that she really knows the game.”

With the hectic schedule for the men in her life, Erin has enjoyed cooking and cleaning the two-bedroom apartment she now shares with Ryan. And her younger brother has enjoyed having that feeling of home close by.

“It's nice to have Erin in town,” Matt said. “I've been over at their apartment a lot, and usually something's cooking. I had a birthday last month and she made me a cake, so that was nice.”

As for married life, the two admit it's not much different than the six other years they've spent together. Except now they don't have to make it work five hours apart.

“There weren't too many surprises,” Erin said of marriage. “I think Ryan thinks I'm a little more OCD and I've turned into this neat freak. I didn't used to see him as being one to cook, but I like to cook so whenever I do he joins in and likes to be part of it. We also both like being active and going out and doing things so that's been fun.”

Added Ryan, “It's everything I expected and more.”

And for one more season at least, they'll have football.