Early in his tenure as the "Herald Tribune's" sports editor, Woodward continued to write in-season columns on college football. His knowledge of the sport earned him the nickname "The Coach" from other writers. Woodward served as the paper's sports editor through 1941, leaving to serve as a war correspondent before returning to his position in 1946. Among the military operations he covered during World War II were the invasion of Arnhem in the Netherlands by the 101st Airborne Division and the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific Theatre.