Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL).
Wilson played college football for the University of Wisconsin during the 2011 season, in which he set the single-season FBS record for passing efficiency (191.8) and led the team to a Big Ten title and the 2012 Rose Bowl. Wilson played football and baseball for North Carolina State University from 2008 to 2010 before transferring to Wisconsin. Wilson also played minor league baseball for the Tri-City Dust Devils in 2010 and the Asheville Tourists in 2011 as a second baseman.
Wilson was selected by the Seahawks with the 12th pick in the third round (75th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. In 2012, he tied Peyton Manning's record for most passing touchdowns by a rookie (26) and was named the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year. In 2013, he led the Seahawks to their first ever Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos, and in 2014, led them to a second straight Super Bowl berth. Wilson has won more games (65) than any other NFL quarterback in his first six seasons, and is currently the second highest rated NFL passer of all time behind Aaron Rodgers. On July 31, 2015, Wilson signed a four-year, $87.6 million contract extension with the Seahawks, making him, at the time, the second highest paid player in the NFL.
Video Russell Wilson
Early life and background
Wilson was born at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, and grew up in Richmond, Virginia, the son of Harrison Benjamin Wilson III, a lawyer, and Tammy Wilson (née Turner), a legal nurse consultant. He has an older brother, Harrison IV, and a younger sister, Anna. Wilson started playing football with his father and brother at the age of four, and played his first organized game for the Tuckahoe Tomahawks youth football team in sixth grade.
Wilson's great-great-grandfather was a slave to a Confederate colonel and was freed after the American Civil War. Wilson's paternal grandfather, Harrison B. Wilson Jr., is a former president of Norfolk State University who played football and basketball at Kentucky State University, and his paternal grandmother, Anna W. Wilson, was on the faculty at Jackson State University. Wilson's maternal grandfather was noted painter A. B. Jackson. According to genetic admixture analysis, Wilson is 62% African, 36% European, 1% West Asian, and 1% Central Asian. His family lineage has been traced back to 524 A.D. to Saint Arnulf of Metz.
Wilson's father played football and baseball at Dartmouth and was a wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers preseason squad in 1980. Wilson's brother, Harry, played football and baseball at the University of Richmond, and his sister Anna plays basketball for Stanford.
Wilson's father died on June 9, 2010 at age 55 due to complications from diabetes.
Maps Russell Wilson
High school career
Wilson attended Collegiate School, a preparatory school in Richmond, Virginia. As a junior in 2005, he threw for 3,287 yards and 40 touchdowns. He also rushed for 634 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was named an all-district, all-region, and all-state player. Wilson was twice named the Richmond Times-Dispatch Player of the Year.
As a senior in 2006, he threw for 3,009 yards, 34 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Wilson also rushed for 1,132 yards and 18 touchdowns. That year, he was named an all-conference and all-state player as well as conference player of the year. He was featured in Sports Illustrated magazine for his performance in the state championship game win. Wilson also served as his senior class president.
In addition to playing football, Wilson was also a member of the Collegiate School basketball and baseball teams.
Wilson committed to North Carolina State University on July 23, 2006. He also received a football scholarship offer from Duke University.
College football career
NC State
Wilson redshirted during the 2007 season at NC State. In 2008, Wilson initially split time at quarterback with senior Daniel Evans and junior Harrison Beck. However, Evans and Beck saw no regular season action after Week 2 and Week 5, respectively. Thereafter, Wilson led the team to a 4-3 record in the regular season which NC State finished out on a four-game winning streak. During a win over East Carolina, Wilson threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns. He threw for two touchdowns in each of the last six games in the regular season.
In the 2008 PapaJohns.com Bowl against Rutgers, Wilson threw for 186 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 46 yards before halftime. Late in the first half, he scrambled to the Rutgers' four-yard line, where he was tackled and suffered a knee sprain. With Wilson sitting out the remainder of the game, his replacements threw a combined total of three interceptions with NC State eventually losing, 23-29. Over the course of the season, he completed 150 of 275 attempts for 1,955 yards and 17 touchdowns with just one interception. He also recorded 116 carries for 394 yards and four touchdowns. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) named him the first-team All-ACC quarterback. It was the first time in the conference's history that a freshman quarterback was named to the first team.
Prior to the 2009 season, Wilson was named as the quarterback on the pre-season all-ACC football team on July 12. On September 19, Wilson broke Andre Woodson's all-time NCAA record of 325 consecutive pass attempts without an interception against Gardner-Webb. The 379-pass streak ended in a game against Wake Forest on October 3. Wilson held the record until November 10, 2012, when it was broken by Louisiana Tech quarterback Colby Cameron. Wilson was named honorable mention All-ACC in 2009.
Wilson led the 2010 Wolfpack to a 9-4 season that included a 23-7 win over West Virginia in the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl. He led the ACC in passing yards per game (274.1) and total offensive yards per game (307.5). He was named second-team All-ACC and runner-up for ACC Football Player of the Year. In May 2010, Wilson graduated from NC State in three years with a BA in communication, and took graduate-level business courses in the fall semester during the 2010 football season.
Transfer
In January 2011, Wilson announced that he would report to spring training with the Colorado Rockies organization. NC State head coach Tom O'Brien expressed reservations with Wilson's decision, saying "Russell and I have had very open conversations about his responsibilities respective to baseball and football. While I am certainly respectful of Russell's dedication to baseball these last several years, within those discussions I also communicated to him the importance of his time commitment to NC State football."
O'Brien and his staff reached out to NFL coaches and general managers on Wilson's behalf, but he failed to receive an invitation to the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine.
On April 29, 2011, O'Brien announced that Wilson had been granted a release from his football scholarship with one year of eligibility remaining.
Wisconsin
On June 27, 2011, Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema announced that Wilson had committed to Wisconsin for the 2011 season. In the season opener against UNLV, Wilson passed for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 51-17 victory. He also rushed for 62 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown run. At the end of the regular season, Wilson was named first team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. He also won the Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year award.
In the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game on December 3, Wilson threw for three touchdowns and led the Badgers to a 42-39 win over the Michigan State Spartans. Wilson was named the game's Grange-Griffin MVP. In December 2011, Wilson was named a third team All-American by Yahoo! Sports, and he finished ninth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy with 52 points.
In the 2012 Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks on January 2, 2012, Wilson had 19 pass completions on 25 attempts for 296 yards, 18 rushing yards, and 3 touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing) as the Badgers lost by a score of 38-45. Wilson finished the season with 33 passing touchdowns, which set the single season record at Wisconsin and was the second-most in Big Ten history behind Drew Brees during the 1998 season at Purdue (39). Wilson also set the single season FBS record for passing efficiency (191.8). On January 28, 2012, Wilson completed his college football career at the 2012 Senior Bowl.
Statistics
Professional football career
On January 16, 2012, Wilson began training for the NFL Scouting Combine at the IMG Madden Football Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Prior to the 2012 NFL Draft, Wilson had been projected by NFL scouts and analysts to be a middle-round pick. In February 2012, former NFL quarterback and director of the IMG Madden Football Academy Chris Weinke said of Wilson, "If he was 6-5, he'd probably be the No. 1 pick in the draft." On April 11, 2012, ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden said, "The only issue with Russell Wilson is his height. That might be the reason he's not picked in the first couple rounds."
2012: Rookie season
On April 27, 2012, Wilson was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round (75th pick overall) of the draft. He was the sixth quarterback to be selected that year. The Seahawks endured significant negative criticism for their selections in the 2012 draft, and for picking Wilson in particular as the Seahawks had just signed free agent Matt Flynn. Wilson signed a four-year, $2.99 million contract with the Seahawks on May 7, 2012. He made his preseason debut against the Tennessee Titans on August 11, 2012 and had his first preseason start on August 24 against the Kansas City Chiefs. On August 26, 2012, Wilson was named the starting quarterback for the first regular season game after competing with Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson for the position.
On September 9, 2012, Wilson made his regular season debut in a 20-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Wilson threw 18 completions on 34 attempts for 153 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. In the third regular season game against the Green Bay Packers, the Seahawks won 14-12 on a controversial hail mary touchdown pass to Golden Tate. The contentious nature of the replacement officials' decision on the play was widely considered to have been the tipping point that led to an agreement being reached to end the 2012 NFL referee lockout.
Wilson earned the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honors for his stellar week 10 performance in a 28-7 victory over the New York Jets. He threw 12 completions on 19 attempts for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns, along with 7 rushing attempts for 34 yards. Wilson was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week and FedEx Air Player of the Week for his week 13 performance in the 23-17 Seahawks win over the Chicago Bears. On December 16, in a 50-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills, he had 205 passing yards, one passing touchdown, nine rushes, 92 rushing yards, and a career-high three rushing touchdowns. He earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month honors for December 2012 after the Seahawks went 5-0 and Wilson achieved a passer rating of 115.2.
Wilson finished the 2012 regular season ranked 4th in the NFL in passer rating (100.0), beating the previous rookie record set by Ben Roethlisberger in 2004 (98.1), since broken by Robert Griffin III in 2012 (102.4) and Dak Prescott in 2016 (104.9). He threw for 3,118 yards and 26 touchdowns, tying Peyton Manning's record for most touchdowns thrown by a rookie, and rushed for 489 yards and four touchdowns. Wilson's scrambling mobility and ability to extend plays outside the pocket with his legs earned numerous comparisons to Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton.
Wilson led the Seahawks to the postseason in his rookie year. He made his postseason debut in the NFC Wild Card Round against the Washington Redskins, passing for 187 yards and rushing for 67 yards as the Seahawks rallied for a 24-14 comeback victory over the Redskins. During the divisional round against the Atlanta Falcons, Wilson threw for 385 yards and rushed for 60 yards but the Seahawks lost the game by a score of 28-30.
Wilson was selected as an alternate for the 2013 Pro Bowl, filling in for Matt Ryan. At the Pro Bowl, Wilson threw 8 completions on 10 attempts for 98 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions for a 147.1 rating.
At the end of the season, Wilson earned a bonus of $222,000 through the NFL's Performance-Based Pay program.
2013: Super Bowl season
Wilson's Seahawks opened the 2013 season with the first 4-0 start in franchise history, after which they lost to the Colts in week 5. The Seahawks then went on a 7-game winning streak, including a 41-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings where he posted a career-high 151.4 passer rating and culminating in a 34-7 victory over the Saints in Week 13 in which Wilson threw three touchdown passes and earned his second NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. Over the next three weeks, the Seahawks suffered two divisional losses to the 49ers and Cardinals (the loss to the Cardinals represented Wilson's first home loss as quarterback for the Seahawks), but defeated the Rams in Week 17 to finish the season with a 13-3 record, the NFC West title, and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Wilson finished the season with 26 touchdown passes, 9 interceptions, and a 101.2 passer rating, becoming the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to post a 100+ passer rating in each of his first 2 seasons. Wilson was named to his second Pro Bowl on December 27, 2013. On January 19, 2014, Wilson and the Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, 23-17, sending the Seahawks to Super Bowl XLVIII. Wilson threw for 206 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions for a 123.1 passer rating in the 43-8 defeat over the Denver Broncos. With the victory, Wilson became just the second black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl, joining Super Bowl XXII winner Doug Williams. In addition to this, Wilson, at 5'11" tall, became the shortest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, shorter than Len Dawson, Joe Theismann, and Drew Brees (all 6'0").
Wilson earned a bonus of $169,141.73 for the 2013 season through the NFL's Performance-Based Pay program.
2014: Return to the Super Bowl
On September 21, 2014, Wilson led the Seahawks on an 80-yard touchdown drive in overtime to defeat the Denver Broncos, 26-20, in a Week 3 rematch of the previous season's Super Bowl. On October 6, 2014, against the Washington Redskins, Wilson set a new Monday Night Football record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game with 122. The Seahawks clinched a playoff spot in Week 16 when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Indianapolis Colts 42-7, eliminating the Philadelphia Eagles from postseason contention and allowing the Seahawks to clinch before their Sunday Night matchup. On December 21, 2014, Wilson went 20-of-31 and threw for a then-career high 339 yards with 2 touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown against the Cardinals in a primetime matchup on Sunday Night Football. Wilson also led the offense in gaining 596 yards, setting a franchise record for most yards gained in a game. The Cardinals had the third best scoring defense heading into Week 16. The Seahawks won 35-6 as they snapped the Cardinals' 7 game home winning streak and regained 1st place in the NFC West as well as the NFC's #1 seed. The Seahawks defeated the Rams 20-6 in Week 17 to clinch the NFC West and the #1 seed for the second consecutive season, securing homefield advantage for the entirety of the NFC playoffs.
Wilson led the Seahawks to a 31-17 home win over the Carolina Panthers in the Divisional round, making the Seahawks the first defending Super Bowl Champion to win a playoff game since the 2005 Patriots. The Seahawks hosted the Green Bay Packers in their second consecutive NFC Championship game. Wilson threw 3 first half interceptions while completing only 2 passes to his own team as the Seahawks fell behind 16-0 at halftime. With the Packers leading 19-7 and 5 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, Wilson threw his 4th interception. From that point onward, Wilson led the Seahawks on an improbable comeback. On the Seahawks' next drive, Wilson ran the ball in for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 19-14. After a successful onside kick recovery, Wilson led the Seahawks down the field, and Lynch ran in to give the Seahawks a 20-19 lead. Wilson completed a 15-yard 2 point conversion pass to Luke Wilson to make it 22-19 Seahawks. The Packers tied it up at the end of regulation and forced overtime. The Seahawks won the coin toss, and the offense took the field. Wilson led the Seahawks on an 80-yard drive that was capped by a 35-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Kearse. The Seahawks completed their largest postseason comeback in franchise history as they clinched a Super Bowl berth.
The Seahawks became the first defending champion to return to the Super Bowl since the 2004 Patriots. They faced the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, where they were defeated by a final score of 28-24. Although the Seahawks led 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter, the Patriots scored two consecutive touchdowns as they took a four-point lead with 2:02 remaining. Wilson led the Seahawks to the Patriots' one-yard line with 25 seconds remaining, but Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted a pass intended for Ricardo Lockette, sealing the victory for the Patriots.
2015: Breaking franchise records
On July 31, 2015, the Seahawks and Wilson agreed to a 4-year, $87.6 million contract extension. In the season opener, he had a career-high 32 completions on 41 attempts for 251 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a 34-31 overtime loss to the St. Louis Rams. In the first nine games of the season, Wilson threw 10 touchdown passes and 7 interceptions. Over the next 5 games, Wilson threw 19 touchdowns and no interceptions, becoming the only quarterback in NFL history to throw 3+ touchdown passes and no interceptions in 5 consecutive games. After a 2-4 start to the season, Wilson led the Seahawks to win seven of their next eight games and clinch a fourth consecutive playoff appearance in their Week 15 win over the Cleveland Browns. In that stretch of games was a 39-30 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers where he was 21 of 30 for 345 yards and a career-high five passing touchdowns and no interceptions. and a 35-6 victory over the Baltimore Ravens where he was 23 of 32 for 292 yards and another five passing touchdown performance. His strong performance over the second half of the season, even after losing star running back Marshawn Lynch and tight end Jimmy Graham, led many analysts to consider Wilson an MVP candidate.
Wilson broke numerous Seahawks single season passing records in 2015, including most passing yards (4,024), most passing touchdowns (34), and highest passer rating (110.1). He became the first Seahawks quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season, and finished the year with the highest passer rating in the NFL. Wilson's 51.7% deep ball completion percentage was the highest among NFL quarterbacks. On December 22, 2015, Wilson was named to his third Pro Bowl. He was ranked 17th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
The Seahawks traveled to Minnesota to face the Vikings in the NFC Wild Card playoff round. The temperature at kickoff was -6 °F (-25 °F wind chill), making it the third coldest game in NFL history. Wilson struggled in the sub-zero temperatures, throwing for 142 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Vikings missed a short field goal in the last minute, allowing the Seahawks to advance to the Divisional playoff round to face the 15-1 Carolina Panthers. Down 31-0 at the half, Wilson helped lead a furious comeback attempt, but the Panthers won 31-24, denying Wilson and the Seahawks their third consecutive in the NFC Championship and a shot at a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance. In that game, Wilson threw for 366 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Wilson was drafted first overall by Team Irvin in the 2016 Pro Bowl draft, and in the game threw 8 completions on 12 attempts for 164 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions for a 149.3 rating. He was named the Pro Bowl offensive MVP.
2016: Playing injured
The Seahawks had a solid 2016 season with Wilson at the helm. However, Wilson drew two minor injuries: his ankle during Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins after getting stepped on by defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, and his left knee against the San Francisco 49ers during Week 3 after a takedown by linebacker Eli Harold. The injuries hampered Wilson's trademark mobility, and many speculated that he would be rested in order to properly recover.
Regardless, Wilson started all 16 games in the season. On November 20, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had a 15-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Doug Baldwin on a trick play. The team finished with a 10-5-1 record and won the NFC West. Wilson put together a season where he recorded a career-high 4,219 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, 259 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown. The Seahawks made the playoffs, where they defeated the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card Round. The win gave Wilson his eighth playoff victory. However, they fell to the eventual NFC champion Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round at the Georgia Dome. He was ranked 24th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.
2017: Missing the playoffs
On September 5, 2017, Wilson was voted Seahawks offensive captain for the fifth consecutive season. In Week 3, in a 33-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans, he was 29 of 49 for 373 passing yards and four passing touchdowns. In Week 8 against the Houston Texans, Wilson posted an astounding performance, going 26 of 41 for a career-high 452 passing yards and 4 touchdowns in a matchup where both him and Deshaun Watson each threw over 400 yards. Wilson also rushed for 30 yards, totaling 482 yards of offense in the 41-38 victory. With his strong performance, Wilson earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week. On December 21, 2017, the Seahawks were fined $100,000 for failure to properly apply the concussion protocol on a hit Wilson sustained during the week 10 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
In week 12, with the win over San Francisco, Wilson became the winningest quarterback in a player's first six seasons with 63 wins, surpassing Joe Flacco. Next week, with his 15-yard touchdown throw to running back J. D. McKissic, the third of his game, Wilson tied Eli Manning in 2011 for the most fourth quarter touchdowns in a single season with 15. He went 20 for 31 for 227 yards and three touchdowns in that game, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week. On December 19, 2017, Wilson was named to his fourth Pro Bowl.
The Seahawks ended the season with 9 wins, ending Wilson's streak of five consecutive seasons with double-digit wins and a playoff appearance. He threw for 34 touchdown passes, finishing the season as the league's leader in touchdowns thrown. With 586 rushing yards, he also finished the season as the team's leading rusher.
Statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
Records and achievements
Awards
- NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month (December 2012)
- 7× NFC Offensive Player of the Week
- Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week (Week 10, 2012)
- Offensive Player of the Year finalist (2016)
- PFWA Good Guy Award (2014)
- 3× FedEx Air Player of the Week
- Steve Largent Award (2012)
NFL records
- Most passing touchdowns in a season by a rookie: 26 (tied with Peyton Manning)
- Most passing yards in a playoff game by a rookie: 385
- Most regular season wins by a quarterback in his first two seasons (24); most total wins in first two seasons (28, including playoffs)
- Most regular season wins by a quarterback in his first three seasons: 36
- Most regular season wins by a quarterback in his first four seasons: 46
- Most regular season wins by a quarterback in his first five seasons: 56 (tied with Matt Ryan)
- Most regular season wins by a quarterback in his first six seasons: 65
- First quarterback to throw for 300+ yards and rush for 100+ yards in a single game (vs St. Louis Rams) (10/19/14)
- Most games 1+ passing touchdowns, season (tied with twelve other players): 16, 2015
- Most consecutive games with 3+ touchdown passes and no interceptions: 5, 2015
- 2nd highest passer rating, career (minimum 1,500 attempts): 99.6
- First and the only quarterback in NFL history to throw 3+ passing touchdowns and no interceptions in five consecutive games
- First and the only quarterback to have a passer rating of 128.3 or higher in five consecutive games
- First and the only quarterback in NFL history to have 4,000+ passing yards, 30+ passing touchdowns, and 500+ rushing yards in the same season (2015).
- The shortest quarterback in NFL history to start (XLVIII, XLIX) and win a Super Bowl (XLVIII).
Seattle Seahawks records
- Highest passer rating, career (minimum 500 attempts): 99.6
- Highest passer rating, season (minimum 200 attempts): 110.1, 2015
- Highest passer rating, rookie season (minimum 200 attempts): 100.0
- Highest completion percentage, career (minimum 500 attempts): 64.7
- Highest completion percentage, season (minimum 200 attempts): 68.1, 2015
- Highest completion percentage, rookie season (minimum 200 attempts): 64.1
- Highest yards per attempt, career (minimum 500 attempts): 7.98
- Highest yards per attempt, rookie season (minimum 200 attempts): 7.93
- Lowest percentage passes had intercepted, career (minimum 500 attempts): 1.97
- Lowest percentage passes had intercepted, rookie season (minimum 200 attempts): 2.54
- Most rushing yards by a quarterback, career: 2,689
- Most rushing yards by a quarterback, season: 849, 2014
- Most rushing yards by a quarterback, rookie season: 489
- Highest yard rushing average, career (minimum 400 attempts): 5.6
- Highest yard rushing average, season (minimum 100 attempts): 7.2
- Most wins by a starting quarterback, season (tied with Matt Hasselbeck): 13, 2013
- Most 4th quarter comeback wins in a single season - 4 (2012 and 2013) (tied with Matt Hasselbeck and Dave Krieg)
- Most game winning drives in a single season - 5 (2012, 2013 and 2014) (tied with Matt Hasselbeck and Dave Krieg)
- Most passing yards, season: 4,219, 2016
- Most passing yards, rookie season: 3,118
- Most passing yards, game: 452 on October 29, 2017
- Most passing touchdowns, season: 34, 2015
- Most passing touchdowns, rookie season: 26
- Most passing touchdowns, game (tied with three players): 5 on November 29, 2015 and December 13, 2015
- Most pass completions, season: 353, 2016
- Most games, 1+ passing TD's, season (tied with Dave Krieg): 16, 2015
- Most games, 3+ passing TD's, season: 6, 2015
- Most games, 5+ passing TD's, season: 2, 2015
- Best touchdown pass-interception differential, rookie season: +16 (26 TDs, 10 INTs) (2nd NFL history)
- First and only quarterback to throw 4,000+ passing yards in a season (2015, 2016)
Baseball career
After graduating from high school, Wilson was selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the fifth pick in the 41st round (1,222nd overall) of the 2007 MLB draft. The Orioles considered Wilson a talent worthy of the first ten rounds, offered Wilson a $350,000 signing bonus, the third-largest they offered a draftee that year after Matt Wieters ($6 million) and Jake Arrieta ($1.1 million). Wilson instead elected to attend NC State that fall. In a 2008 interview, Wilson said, "I was leaning towards [entering the draft], but a college education is something you'll always have."
College baseball
Wilson was a member of the NC State Wolfpack baseball team from 2008-2010, and in the summer of 2009 played for the Gastonia Grizzlies, a collegiate summer baseball team in the Coastal Plain League. He hit .282/.384/.415 with five home runs and 30 runs batted in (RBIs) during his collegiate career.
Professional baseball
On June 8, 2010, Wilson was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round (140th pick overall) of the 2010 MLB draft. That summer he played 32 games as a second baseman for the Tri-City Dust Devils, the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Rockies in the Northwest League. He finished the season with two home runs, 11 RBIs, and a .230 batting average.
In the summer of 2011, Wilson played 61 games with the Asheville Tourists, the Class A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies in the South Atlantic League. He hit three home runs with 15 RBIs and a .228 batting average. In January 2012, Wilson informed the Rockies that he would be pursuing a career in the NFL and would not report to spring training for the 2012 season.
On December 12, 2013, Wilson was acquired from the Rockies by the Texas Rangers in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft. Wilson attended Rangers spring training in Surprise, Arizona in 2014 and 2015.
On February 7, 2018, Wilson was traded from the Rangers to the New York Yankees and assigned to the Yankees' Double-A affiliate, the Trenton Thunder. Wilson grew up as a Yankees fan and promised his late father that he would one day wear the Yankees uniform. On March 2, Wilson pinch-hit for Aaron Judge in the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves, his first appearance in a professional baseball game since 2011. He struck out on five pitches from Braves pitcher Max Fried.
Business ventures and endorsements
On April 26, 2012, Wilson announced he had chosen French/West/Vaughan as his marketing, public relations, and endorsements agency. Since being named the starting quarterback of the Seahawks in August 2012, Wilson has appeared in advertisements for Levi's, American Family Insurance, Pepsi, Nike, Alaska Airlines, Microsoft, Duracell, Braun, Bose, United Way, and Larson Automotive Group.
In 2014, Wilson became part-owner and endorser of Eat the Ball, a European bread company. In 2015, he began endorsing Luvo, a frozen food company, and Reliant Recovery Water. On February 29, 2016, Wilson launched Good Man Brand, a clothing line which he co-founded. In August 2016, it was announced that Wilson had partnered with Juice Press to open the company's first Seattle franchise.
On November 14, 2016, Wilson announced he had joined Chris Hansen, Wally Walker, and Erik and Pete Nordstrom as partners in the investment group working to bring a new sports arena to Seattle's SoDo neighborhood for potential NBA and NHL teams.
Wilson in 2017 founded a fan network platform to connect fans with celebrities called TraceMe. TraceMe launched its public beta on September 8, 2017 and announced $9 million in Series A funding with investors including Jeff Bezos' Bezos Expeditions, Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley.
On November 20, 2017, football helmet manufacturer VICIS announced a $7 million investment round which included Wilson as an investor.
In popular culture
Wilson has appeared on the cover of several magazines including Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated Kids, Rolling Stone, ESPN The Magazine, Men's Fitness, and Men's Health.
Rapper Eminem mentions Wilson in his 2013 song, "The Monster":
"It's payback, Russell Wilson falling way back / In the draft, turn nothing into something, still can make that / Straw into gold chump, I will spin Rumpelstiltskin in a haystack"
Wilson has appeared on Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Charlie Rose, and in the 2015 film Entourage. He also hosted the 2015, 2016, and 2017 Kids' Choice Sports Awards on Nickelodeon
Wilson was the keynote speaker for the 2016 commencement ceremony at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Personal life
Wilson is married to American R&B singer Ciara. They began dating in early 2015 and announced their engagement on March 11, 2016. They were married on July 6, 2016, at the Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, England. Their daughter, Sienna Princess Wilson, was born on April 28, 2017.
They have two Great Danes, Prince and Naomi.
Wilson met his first wife, Ashton Meem, while they were both high school students. They married in January 2012 and divorced in April 2014.
Wilson is a Christian. His net worth as of October 2016 is $120 million.
Charitable work
Wilson is an active volunteer in the Seattle community. During the NFL season, Wilson makes weekly visits on his days off to the Seattle Children's Hospital, and has also visited with soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. In the offseason, Wilson hosts the Russell Wilson Passing Academy, a youth football camp, in several cities. In 2012, proceeds from the camp went to the Charles Ray III Diabetes Association, for which Wilson is the National Ambassador. In 2013 and 2014, Wilson partnered with Russell Investments for its "Invested with Russell" program, which donated $3,000 to Wilson's charitable foundation for every touchdown he scored.
Wilson co-hosts an annual charity golf event along with NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne at Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, Washington to support various organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Seattle Children's Hospital. In August 2016, Wilson's Why Not You Foundation presented a check for $1,060,005 to Seattle Children's Hospital for its Strong Against Cancer initiative.
See also
- List of NCAA Division I FBS career passing touchdowns leaders
- List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · ESPN · CBS Sports · Yahoo! Sports · SI.com · Pro-Football-Reference · Rotoworld
- Career statistics and player information from Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- NC State Wolfpack bio
- Wisconsin Badgers bio
- Seattle Seahawks bio
Source of the article : Wikipedia