Al Wilson
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- This article is about the NFL football player. For other people of the same name, see Al Wilson (disambiguation).
| Al Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Position(s):Middle linebacker | Jersey #(s): 56 |
| Born: June 21 1977 Image:Flag of Tennessee.svg Jackson, Tennessee | |
| Career Information | |
| Year(s): 1999-2006 | |
| NFL Draft: 1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 31 | |
| College: Tennessee | |
| Professional Teams | |
| Career Stats | |
| Sacks | 21.5 |
| Interceptions | 5 |
| Games | 125 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Career Highlights and Awards | |
Aldra Kauwa Wilson[1] (born June 21, 1977 in Jackson, Tennessee) is an American football middle linebacker who is currently a free agent, and went to the University of Tennessee and Jackson Central-Merry High School. He is currently in his 8th pro year.
Contents |
[edit] High school years
Wilson was an All American performer at Jackson Central-Merry High School in Jackson, Tennessee as named by BlueChip Illustrated, Max Emfinger, SuperPrep and Tom Lemming. Wilson was also named All State for Tennessee. Wilson was both a linebacker and running back at JCM, rushing for 1160 yards and 15 touchdowns in his senior season. He rushed for over 1000 yards in three seasons in high school, two as a running back and one as a quarterback. Wilson also starred in track and basketball.
[edit] College years
Wilson was a team captain on the 1998 Tennessee team that won the National Championship and back to back SEC Titles. Wilson was named as an All American in 1998 after being a three year starter for the Volunteers. He was the spiritual leader both on and off the field, helping to develop linebackers Eric Westmoreland and Raynoch Thompson. Wilson was drafted after his final year at Tennessee as the 31st pick in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft and signed to the Denver Broncos
[edit] NFL years
Wilson, playing as #56, became the anchor of the Broncos' defense and has earned 5 Pro Bowl selections since 2001. He is one of the fastest middle linebackers in the league, and is also very good in pass coverage. He passed the 100-tackle mark in each of the last five seasons, including 109 tackles (73 of which were solo) in 2004 to rank second on the Broncos. Wilson led Denver in tackles for the second consecutive year in 2003 with 128 tackles.
On December 3rd, 2006, Wilson suffered a neck injury during a punt return against the Seattle Seahawks during the Sunday night game. He was carted off the field and immediately taken to a hospital, but was cleared by the Denver Broncos to return the following week to help Denver try to make the playoffs.
The Denver Broncos signed many free agents during the 2007 offseason, such as Travis Henry and Patrick Ramsey, resulting in some salary cap trouble. The Broncos attempted to trade Wilson to the New York Giants, however Wilson failed his physical and the trade talks died down.
Al Wilson was released by the Denver Broncos on April 13, 2007 due to injuries and salary cap problems. He hopes to continue playing football with another NFL team, but if complications from his neck injury of 2006 prove too much to overcome, NFL insiders expect Al Wilson to retire.
[edit] References
- ^ Wilson on Pro-Football-Reference. rbref.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-22.
[edit] External links
- NFL.com player page
- Denver Broncos Official Bio
- CNNSI.com Draft Video
- University of Tennessee 1998 Football Media Guide
| 1999 NFL Draft | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Round Tim Couch | Donovan McNabb | Akili Smith | Edgerrin James | Ricky Williams | Torry Holt | Champ Bailey | David Boston | Chris Claiborne | Chris McAlister | Daunte Culpepper | Cade McNown | Troy Edwards | John Tait | Anthony McFarland | Jevon Kearse | Damien Woody | Matt Stinchcomb | Luke Petitgout | Ebenezer Ekuban | L.J. Shelton | Lamar King | Antoine Winfield | Reggie McGrew | Antuan Edwards | Fernando Bryant | Aaron Gibson | Andy Katzenmoyer | Dimitrius Underwood | Patrick Kerney | Al Wilson | ||
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