The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546417
38 ■ THE WOLFPACKER R wanted to go into broadcasting one day — long into the future, of course, when he hung up whichever pair of cleats he wore last. In fact, when the Wolfpack went to Athens, Ga., for a 2008 NCAA Super Regional, State sports information di- rector Bruce Winkworth arranged for Wilson to meet with ESPN broadcaster Brian Jordan, a rare athlete who played in both the major leagues and in the NFL. Jordan had been an All-America out- fielder for the University of Richmond in Wilson's Virginia hometown and was just beginning a broadcasting ca- reer that continues to this day. Wilson spent some downtime with Jordan in In 14 NFL seasons, mostly with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson threw for 46,966 yards and 353 touchdowns. He played in two Super Bowls, leading the Seahawks to a 43-8 rout of Denver to claim the 2013 championship. PHOTO COURTESY SEATTLE SEAHAWKS BY TIM PEELER ussell Wilson was always a big dreamer, even when too many people tried to wake him up with the stark reality of height and other perceived shortcomings. The former NC State quarterback and second baseman always hit the snooze button on their concerns. He wanted to play in the major leagues. He wanted to play in the NFL. He wanted to do both if he was al- lowed. He played two years in the minor leagues for the Colorado Rockies and spent time in both the Texas Rangers' and New York Yankees' organizations. He played for four NFL franchises over the course of 14 years. All those childhood ambitions came true when many people thought they were impossible. It was almost anticlimactic, then, in June when the former Super Bowl champion called it a playing career while simultaneously announcing that he would take a new job on CBS' "NFL Today" as a studio analyst, joining fel- low NC State alumnus Bill Cowher on the weekly pregame show. It was simply the ful- fillment of another goal for a driven player whose dreams always exceeded his expectations. 'He Was Born To Do That' Back when he was a freshman player for Elliott Avent's baseball squad, Wil- son told reporters and his school's communications director that he really SCREEN TEST Perpetually Driven To Exceed Expectations, Russell Wilson Takes On A New Challenge