The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546417
40 ■ THE WOLFPACKER aspirations of a professional football ca- reer, Wilson set out to prove his doubt- ers wrong, with hard work, determina- tion and a willingness to put his body on the line when needed. Taken in the third round (No. 75 over- all) of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson was the team's starter by the end of his first training camp. It only took him two years to reach the NFL's pinnacle by winning Super Bowl XLVIII in East Rutherford, N.J. He be- came the second Black starting quar- terback to win a Super Bowl, following in the footsteps of Washington's Doug Williams, who won Super Bowl XXII following the 1987 season. Wilson remains the shortest quarter- back to ever hoist the Super Bowl trophy. "I always say that Russell is the most disciplined person I ever coached in all of my years of coaching," Avent said. "He had to have that discipline to play two sports and become the kind of leader he became." One good thing for Wilson and Cow- her, the former Wolfpack linebacker and longtime coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers: Wilson works well with fellow NC State products. One of the reasons he fit in so easily in Seattle as a rookie was that his head coach was former Wolfpack assistant Pete Carroll, who spent three years working under Monte Kiffin, long before Wilson was born. They shared a common background, however, and formed a strong bond. That made it easy for Carroll to name Wilson his opening-day starter his first season and for Wilson to keep the job for 10 seasons. The Seahawks went to back- to-back Super Bowls in Wilson's second and third seasons, and the quarterback became as iconic in town as SuperSon- ics superstar Nate McMillan, Starbucks Coffee and Frasier Crane. In a three-minute farewell video, Wil- son specifically thanked Carroll for put- ting him under center for the 2012 season and beyond: "Thanks for taking a chance on a young, 5-11 Black kid from Rich- mond, Virginia, that was told he was too small to ever make it in the NFL." Forever Grateful Wilson finished his playing career with 46,966 passing yards and 5,568 rushing yards, making him the only quarterback in NFL history to surpass 40,000 passing and 5,000 rushing yards. His rushing total is the fourth most in NFL history by a quarterback. He spent 14 total seasons in the league — most notably with the Seahawks — and he earned 10 Pro Bowl nods and won Super Bowl XLVIII. Looking back on his career, Wilson chose words of wisdom to share in his farewell speech. Wilson was a two-sport standout at NC State. He was chosen by Colorado in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB Draft and played for two of the Rockies' Class A affiliates before choosing to focus on his football career. WOLFPACKER FILE PHOTO