Wade Wilson (athlete)
Encyclopedia
Charles Wade Wilson is a former American football
quarterback
who played for the Minnesota Vikings
, Atlanta Falcons
, New Orleans Saints
, Dallas Cowboys
and the Oakland Raiders
in a seventeen year career from 1981 to 1998 in the National Football League
. He is currently the Quarterbacks Coach for the Dallas Cowboys
.
but moved to Commerce, Texas
, where he was a standout at quarterback and punter
at Commerce High School. Wilson played college football
at East Texas State University where he majored in business management. Wilson was drafted
in the eighth round of the 1981 NFL Draft
. He was a one time Pro Bowl
er with the Vikings in 1988 and finished his career completing 1,391 passes on 2,428 attempts for 17,283 yards and 99 touchdowns. Wilson led the Vikings to three playoff appearances in the late 80s. The Vikings advanced to the NFC Championship Game in 1987 after a tremendous upset of the 13-2 San Francisco 49ers
in the Divisional Round, but finally succumbed 17-10 to the eventual Super Bowl XXII
champion Washington Redskins
. In 1993 he directed the Saints to a 5-0 start but the team only won three more to finish 8-8 Wilson's last season as a starter.
quarterback coach
from 2004
until February 22, 2007
, when he re-signed with the Cowboys, for whom he was quarterback coach from 2000
to 2002
.
On September 1, 2007, Wilson was suspended five games and fined $100,000 for purchasing and using performance-enhancing drugs. In his defense, Wilson has said that the drug (HGH) was used to help his problem with diabetes. However, Commissioner Goodell
seemed to refute this defense saying, "First of all, I'm not going to get into the personal situations of why Wade was taking it, but that's not an accurate point."
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who played for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
and the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in a seventeen year career from 1981 to 1998 in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He is currently the Quarterbacks Coach for the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
.
Playing career
Wilson lived in Greenville, TexasGreenville, Texas
Greenville is the county seat, and the largest city, of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557....
but moved to Commerce, Texas
Commerce, Texas
Commerce is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States, located in rural East Texas. The population was 7,669 at the 2000 census, however recent growth and its proximity to Interstate 30 and the eastern Metroplex has put the population around 9750...
, where he was a standout at quarterback and punter
Punter (football position)
A punter in American or Canadian football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a...
at Commerce High School. Wilson played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at East Texas State University where he majored in business management. Wilson was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the eighth round of the 1981 NFL Draft
1981 NFL Draft
The 1981 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1981...
. He was a one time Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
er with the Vikings in 1988 and finished his career completing 1,391 passes on 2,428 attempts for 17,283 yards and 99 touchdowns. Wilson led the Vikings to three playoff appearances in the late 80s. The Vikings advanced to the NFC Championship Game in 1987 after a tremendous upset of the 13-2 San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
in the Divisional Round, but finally succumbed 17-10 to the eventual Super Bowl XXII
Super Bowl XXII
Super Bowl XXII was an American football game played on January 31, 1988 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1987 regular season...
champion Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. In 1993 he directed the Saints to a 5-0 start but the team only won three more to finish 8-8 Wilson's last season as a starter.
Coaching career
Wilson was the Chicago BearsChicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
quarterback coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
from 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
until February 22, 2007
2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
, when he re-signed with the Cowboys, for whom he was quarterback coach from 2000
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
to 2002
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
.
On September 1, 2007, Wilson was suspended five games and fined $100,000 for purchasing and using performance-enhancing drugs. In his defense, Wilson has said that the drug (HGH) was used to help his problem with diabetes. However, Commissioner Goodell
Roger Goodell
Roger S. Goodell is the Commissioner of the National Football League , having been chosen to succeed the retiring Paul Tagliabue on August 8, 2006. He was chosen over four finalists for the position, winning a close vote on the fifth ballot before being unanimously approved by acclamation of the...
seemed to refute this defense saying, "First of all, I'm not going to get into the personal situations of why Wade was taking it, but that's not an accurate point."