Al Wilson

Aldra Kauwa Wilson (born June 21, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eight seasons with the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, earning consensus All-American honors. Wilson was selected by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft, and played his entire professional career for the Broncos. He was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time All-Pro selection.

This article is about the NFL football player. For other people of the same name, see Al Wilson (disambiguation).
Al Wilson
refer to caption
Wilson with the Denver Broncos in 2006
No. 56
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1977-06-21) June 21, 1977
Jackson, Tennessee, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:Central-Merry (Jackson)
College:Tennessee
NFL Draft:1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 31
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:714
Sacks:21.5
Interceptions:5
Forced fumbles:8
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Wilson was born in Jackson, Tennessee.[1] He was an All-American performer at Jackson Central-Merry High School in Jackson,[2] as named by BlueChip Illustrated, Max Emfinger, SuperPrep, and recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. In addition, he was named to the Tennessee all-state team. Wilson was both a linebacker and running back at Jackson Central-Merry, rushing for 1,160 yards and 15 touchdowns in his senior season. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in three seasons in high school, two as a running back and one as a quarterback. In addition to football, he starred in track and basketball.[3]

College career

Wilson attended the University of Tennessee, and played for coach Phillip Fulmer's Tennessee Volunteers football team from 1995 to 1998.[4][5] He was a team captain on the 1998 Tennessee team[6] that won the National Championship in the Fiesta Bowl over Florida State[7] and back-to-back Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships in the 1997[8] and 1998 seasons.[9][10] Wilson was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American in 1998 after being a three-year starter for the Volunteers.[11] Wilson was known for his leadership.[12] For his efforts on the field, on December 7, 2021, Wilson was inducted into the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame.[13]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
5 ft 11+3⁄4 in
(1.82 m)		 239 lb
(108 kg)		 31+1⁄2 in
(0.80 m)		 8+3⁄4 in
(0.22 m)		4.56 s1.60 s2.64 s4.25 s7.31 s33.0 in
(0.84 m)		9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)		17 reps
All values from NFL Combine[14][15]

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 due to the assistance of super agent Tank Black.[16][17]

Denver Broncos

Over the course of his professional career, Wilson was the anchor of the Broncos' defense. Wilson made his NFL debut against the Miami Dolphins in the Broncos' 1999 season opener.[18] He recorded his first sack in Week 5 against the Oakland Raiders.[19] He finished the 1999 season with 77 total tackles, four passes defended, and two forced fumbles.[18] In his second season, he had five sacks, 61 total tackles, three interceptions, and eight passes defended in 15 games of the 2000 season.[20]

Wilson had three sacks, 85 total tackles, and five passes defended in the 2001 season.[21] He earned his first Pro Bowl nomination.[22] In the 2002 season, Wilson had five sacks, 132 total tackles (100 solo), four passes defended, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.[23] He led the team in tackles and earned his second Pro Bowl nomination.[24][25] In the 2003 season, Wilson led the Broncos in tackles for the second consecutive year with 88.[26][27] He earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl nomination for his performance in the 2003 season.[28] In Week 11 of the 2004 season, against the New Orleans Saints, Wilson had a seven-yard pick six for his first NFL touchdown.[29] In the 2004 season, Wilson had 2.5 sacks, 105 total tackles, two interceptions, five passes defended, and two forced fumbles.[30] Wilson earned a fourth Pro Bowl nomination for his 2005 season, where he had three sacks, 73 total tackles, nine passes defended, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.[31][32] He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he had two forced fumbles.[33][34] He was named as a first team All-Pro for 2005.[35]

On December 3, 2006, Wilson suffered a neck injury during a fake field goal attempt against the Seattle Seahawks during the Sunday Night Football game.[36] 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.[37][38] Wilson led the team in tackles with 102 in the 2006 season.[39][40] He earned his fifth Pro Bowl nomination.[41]

The Denver Broncos signed many free agents during the 2007 offseason, such as running back Travis Henry[42] and quarterback Patrick Ramsey,[43] resulting in some salary cap trouble. The Broncos attempted to trade Wilson to the New York Giants, but Wilson failed his physical and the trade talks died down.[44]

Wilson was released by the Denver Broncos on April 13, 2007, due to injuries and salary cap problems.[45]

Free agency and retirement

Wilson was cleared to return to resume playing by Los Angeles back specialist Bob Watkins in January 2008.[46] On February 12, he had his first visit of the offseason with the Detroit Lions.[47] He also visited the Cleveland Browns in March,[48] but he rejected their offer for close to the veteran minimum.

Wilson officially announced his retirement from professional football on September 10, 2008.[49]

NFL statistics

Regular season
Year Team GP Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
CombSoloAstSackFFFRIntYdsAvgLngTDPD
1999DEN 167156151.022000.0004
2000DEN 156047135.0003217.02007
2001DEN 168572133.000000.0005
2002DEN 1613199325.012000.0004
2003DEN 168769181.002000.0007
2004DEN 1610471332.5202178.51015
2005DEN 157261113.021000.0008
2006DEN 1510279231.010000.0004
Career12571255415821.5875387.620144

Postseason
Year Team GP Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
CombSoloAstSackFFFRIntYdsAvgLngTDPD
2000DEN 16420.000000.0000
2003DEN 17610.000000.0000
2004DEN 17340.000000.0000
2005DEN 2181350.000000.0002
Career53826120.000000.0002

Personal life

After his career with the Denver Broncos ended, Wilson started a career as a Colorado football executive. Wilson became the co-owner of Project FANchise, which puts fans in control of professional teams. In addition, he acquired the Indoor Football League’s Colorado Crush.[50]

References
  1. Rexrode, Joe (July 28, 2022). "Tennessee's recruitment of Al Wilson was a wild ride with long-lasting rewards". The Athletic. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  2. Shields, Brandon (January 30, 2017). "REMEMBER: Top signees of recent years". The Jackson Sun. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  3. "Al Wilson". Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  4. "Al Wilson - Football". University of Tennessee Athletics. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  5. "Al Wilson College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  6. Ray, Matt (June 21, 2021). "Watch: Vols Release Al Wilson Highlight Video For Legendary LB's Birthday". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  7. "28th Annual Fiesta Bowl - Fiesta Bowl". Fiesta Bowl. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  8. Sallee, Barrett (August 24, 2012). "Classic SEC Football: Tennessee Tops Auburn in the 1997 SEC Championship Game". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
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  11. "Consensus All-America Teams (1990-1999)". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
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  13. "Al Wilson (2021) - Hall of Fame". Football Foundation. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
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  39. "Al Wilson 2006 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
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