Otis Wilson

Last updated

Otis Wilson
Otis Wilson.jpg
Wilson in April 2010
No. 55
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1957-09-15) September 15, 1957 (age 66)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:227 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school: Jefferson
(Brooklyn, New York)
College: Louisville
NFL Draft: 1980  / Round: 1 / Pick: 19
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Sacks:36
Interceptions:10
Touchdowns:2
Player stats at NFL.com

Otis Ray Wilson (born September 15, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Raiders. He won a Super Bowl as a member of the 1985 Chicago Bears. He is also the father of former Cincinnati Bengals running back Quincy Wilson. He is married to Tina Glover Wilson.

Contents

College career

After starting his college career at Syracuse University, Wilson transferred to the University of Louisville. [1] Wilson was a three-year letter winner, from 1977 to 1979. In 1979, Wilson was a team captain and was named first-team All-American by the Sporting News. Wilson ranks second all-time in Louisville football history with 484 career tackles, and ranks fifth with 32 tackles for loss.

NFL career

Wilson was selected in the first round of the 1980 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, and went on to a nine-year career in the NFL. [2] As a starting outside linebacker for the Bears, Wilson played on one of the most dominating defenses in football history as part of the linebacking trio with Mike Singletary and Wilber Marshall. This defense helped the Bears to win Super Bowl XX. [3] That same year, he also made the only Pro Bowl selection of his career. [4] He was a featured soloist of the "Shuffling Crew" in the video The Super Bowl Shuffle in 1985. [5]

Wilson had a significant role with the famous '85 Bears. While he didn't call the plays and run the defense like fellow linebacker Mike Singletary did, he was possibly the Bears' most feared pass-rusher and the most intimidating player when he lined up in the 46 defense. Because Singletary stayed in the middle and covered backs out of the backfield/stopped the run, and Wilber Marshall was basically a free-lancer who roamed the field, Wilson was the main blitzer in the Bears' 46. He was second on the team with 10.5 sacks in the 1985 season, and numerous times he hurried the quarterback into errant throws. [6] [7]

Wilson played with the Bears until 1987. Injuries kept him from playing in the 1988 season. In 1989, he signed with the Los Angeles Raiders, but played only one game in the season and retired soon afterwards. He finished his 9-season career with 36 sacks, 8 fumble recoveries, 31 fumble return yards 10 interceptions, 115 return yards, and 2 touchdowns in 110 games. [8]

During Super Bowl XLIV, Wilson joined other members of the 1985 Chicago Bears in resurrecting the Super Bowl Shuffle in a Boost Mobile commercial. [9]

Personal life

Otis is now focusing full-time on his nonprofit organization, The Otis Wilson Charitable Association, [10] which provides an all-inclusive health and fitness program for at risk youth. The organization sponsors many events to fund their programs and they are very active in the Chicago area.

Wilson's book "If These Walls Could Talk: Chicago Bears" (Triumph Books) was released in September 2017.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XX</span> 1986 Edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1985 season. The Bears defeated the Patriots by the score of 46–10, capturing their first NFL championship since 1963, three years prior to the birth of the Super Bowl. Super Bowl XX was played on January 26, 1986, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius Peppers</span> American football player (born 1980)

Julius Frazier Peppers is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he was recognized as a unanimous All-American, and was selected by the Carolina Panthers second overall in the 2002 NFL Draft, and also played for the Chicago Bears from 2010 through 2013 and the Green Bay Packers from 2014 to 2016. After rejoining the Panthers for the 2017 season, he retired after the 2018 NFL season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Del Rio</span> American football player and coach (born 1963)

Jack Louis Del Rio Jr. is an American football coach in the NFL. He is currently the defensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a linebacker at the University of Southern California before being drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 1985 NFL Draft. He also played for four other NFL teams before retiring in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Hendricks</span> Guatemalan-born American football player (born 1947)

Theodore Paul Hendricks, nicknamed "the Mad Stork" and "Kick 'em in the Head Ted", is a Guatemalan-born former professional American football linebacker who played for 15 seasons with the Baltimore Colts, the Green Bay Packers, and the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders in the National Football League (NFL). He was a member of four Super Bowl-winning teams, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 after being elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987. He is the first Guatemalan-born player in the NFL. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Singletary</span> American football player and coach (born 1958)

Michael Singletary, nicknamed "Samurai Mike", is an American former football player and coach. He played as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Baylor Bears, Singletary was selected by the Bears in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft and was known as "the Heart of the Defense" for their Monsters of the Midway defense in the mid-1980s. He was part of their Super Bowl XX championship team that beat the New England Patriots. Singletary was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1995 and into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

Theodore Washington Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He also played for the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, and Cleveland Browns before retiring after the 2007 season. Washington was selected to four Pro Bowls in his career and with the Patriots, he won Super Bowl XXXVIII over the Carolina Panthers. At 6'5" and more than 375 pounds in his prime, he was described as "the prototypical [3-4] nose tackle of this era." His gargantuan frame earned him nicknames like "Mt. Washington" or "Washington Monument". Also notable for his longevity, Washington was a starting nose tackle, one of the most physically demanding positions in football, until the age of 39.

Byron Keith Traylor is a former American football nose tackle who played 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He played college football at Central Oklahoma. Traylor has won a total of three Super Bowl rings; he won two with the Denver Broncos and one with the New England Patriots.

Wilber Buddyhia Marshall is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for five teams from 1984 until 1995. Marshall played college football for the Florida Gators, was twice recognized as a consensus All-American, and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Broderick Lee Thomas is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Detroit Lions, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the University of Nebraska.

Raymond Lester "Trace" Armstrong III, is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for fifteen seasons from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. He played college football for Arizona State University and the University of Florida, and was recognized as an All-American. A first-round pick in the 1989 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Chicago Bears, the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders. He was formerly the president of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), and he currently works as a sports agent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamerion Wimbley</span> American football player (born 1983)

Kamerion Wimbley is a former American football outside linebacker and defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft with the 13th overall pick. He also played for the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans before retiring in 2015. He played college football at Florida State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Hampton</span> American football player (born 1957)

Daniel Oliver Hampton is an American former football defensive tackle who played for twelve seasons with the Chicago Bears from 1979 to 1990 in the National Football League (NFL). He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. He currently hosts the Bears postgame show on WGN Radio in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Chicago Bears season</span> NFL team season (won Super Bowl)

The 1985 season was the Chicago Bears' 66th in the National Football League (NFL) and their fourth under head coach Mike Ditka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erik Walden</span> American football player (born 1985)

Erik Lashawn Walden is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Middle Tennessee State and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, and Seattle Seahawks. With the Packers, he won Super Bowl XLV in 2010.

Martez Jerome Wilson is a former American football outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League. He played college football at the University of Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Irvin</span> American football player (born 1987)

Bruce Pernell Irvin Jr. is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round with the 15th overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. Irvin won Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos, and also played in Super Bowl XLIX where he became the first player ever to be ejected from a Super Bowl. He played college football at West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Wilber</span> American football player and coach (born 1989)

Kyle Wilber is a former American football linebacker and coach who is the special teams quality control coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wake Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalil Mack</span> American football player (born 1991)

Khalil Delshon Mack is an American football linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Buffalo and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damien Wilson</span> American football player (born 1993)

Damien Wilson is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Minnesota, and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Matt Sheldon is the Director of Research and Football Strategy for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He is a professional football coach, analyst and researcher with extensive NFL experience in research/analytics, in-game strategy, coaching and video editing with the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints. Additionally, he has worked with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Wisconsin Badgers of the NCAA. Sheldon also served as director of sports solutions development with Zebra Sports, the official provider of player tracking for the NFL. Sheldon has consulted with teams and leagues at the professional, olympic, collegiate and high school levels in North America and Europe. His areas of focus include strategy/tactics and decision-making, athlete tracking systems and elite athlete performance. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management and the University University of Wisconsin M.B.A. Program.

References

  1. ↑ "Otis Wilson (1977-79) (2011) - Athletics Hall of Fame". University of Louisville Athletics. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  2. ↑ "1980 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Bears Trounce Patriots, 46-10, in Super Bowl". Los Angeles Times. January 27, 1986. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  4. ↑ "1985 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  5. ↑ Schwerha, Matthew (August 14, 2015). "VIDEO: 1985 Chicago Bears 'Super Bowl Shuffle'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  6. ↑ "1985 Chicago Bears Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Otis Wilson 1985 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Otis Wilson Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  9. ↑ Greenberg, Jon (January 15, 2010). "Chicago Bears' "Super Bowl Shuffle" an enduring, endearing sports moment". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Otis Wilson Charitable Association – Mengupas Kepopuleran Judi Online di Indonesia". Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.