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Really cool story about Russell Wilson
Bond between Wilson and late dad cemented over time <== Read all the way to the end.
AP
Badgers quarterback Russell Wilson and quarterbacks coach Paul Chryst get ready for a recent practice.
By Jeff Potrykus of the Journal Sentinel
Aug. 13, 2011
Related Coverage
- Bond between Wilson and late dad cemented over time
- Notes: Chryst considers potential wide receiver substitutes
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[IMG]http://media.jsonline.com/images/47*47/blogheader_badgers.jpg[/IMG] Sunday
UW FOOTBALL
Jeff Potrykus, beat writer
Read transcript
Badgers by Position
Jeff Potrykus takes a position-by-position look at the 2011 Badgers:
QB: Story | Ratings
OL: Story | Ratings
DL: Story | Ratings
LB: Story | Ratings
DB: Story | Ratings
WR: Story | Ratings
TE: Story | Ratings
RB: Story | Ratings
ST: Story | Ratings
Madison - To firmly grasp and fully appreciate the unbreakable bond between Russell Wilson and his father, Harrison Wilson III, and how faith in God fortified the family during trying times, you need to peek inside a Virginia hospital room in 2007.
Harrison Wilson III, whose body had been ravaged by diabetes, was in a coma after suffering one of several strokes that would eventually strike. Doctors said he would not live.
His wife, Tammy Wilson, and Russell Wilson were visiting and weren't ready to surrender.
Let Russell Wilson, who appears to be a lock to open the 2011 college football season as Wisconsin's starting quarterback, tell the story:
"My mom came in and started singing a song to him, 'All By Grace,' " the Richmond, Va., native explained after a recent practice. "The doctors walked out of the room, and he lifted up his right hand. He hadn't moved for a week and a half. My mom freaked out and the doctors came back in."
Tammy Wilson started singing again.
"She said, 'Lift up your right hand again," Russell Wilson said. "He lifted his right hand."
Tammy Wilson kept singing and Harrison Wilson III kept responding, lifting up his left hand, then his right foot and finally his left foot.
"He lived for another two years," Russell Wilson said. "He saw my brother get married and he saw me get drafted."
Getting the timing right
What does Russell Wilson, who transferred to UW after starting for three seasons at North Carolina State, think when he relives such moments?
"I think of the Lord being there," he said. "There is a time and place for everything."
The time is now for Russell Wilson, whose father finally succumbed to complications from diabetes at age 55, on June 9, 2010. He died one day after Russell Wilson was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball draft.
The place is Madison. The fifth-year senior, who started 36 games for the Wolfpack, appears to have been integrated seamlessly into the UW offense and locker room.
Despite playing football and baseball at North Carolina State, Russell Wilson needed less than four years to earn a bachelor's degree in communications. That accomplishment will allow him to play this season at UW, per NCAA rules, and illustrates his bright mind, dedication to academics and his work ethic.
On the field during UW's preseason camp, he has displayed poise, a surprisingly firm grasp of the offense, quick feet and a powerful, often-accurate arm.
"He is everything you see on those highlights at N.C. State," free safety Aaron Henry said. "There is no fabricating it."
Yet to understand Russell Wilson better you need to read stories like the 2007 visit to his father's bedside, as well as others.
Faith in God remains the foundation of the family - for Russell Wilson, 22; for his brother, Harrison Wilson IV, 28; their sister, Anna, 14; and their mother.
"He is very strong in his faith," said Annabelle Myers, assistant athletic director/media relations at North Carolina State, who grew close to Russell Wilson during his four years in the football program. "But he's not going to throw it in your face."
Tammy Wilson's age appears to be a family secret.
"If I told you how old she is, she would kill me," Harrison Wilson IV, a pharmaceutical sales rep in Chicago, said with a laugh. "Let me tell you how old she is. She is 29."
OK, so that isn't true, given that Tammy Wilson and Harrison Wilson III were married for 30 years before death parted them.
Sturdy bond
What is true is that the bond between Russell Wilson and his father, who played baseball and football at Dartmouth and made it to the final cut with the San Diego Chargers in 1980 before becoming a lawyer, was cemented over time.
Harrison Wilson III taught both sons how to play football and baseball. There were critical conversations regarding the value of academics, the role of athletics and the need to maximize your skills in both arenas.
"He knows how to set goals and also set a path for attaining them," Harrison Wilson IV, who played baseball and football at Richmond, said of his brother. "For example, he knew he wanted to graduate in 3½ years before he stepped on campus. So he took loads of credits that a lot of undergrads probably wouldn't take. And that was playing both sports.
"He wasn't going to let anybody tell him different. He wasn't going to let anybody keep him from doing it…
"Education is so valuable these days. Why not maximize that scholarship?"
There were other illustrative moments between father and son, some poignant and some frightening.
Before Russell Wilson was a teenager, he learned about shaving from his father, a skill that would lead to another emotional hospital encounter years later.
"He had this gold razor without a blade," Russell Wilson recalled. "He would put shaving cream on me. I didn't have any hair on my face but I would practice shaving."
Just a few weeks before his father died, Russell Wilson made it back to Richmond for another hospital visit.
"He was really sick," Russell Wilson said. "He had a whole bunch of hair on his face. He was responsive but not very much. But he knew who I was.
"I got a razor and shaving cream and shaved him in the hospital. He woke up about halfway through and he said: 'Hey, what are you doing?'
"I said: 'Dad, it's Russell. I'm just shaving you.'
"He smiled and fell back asleep . . . when I was done he woke up and he had a huge smile on his face."
When Russell Wilson was 13, his father was driving him to a youth baseball game.
With his blood sugar level dangerously high, Harrison Wilson III passed out behind the wheel and his son had to take control of the car.
"I had no idea what I was doing," he said. "We were in the middle of the highway. I pulled over at a stoplight. I got out of the car and ran to a car in front of me."
Russell Wilson informed a driver his father needed medical attention. A phone call brought an ambulance and assistance for the father, who eventually regained consciousness.
"His dad said it is very important for you to go to the game," Myers said. "Russell told his dad it's very important for me to go to the game but it's more important for me to be with you."
Russell Wilson skipped the game and went to the hospital with his father.
"I couldn't go," he said. "He was one of my best friends."
Russell Wilson considers Myers a close friend.
So when Myers was at a family function recently and encountered a young North Carolina State fan who idolized Wilson, she grabbed her cell phone and fired off a text to the former Wolfpack quarterback.
"I said: 'If you've got a minute, call me because there is a kid here who loves you,' " she said. "My phone rang immediately."
Russell Wilson was on the line.
"I handed the phone to the kid," Myers said. "The kid says: 'Hello? . . . Oh my god!'
"He called immediately. He didn't ask why or who. He just did it. He talked to him for 10 minutes. That's the kind of kid he is."
A kid who, according to Myers, was able to mask or compartmentalize the pain he felt from knowing his father's health was deteriorating.
"Russell won't let you see him struggle," she said. "His faith is very strong. I never saw him struggle."
Harrison Wilson IV added: "His mental toughness is ridiculous.
"You can't read books and learn about it. It's something you have."
Final visit
So is faith, which was again present during Russell Wilson's final visit to see his father in 2010.
The date was June 9, the day after Russell Wilson was drafted by the Rockies. He went to share the news with his father.
"My grandmother and I went there and we started praying," Russell Wilson said. "He was non-responsive."
Undaunted, Russell Wilson told his father about being drafted by the Rockies. He eventually stepped out into the hallway, along with his grandmother and mother.
Mother and son stepped aside and started talking privately, for about 15 minutes.
Russell Wilson finished the story:
"We were just standing there and all of a sudden it clicked," he said. "The Holy Spirit was telling us to go in there. So we went in the room and - this is the crazy part.
"I walked in and I could see the (EKG) monitor. As soon as I walked in the door I said: 'Hey, Dad, I'm here.'
"As soon as I said that, the line went flat. That's how I knew the Lord is real. I knew my dad heard me and he could hear everything I was telling him about how I got drafted. He was waiting for something great to happen.
"That's how I knew he went in peace. He is here watching me right now."
© 2015, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.
About Jeff Potrykus
[IMG]http://media.jrn.com/images/325*325/jeff-potrykus.jpg[/IMG] Jeff Potrykus covers UW athletics, primarily football and men's basketball.
@jaypo1961 jpotrykus@journalsentinel.com
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