Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Carrington Wilson was selected 75th overall in the 2012
NFL Draft. EverythingTop10 is proud to present, “The
Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Russell Wilson!”
#10. Wilson was born at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, and he grew up in Richmond,
Virginia. He is the son of Harrison Benjamin Wilson III, a lawyer, and Tammy Wilson, a
legal nurse consultant. He has an older brother, Harrison IV, and a younger sister, Anna. He
started playing football with his father and brother at the age of four, and he played
his first organized game for the Tuckahoe Tomahawks youth football team in the sixth
grade. #9. His great-great-grandfather was a slave
to a Confederate colonel and was freed after the American Civil War. His maternal grandfather
was noted painter A. B. Jackson. According to genetic admixture analysis, Wilson is 62%
African, 36% European, 1% West Asian, and 1% Central Asian.
#8. Wilson’s father played football and baseball at Dartmouth and was a wide receiver
for the San Diego Chargers preseason squad in 1980. His brother, Harry, played football
and baseball at the University of Richmond, and his sister Anna plays basketball for Stanford.
His father died on June 9, 2010 at age 55 due to complications from diabetes.
#7. Wilson attended Collegiate School, a preparatory school in Richmond, Virginia. In addition
to playing football, he was also a member of the Collegiate School basketball and baseball
teams. He also served as his senior class president. He committed to North Carolina
State University on July 23, 2006. He also received a football scholarship offer from
Duke University. #6. After graduating from high school, he
was selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the fifth pick in the 41st round (1,222nd
overall) of the 2007 MLB Draft. He instead elected to attend NC State that fall. In a
2008 interview, he said, “I was leaning towards [entering the draft], but a college
education is something you’ll always have. On June 8, 2010, he was drafted by the Colorado
Rockies in the fourth round (140th pick overall) of the 2010 MLB Draft.
#5. Wilson redshirted during the 2007 season at NC State. In May 2010, he graduated from
NC State in three years with a BA in communication, and took graduate-level business courses in
the fall semester during the 2010 football season. In January 2011, he announced that
he would report to spring training with the Colorado Rockies organization. On April 29,
2011, NC State head coach Tom O'Brien announced that Wilson had been granted a release from
his football scholarship with one year of eligibility remaining.
#4. On June 27, 2011, Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema announced that Wilson had committed
to Wisconsin for the 2011 season. Wilson finished the season with 33 passing touchdowns, which
set the single-season record at Wisconsin and was the second-most in Big Ten history
behind Drew Brees during the 1998 season at Purdue (39). On January 28, 2012, Wilson completed
his college football career at the 2012 Senior Bowl.
#3. In February 2012, former NFL quarterback and director of the IMG Madden Football Academy
Chris Weinke said of Wilson, “If he was 6–5, he’d probably be the No. 1 pick in
the draft.” On April 11, 2012, ESPN “Monday Night Football” analyst Jon Gruden said,
“The only issue with Russell Wilson is his height. That might be the reason he’s not
picked in the first couple rounds.” #2. With the victory in Super Bowl 48, he
became just the second black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl, joining Super Bowl 22
winner Doug Williams. In addition to this, Wilson, at 5ʹ11ʺ tall, became the shortest
quarterback to win a Super Bowl, shorter than Len Dawson, Joe Theismann, and Drew Brees
(all 6ʹ0ʺ). #1. Wilson is married to American R&B singer
Ciara. They began dating in early 2015 and announced their engagement on March 11, 2016.
They were married on July 6, 2016, at the Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, England. Their
daughter, Sienna Princess Wilson, was born on April 28, 2017. They have two Great Danes,
Prince and Naomi. He met his first wife, Ashton Meem, while they were both high school students.
They married in January 2012 and divorced in April 2014.
That’s all folks! Make sure you check out in a few weeks part 2 of “The Top 10 Things
You Didn’t Know About Russell Wilson!” Please leave a like if you enjoyed the video
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Wilson will win before he retires! See you next time!