Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson's Biography

Russell Carrington Wilson, born on November 29, 1988, is a celebrated American professional quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Currently, Wilson is a part of the Pittsburgh Steelers, before which he played ten seasons for the Seattle Seahawks and two seasons for the Denver Broncos.

Right from his days with the Seahawks, Wilson’s talent was recognized – he was selected for the Pro Bowl nine times during his tenure with the Seahawks and was instrumental in helping the team clinch their first ever Super Bowl championship during Super Bowl XLVIII. Regarded as one of the greatest dual-threat quarterbacks of all time, Wilson has carved out quite a niche for himself in the world of American football.

Wilson’s journey in professional sports began in his college days when he played both football and baseball for the NC State Wolfpack between 2008 and 2010. After transferring to the Wisconsin Badgers in 2011, Wilson broke the single-season Football Bowl Subdivision record for passer rating, leading the Badgers to the Big Ten title and the 2012 Rose Bowl.

2010 saw Wilson take his talents to the baseball diamond, playing minor league baseball for the Tri-City Dust Devils and the Asheville Tourists in 2011 as a second baseman. An ever-skilled sportsperson, Wilson was picked by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round, 75th overall of the 2012 NFL draft. His debut season was memorable, as he tied Peyton Manning’s then-record for the most passing touchdowns by a rookie and was crowned the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year.

Wilson’s leadership drove the Seahawks to two consecutive Super Bowls; while they won Super Bowl XLVIII, they fell in Super Bowl XLIX the following year, which concluded with Wilson being intercepted at the goal line by Malcolm Butler. With a history of impressive gameplay, Wilson holds the record for the most wins by an NFL quarterback through his first nine seasons. He is one of only three quarterbacks in NFL history with a career passer rating over 100.

In 2019, an affirmation of his significance to the team, he signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension with the Seahawks, making him the highest paid player in the NFL at that time. In 2020, Wilson became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for thirty touchdowns in four consecutive seasons. However, he was traded to the Broncos in 2022, where he signed a massive five-year, $245 million contract extension. His stint with the Broncos, unfortunately, was marked by disappointment as the team had the league’s worst scoring offense that year. Benched near the end of the 2023 season in a financially motivated move, he was released during the offseason. He then went on to sign a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Off the field, Wilson has been praised for his philanthropy, winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2020. In 2022, he was the recipient of the Bart Starr Award. Wilson is also a part owner of the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). After he purchased his minority stake, the Sounders clinched the 2019 MLS Cup.

Born at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Wilson was raised in Richmond, Virginia by parents Harrison Benjamin Wilson III, a lawyer, and nurse director, Tammy Wilson. He has an older brother, Harrison IV, and a younger sister, Anna. Russell’s interest in sports was ignited by football games with his brother and father at the tender age of four. His first organized game was for the Tuckahoe Tomahawks youth football team in 6th grade. His family roots can be traced back to 524 A.D. to Saint Arnulf of Metz via Charlemagne and genetic admixture analysis revealed his genetic composition to be 62% African, 36% European, 1% West Asian and 1% Central Asian.

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 played basketball at Stanford. His father passed away due to complications from diabetes on June 9, 2010, the day after Wilson was drafted by the Rockies.

Wilson attended Collegiate School, a preparatory school in Richmond, Virginia. As a junior in 2005, his amazing performance, throwing for 3,287 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns and rushing for 634 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns made him an all-district, all-region, and all-state player and earned him the nickname Richmond Times-Dispatch Player of the Year, twice during his time there. In his Senior year, he had 3,009 passing yards, 34 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions, in addition to his 1,132 yards and 18 touchdowns from rushes. He also served as his senior class president.

Wilson attended the Manning Passing Academy during his high school years, where he learnt football from NFL MVP winner and Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Wilson was also a part of the Collegiate School basketball and baseball teams. He committed to North Carolina State University in July 23, 2006 where he demonstrated his potential, gaining recognition by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), became the quarterback of the pre-season all-ACC football team and broke Andre Woodson’s all-time NCAA record of 325 consecutive pass attempts without an interception against Gardner–Webb. In 2011, he was granted release from his football scholarship with NC State and joined Wisconsin. With his impressive gameplay, he was named first team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media and won the Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year award. In 2012, Wilson completed his college football career at the 2012 Senior Bowl and earned his master’s degree in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin.

Wilson’s career from college to the NFL was not without obstacles. Despite his talent, due to his height he was projected to be a mid-round pick. However, he proved his detractors wrong with his stellar performances and strategic gameplay which highlighted Wilson as one of the NFL’s finest quarterbacks.