31 Inspiring Facts About Russell Wilson Every Fan Should Know

Russell Wilson, considered to be one of the best quarterbacks in the history of NFL, has always been known to set the field on fire. A proud Christian, since his first draft, he had been on a role to break record after record. Despite making headlines for years with his impeccable style and talent, there are many things that fans still have to learn about him. Here are a few fascinating facts about him:

1. He was born Russell Carrington Wilson on November 29, 1988, in Cincinnati, Ohio, as second of three children to Tammy Wilson, a legal nurse consultant and Harrison Benjamin Wilson III, a lawyer.
2. According to historian Henry Louis Gates Jt., of PBS’ Finding Your Roots, Wilson family lineage has been traced back to 524 A.D., revealing stories of kings and slaves.
3. While attending Collegiate School at Richmond, Virginia, Wilson showed his star-quality promise playing football, basketball, and baseball. He earned his degree in Bachelors of Arts in Communication from the North Carolina State University in 2010.
4. Wilson married for the first time his high school sweetheart, Ashton Meem, on January 14, 2012, at the St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. He had proposed to her on August 1, 2010, at Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, N.C, with a tag on the rhinestone collar of her dog reading ‘Hey Mom, Dad has a question he wants to as you.’
5. His athletic attributes can be traced to his grandfather, Harrison B. Wilson Jr., who split time between football and basketball at Kentucky State, and his father, Harrison III, doubled as a baseball and football player at Dartmouth. His brother Harrison IV, was a wide receiver at the University of Richmond.
6. As a quarterback during his days as a junior and senior, he threw for a combined 6, 296 yards, rushed for an additional 1, 766 yards and accounted for 107 total touchdowns. Wilson was named the 2005 Richmond Times-Dispatch Player of the Year and had appeared in the Sports Illustrated’s ‘Faces in the Crowd,’ section.
7. After graduating from high school, Wilson was selected as fifth pick in the 41st round of the 2007 MLB Draft, by Baltimore Orioles, and offered $350,000 as signing bonus. He decided to pursue college education instead.
8. The unbreakable bond between him and his father was very much evident during trying times at the Virginia hospital, just few weeks before his father’s death. Wilson gave him a shave, what he learnt as a teenager from him. His father died on June 9, 2010 due to complications from diabetes.
9. Once while driving him to a youth baseball game, his father passed out behind the wheel, due to dangerously high blood sugar level and Wilson, all of 13 years took control of the vehicle before arranging for medical attention.
10. As member of North Carolina State Wolfpack football team, Wilson was the first freshman quarterback in conference history to be named to the first-team All-ACC in 2008. He had to his credit completed 150 of 275 attempts for 1,955 yards and 17 touchdowns with just one interception.
11. As member of North Carolina State Wolfpack baseball team from 2008 to 2010, he played for the Gastonia Grizzlies, a collegiate summer baseball team in the Coastal Plain League.
12. After playing briefly as second base for Colorado’s Class A in Asheville, N.C., Wilson gave-up baseball and headed for Wisconsin to join Badgers football team for the 2011 season. He set a single season record of 33 touchdowns at Wisconsin and was named ‘Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year.’
13. Wilson was signed up by Seattle Seahawks in the third round of 2012 NFL Draft, as 75th overall pick and signed a four-year, $2.99 million contract. As a rookie he tied Peyton Manning’s records of 26 touchdowns and was ranked fourth in the NFL in passer rating with 100.0.
14. Wilson was voted to ‘2012 Steve Largent Award,’ as he exemplifies the spirit, dedication and integrity of the Seahawks. He serves as National Ambassador for the CR3 Diabetes Association and has partnered Verizon Wireless to encourage high school students against texting and driving. He won it again in 2018.
15. With 101.2 passer rating in 2013, he became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to post a 100+ passer rating in each of first two seasons. He had a regular season passer rating of 63.2 % for 3357 yards with 26 touchdowns.
16. Wilson earned his second Pro Bowl in 2013 and went on to win his first National Football Championship with Seattle Seahawks defeating Denver Broncos 43-8. At 5’11” he became the shortest and second black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
17. On July 31, 2015, he signed a contract extension for four years’ worth $87.6 million and opened the season with career high 32 completion on 41 attempts for 251 passing yards with one interception and touchdown in the game against St. Louis Rams.
18. He set many a milestone in the 2015 season with his 4024, the most passing yards with highest passer rating of 110.1. He also recorded the most passing touchdowns with 34.He became the first Seahawks quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season.
19. Wilson was named the ‘2016 Pro Bowl offensive Most Valuable Player,’ as Team Irvin beat Team Rice. He completed 8-12 passes for 164 yards along with three touchdowns.
20. In the 2016 season despite two minor injuries, Wilson started in all 16 games and recorded his career-high 4,219 passing yards. He had to his credit 64.7 % passer percentage with 21 passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdowns.
21. On November 26, 2017, by registering 7-4 win against San Francisco 49ers, Wilson became the winning quarterback in a player’s first six seasons with 63 wins, surpassing Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco.
22. Wilson finished the 2017 season as leader in passing touchdowns with 34, which also equaled his career high. He also led the team in rushing yards with 586 and was ranked 11th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
23. He finished the 2018 season setting a new franchise record, surpassing his own mark of 34 touchdowns, going one better. With a win against Arizona Cardinals on December 30, Wilson recorded his 75th win of his career, three more than any other quarterback in NFL history.
24. Wilson, replaced Aaron Rodgers, of Green Bay Packers, for the 2019 Pro Bowl. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to own a winning record in each of his seven seasons and joined Peyton Manning as the only player in NFL history to pass for 3,000 yards and 20-plus touchdowns in each of seven seasons.
25. On April 16, 2019, Wilson signed contract extension until 2023, worth $140 million, making him the highest paid player in the NFL. He had a rewarding 2019 season with 66.1 % completed ratings for 4110 yards and 31 touchdowns with 5 interceptions.
26. He has several endorsement deals with likes of Levis, American Family Insurance, Pepsi, Nike, Alaska Airlines, Microsoft, Duracell, Braun, Bose, United Way, and Good Man Brand.
27. Wilson founded the ‘Why Not You Foundation,’ in 2014, to empower the teens by providing them the resources to realize their educational and career goals. He has also donated to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
28. On July 6, 2016, he married Ciara Princess Harry, at the Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, England and they have a daughter, Sienna Princess Wilson. He is stepfather to Ciara’s son Future Zahir.
29. After making the rounds on talk shows like ‘Late Show with David Letterman,’ ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live,’ and ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers, Charlie Rose,’ he made a cameo appearance in the 2015 comedy film ‘Entourage.’
30. In 2014, Wilson became part-owner and endorser of ‘Eat the Ball,’ a European bread company and in August 2019, he joined the ownership group American profession soccer club, the ‘Seattle Sounders FC.’
31. Russell Wilson Net Worth: $115 Million