 Wilson (80) with thePittsburgh Steelers in 2006 | |||||||||||||
| No. 84, 80 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1978-12-17)December 17, 1978 (age 46) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 183 lb (83 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Melrose (Memphis) | ||||||||||||
| College | Tennessee (1997–2000) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2001: 6th round, 169th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Cedrick Wilson Sr. (born December 17, 1978) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theTennessee Volunteers and was selected by theSan Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the2001 NFL draft. He was picked up by thePittsburgh Steelers in 2005. Wilson earned aSuper Bowl ring with the Steelers inSuper Bowl XL. With that achievement, he became one of very few football players to earn a championship ring at all three levels of football – high school, college, and professional. His sonCedrick Wilson Jr. has played in the NFL for theDallas Cowboys,Miami Dolphins, andNew Orleans Saints
Wilson playedhigh school football atMelrose High School,[1] in Memphis, where he earned a state championship in 1996 as the starting quarterback topping off a 15–0 record. In high school, he was teammates withKindal Moorehead, who made it to the NFL and played for theCarolina Panthers and theAtlanta Falcons.[2] He was teammates withAndre Lott in high school and in college.[3][4][5][6]
Wilson playedcollege football at theUniversity of Tennessee under head coachPhillip Fulmer.[7] Wilson played with theVolunteers from 1997 to 2000.[8] At the University of Tennessee, he converted to the wide receiver position from quarterback. He earned a national championship in the1999 Fiesta Bowl defeatingFlorida State by a score of 23–16, topping off an undefeated season, 13–0.[9][10][11]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft9+3⁄4 in (1.77 m) | 179 lb (81 kg) | 29 in (0.74 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 4.48 s | 1.56 s | 2.62 s | 38.0 in (0.97 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | ||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[12][13] | ||||||||||||
Wilson was selected in the sixth round with the 169th overall pick of the2001 NFL draft by theSan Francisco 49ers.[14]
As a rookie, Wilson appeared in six games and only contributed on special teams, primarily as a kickoff returner.[15]
In his second season in 2002, Wilson became a part of the receiving game for the 49ers. In Week 6, against theSeattle Seahawks, he had his first two receptions for 18 yards.[16] He had his first professional touchdown in Week 9 against theOakland Raiders.[17] He finished with 15 receptions for 166 receiving yards and one touchdown.[18]
In Week 9 of the 2003 season, Wilson had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the game against theSt. Louis Rams in a 30–10 victory.[19] He won NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his game against the Rams.[20] In the 2003 season, Wilson had 35 receptions for 396 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns while contributing as a kickoff returner.[21]
Wilson posted career highs in receptions (47), receiving yards (641), and receivingtouchdowns (3) for theSan Francisco 49ers in2004.[22]
On March 8, 2005, Wilson signed with thePittsburgh Steelers and had considerably less success in the2005 regular season.[23]
Wilson's breakout for the Steelers came during the2005 NFL playoffs. Having caught only 26 passes for 461 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season,[24] Wilson became a reliable option for the Steelers on their path toSuper Bowl XL. In theWild Card Round against theCincinnati Bengals, he had three receptions for 104 yards.[25] In theAFC Championship against theDenver Broncos, he had five receptions for 92 yards.[26] In Super Bowl XL against theSeattle Seahawks, Wilson had one reception for 20 yards on three targets.[27]
In the 2006 season, Wilson appeared in 15 games and started 12. He finished with 37 receptions for 504 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.[28] In the 2007 season, Wilson finished with 18 receptions for 207 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in 16 games and one start.[29]
Wilson was charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend at a Pittsburgh restaurant on March 19, 2008. According to the complaint, Wilson allegedly entered the restaurant and, upon seeing his ex-girlfriend, approached her, pushed her and punched her in the face. Wilson was to be arraigned on charges ofsimple assault,harassment, anddisorderly conduct.[30]
On March 20, 2008, the Steelers released Wilson just hours after the incident.[31] The next day, Wilson's ex-girlfriend said Wilson only pushed her, not punched. She added, "It was misconstrued apparently by the people around us."[32]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2001 | SFO | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | SFO | 16 | 0 | 22 | 15 | 166 | 11.1 | 22 | 1 |
| 2003 | SFO | 16 | 4 | 63 | 35 | 396 | 11.3 | 29 | 2 |
| 2004 | SFO | 15 | 15 | 85 | 47 | 641 | 13.6 | 39 | 3 |
| 2005 | PIT | 16 | 1 | 53 | 26 | 451 | 17.3 | 46 | 0 |
| 2006 | PIT | 15 | 12 | 69 | 37 | 504 | 13.6 | 38 | 1 |
| 2007 | PIT | 16 | 1 | 30 | 18 | 207 | 11.5 | 18 | 1 |
| Career | 100 | 33 | 322 | 178 | 2,365 | 13.3 | 46 | 8 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2002 | SFO | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 40 | 20.0 | 22 | 0 |
| 2005 | PIT | 4 | 0 | 12 | 9 | 216 | 24.0 | 54 | 2 |
| 2007 | PIT | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 10 | 0 |
| Career | 7 | 0 | 15 | 12 | 266 | 22.2 | 54 | 2 | |
In 2008, Wilson began serving asoffensive coordinator atDouglass High School inMemphis, Tennessee. Dee Montgomery, Wilson's former coach at Melrose High School, is also on the staff.[33]
Wilson's son,Cedrick Wilson Jr., is currently a wide receiver for theNew Orleans Saints of theNational Football League.[34]
Wilson later moved toWhite Station High School in Memphis as a volunteer coach, and became a substitutephysical education teacher in theMemphis City Schools system. However, in October 2012, Wilson was indicted on federal charges of fraud for hiring two people to take his teacher certification exams in his place. This was part of a massive scam orchestrated by longtime Memphis educator Clarence Mumford in which dozens of teachers in Tennessee,Mississippi, andArkansas paid Mumford as much as $3,000 to hire people to take teacher certification exams for them.[35][36] Wilson was named the head football coach at Melrose, his old high school.[37] Wilson was not retained as the head coach following the 2021 season.[38]