 Wilcox with the San Francisco 49ers | |||||||||||||
| No. 64 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | (1942-09-29)September 29, 1942 Ontario, Oregon, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died: | April 19, 2023(2023-04-19) (aged 80) | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 241 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Vale (Vale, Oregon) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Boise (1960–1961) Oregon (1962–1963) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1964: 3rd round, 29th pick | ||||||||||||
| AFL draft: | 1964: 6th round, 46th pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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David Wilcox (September 29, 1942 – April 19, 2023), nicknamed "the Intimidator", was an American professionalfootballlinebacker who played with theSan Francisco 49ers of theNational Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1974. Named to play in sevenPro Bowls and anAll-Pro five times, Wilcox playedcollege football atBoise Junior College and theUniversity of Oregon. Selected by the 49ers in the third round of the1964 NFL draft, he was also taken by theHouston Oilers in the sixth round of the1964 AFL draft, but opted for the NFL. Wilcox was elected to thePro Football Hall of Fame in2000.[1][2][3]
After graduating fromVale High School in eastern Oregon in 1960, Wilcox began hiscollege football career at Boise Junior College (nowBoise State University) and earned junior collegeAll-America honors.[4] After two years inBoise under head coachLyle Smith, he transferred to theUniversity of Oregon inEugene in1962 for his final two campaigns under head coachLen Casanova.[5] His older brotherJohn Wilcox was on the1957 Ducks team which played in theRose Bowl,[4] and was selected in the1960 NFL draft by thePhiladelphia Eagles (15th round).[6]
Wilcox was a guard on offense and an end on defense, and teammates at Oregon includedMel Renfro and quarterbackBob Berry.[7] After his senior season in1963, Wilcox played in theHula Bowl, Coaches’ All-America Bowl, and theCollege All-Star Game the following August. He became the first defensive lineman in Hula Bowl history to earn outstanding lineman honors. Both theHouston Oilers of the youngAmerican Football League and theSan Francisco 49ers of the NFL sought to sign the Oregon star. The Oilers selected him in the sixth round (46th player overall) of the1964 AFL draft;[8] the 49ers tapped him in the third round (29th overall) ofthe NFL draft, held two days later.[7][9]
The 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m), 241-pound (109 kg)[dubious –discuss] Wilcox opted to sign with the more established[citation needed] 49ers where he went on to star for 11 seasons. Converted to outsidelinebacker,[citation needed] Wilcox quickly established himself as one of the league's finest. Nicknamed "the Intimidator," he was ideally suited for the position, both mentally and physically.[original research?] Known for his ability to disrupt plays, he was particularly tough on tight ends.[citation needed] He did not let anybody easily off theline of scrimmage whether to block or get into a pass route. Always prepared, Wilcox was a true student of the game and worked to be fundamentally correct.[10]
During the 1964–1974 span, the 49ers had a winning record in four seasons[dubious –discuss] (1965,1970,1971,1972), and made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons (1970, 1971, 1972) under head coachDick Nolan.[11] In 1970, San Francisco won theNFC West division title with a win-lost-tie record of10–3–1. In a divisional game of the1970 NFL Playoffs, San Francisco defeated theMinnesota Vikings17–14, holding them to 124 net passing yards and 117 yards rushing.[12] However, they lost the NFC championship game to theDallas Cowboys.[13]
In 1971, the 49ers had a particularly good year on defense,[original research?] allowing only 216 points (15.4 points/game),[citation needed] 6th least in the NFL,[citation needed] and won the NFC West with a record of 9–5. They won their divisional game of the1971 NFL Playoffs over theWashington Redskins,[14] allowing only 99 yards rushing and 93 net passing yards, but again lost the NFC championship game toDallas.[15] In 1972, San Francisco won the NFC West for the third straight year with a record of 8–5–1, allowing on defense 249 points (17.8 points/game), 9th in the league.[citation needed] But they lost their divisional game of the1972 NFL Playoffs toDallas, thus eliminated by the Cowboys three consecutive years. In those three years, Wilcox at left side linebacker formed a strong tandem with middle linebackerFrank Nunley and right linebackerSkip Vanderbundt.[citation needed]
Wilcox thrived on action and wanted it all directed his way. "What I do best," Wilcox once stated, "is not let people block me. I just hate to be blocked." Hall of Fame linebackerJoe Schmidt was impressed by his strength. "He gave us fits," he remarked. "The lead block had to really come out hard to take him out because he was so strong." Aided by his speed and long reach, he was also effective in pass coverage and managed to intercept 14 passes during his career.[failed verification][9]
After each season, San Francisco would rate their players based on their performance. The typical score for a linebacker was 750. Wilcox's score in 1973 was 1,306.[failed verification] That season the veteran linebacker recorded 104 solo tackles, four forced fumbles, and tackled opposing ball carriers for a loss 13 times.[10]
Wilcox was durable[original research?] and missed only one game during his career due to injury. Four times he was named All-NFL (1967, 1971, 1972, 1973) by theAP and two times All-NFC (1971, 1972).[discuss] He was also selected to play in seven Pro Bowls.[9]
Born in theeastern Oregon city ofOntario, Wilcox had six sisters and a brother,John. Dave Wilcox playedhigh school football at nearbyVale Union High School.[16] He lived inJunction City,[17] near Eugene; his sonsJustin andJosh also played football for theOregon Ducks in Eugene.[16][18] Justin Wilcox serves as the head coach for theCalifornia Golden Bears, a formerPac-12 Conference foe of Oregon.[19]
Wilcox died on April 19, 2023, at the age of 80, shortly after having undergone heart surgery.[20]