David Wilcox (born September 29, 1942) is a retired professional
football player, a
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
with the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
from
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
through
1974. Wilcox was selected to play for seven
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
s and was named All-NFL five times during his career. He was elected to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
College career
Boise Junior College & Oregon
After graduating from
Vale High School
Vale High School is a public high school in Vale, Oregon, United States. It is a part of Vale School District 84.
The Vale School District takes students from Vale and Brogan, as well as the unincorporated community of Willowcreek. Address "2300 ...
in eastern Oregon in 1960, Wilcox began his
college football career at Boise Junior College (now
Boise State University
Boise State University (BSU) is a Public university, public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding ...
) and earned junior college
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
honors.
After two years in
Boise
Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area' ...
under head coach
Lyle Smith
Lyle Hilton Smith (March 17, 1916 – July 26, 2017) was an American football and basketball player, coach, and college athletics administrator.
He served as the head football coach at Boise Junior College—now Boise State University&mdas ...
, he transferred to the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
in
Eugene in
1962
Events January
* January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand.
* January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism.
* January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...
for his final two campaigns under head coach
Len Casanova
Leonard Joseph Casanova (June 12, 1905 – September 30, 2002) was an American football and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Santa Clara University (1946–1949), the University ...
;
His older brother Johnny Wilcox had played for the Ducks on the
1957
1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...
team that went to the
Rose Bowl,
[ and was selected in the ]1960 NFL Draft
The 1960 National Football League Draft in which NFL teams take turns selecting amateur college American football players and other first-time eligible players, was held at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia on November 30, 1959. Many players, in ...
by the Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
( 15th round).
Wilcox was a guard on offense and an end on defense, and teammates at Oregon included Mel Renfro and quarterback Bob Berry. After his senior season in 1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...
, Wilcox played in the Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game held annually, usually in January. From inception through the 2021 playing, it was held in Hawaii; since the 2022 edition, it has been played in Orlando, Florida.
The game was first st ...
, Coaches’ All-America Bowl, and the College All-Star Game the following August. He became the first defensive lineman in Hula Bowl history to earn outstanding lineman honors. Both the Houston Oilers
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...
of the young American Football League and the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
of the NFL sought to sign the Oregon star. The Oilers selected him in the sixth round (46th player overall) of the AFL draft
The Australian Football League draft is the annual draft of unsigned players, especially new nominations, by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League (AFL).
History
W ...
, while the 49ers tapped him in the third round (29th overall) of the NFL draft
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
, held two days later.
Professional career
San Francisco 49ers
The , Wilcox opted to sign with the more established 49ers where he went on to star for 11 seasons. Converted to outside linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
, 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. Known for his ability to disrupt plays, he was particularly tough on tight ends. He did not let anybody easily off the line 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.
During the 1964–1974 span, the 49ers had a winning record in four seasons ( 1965, 1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...
, 1971, 1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...
), and made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons (1970, 1971, 1972) under head coach Dick Nolan Rick Nolan is a Minnesota politician.
Richard Nolan may also refer to
*Dick Nolan (American football) (1932–2007), American football player, father of Mike Nolan, former head coach of San Francisco 49ers
*Dick Nolan (musician) (1939–2005), Cana ...
. In 1970, San Francisco won the NFC West
The National Football Conference - Western Division or NFC West is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Ang ...
division title with a win-lost-tie record of In a divisional game of the 1970 NFL Playoffs, San Francisco defeated the Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
holding them to 124 net passing yards and 117 yards rushing. However, they lost the NFC championship game to the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
.
In 1971, the 49ers had a particularly good year on defense, allowing only 216 points (15.4 points/game), 6th least in the NFL, and won the NFC West with a record of 9-5. They won their divisional game of the 1971 NFL Playoffs over the Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
, allowing only 99 yards rushing and 93 net passing yards, but again lost the NFC championship game to Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
. 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. But they lost their divisional game of the 1972 NFL Playoffs to Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, thus eliminated by the Cowboys three consecutive years. In those three years, Wilcox at left side linebacker formed a strong tandem with middle linebacker Frank Nunley and right linebacker Skip Vanderbundt
William "Skip" Gerard Vanderbundt (born December 4, 1946) is a former American football linebacker in the NFL from 1969-1978.
He played college football at Oregon State University and was selected in the 3rd round (69th overall) by the San F ...
.
He 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 linebacker Joe 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.
Following 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. That season the veteran linebacker recorded 104 solo tackles, four forced fumbles, and tackled opposing ball carriers for a loss 13 times. Durable, Wilcox missed only one game during his career due to injury. Four times he was named All-NFL (1967, 1971, 1972, 1973) by the AP and two times All-NFC (1971, 1972). He was also selected to play in seven Pro Bowls.
Personal
Born in the eastern
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
*Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
*Eastern Air Li ...
Oregon city of Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Wilcox had six sisters and one brother. Wilcox played high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
at nearby Vale Union High School.[ He lives in Junction City,] near Eugene, where his sons Justin
Justin may refer to: People
* Justin (name), including a list of persons with the given name Justin
* Justin (historian), a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire
* Justin I (c. 450–527), or ''Flavius Iustinius Augustus'', Eastern Rom ...
and Josh
Josh is a masculine given name, frequently a diminutive (hypocorism) of the given names Joshua or Joseph, though since the 1970s, it has increasingly become a full name on its own. It may refer to:
People A–J
* "Josh", an early pseudonym of S ...
also played football for the Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. ...
. Justin Wilcox currently serves as the head coach for the California Golden Bears, a Pac-12 Conference foe of Oregon.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilcox, Dave
1942 births
Living people
American football linebackers
Oregon Ducks football players
San Francisco 49ers players
National Conference Pro Bowl players
Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
Western Conference Pro Bowl players
People from Junction City, Oregon
People from Ontario, Oregon
Players of American football from Oregon