David Emmanuel Wilson (born June 15, 1991) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

who played for the New York Giants 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 ...

(NFL). Wilson played college football for

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

. He was selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, 32nd overall. He was forced to retire after only two NFL seasons because of a career-ending neck injury. He is currently pursuing a career in music.

Early years

Wilson attended George Washington High School in

Danville, Virginia Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River. It was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity ...

. As a senior, he set a school record with 2,291 rushing yards and 35

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

. He was first-team all-district, all-metro, and all-region selection and the Gatorade Player of the Year for Virginia. In 2009, he played for

USA Football USA Football is the national governing body for amateur American football in the United States. It is an independent non-profit based in Indianapolis, Indiana. USA Football designs and delivers premier educational, developmental and competitive p ...

's U.S. Under-19 National Team that won the 2009

IFAF The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is the international governing body of gridiron associations. The IFAF oversees the IFAF World Championship of American Football, which is held every four years. The IFAF became a pro ...

Under-19 World Championship in Canton, Ohio and was named the tournament's MVP, rushing for 427 yards and eight touchdowns in three games.

College career

Wilson attended

, where he played for coach

Frank Beamer Franklin Mitchell Beamer (born October 18, 1946) is a retired American college football coach, most notably for the Virginia Tech Hokies, and former college football player. He is the father of current South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shan ...

Virginia Tech Hokies football The Virginia Tech Hokies football team represents Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the sport of American football. The Hokies compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

team from 2009 to 2011. As a freshman in 2009, he played in all 13 games and had 334 rushing yards on 59 carries with four touchdowns. In 2010, he had 619 yards on 113 carries and five touchdowns. He also had 234 yards on 15

reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another ...

s with four touchdowns. In 2011 Wilson took over as the Hokies starting running back after Ryan Williams and

Darren Evans Darren Evans (born November 9, 1988) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Virginia Tech. Early years Evans attended Warren Centr ...

went on to the NFL. He had a breakout year, finishing the season with a school record 1,709 rushing yards on 290 carries, and was named the 2011 ACC Offensive Player of the Year. Wilson also holds the Hokie records for most 100+ performances (10 in 2011) and career yards-per-carry (5.76).

Professional career

Wilson impressed the scouts at the combine, showing his athletic promise, and was widely considered a top 5 running back behind

Trent Richardson Trenton Jamond Richardson (born July 10, 1990) is an American football running back for the Caudillos de Chihuahua of Fútbol Americano de México. He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American, an ...

. He was the top performer in the vertical and broad jumps as well as the shuttle run. Wilson ended up being the 1st round pick (32nd overall) of the New York Giants.

2012

On May 11, 2012, Wilson signed a four-year contract with the New York Giants worth $6.68 million that included a club option for a fifth-year and a $3.3 million signing bonus. In the season opener against 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 ...

, Wilson lost a fumble on his second career carry and did not receive another carry for the rest of the game. On October 7, 2012, Wilson rushed for a 40-yard touchdown during the week 5 match versus the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

on his first carry of the game. On December 9, 2012, Wilson set the New York Giants team record for all-purpose yards in a single game when he accumulated 327 all-purpose yards in a 52-27 win over the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. Wilson returned four kickoffs for 227 yards (including a 97-yard return for a touchdown) and also ran for 100 yards with two touchdowns on just 13 carries. His kick-off return touchdown was of 97 yards, and his two touchdown runs were of 6 and 52 yards. He became the first player in NFL history with 200 kick return yards and 100 rushing yards, and the second player since 1970 with a kick return touchdown and two rushing touchdowns, in the same game.

2013

In 2013, Wilson was placed on season-ending injured reserve after he suffered what doctors called

spinal stenosis Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal or neural foramen that results in pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. Symptoms may include pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms or legs. Symptoms are typically gradual i ...

in Week 5 against 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 ...

. Doctors had told Wilson that he faced an increased risk of a neck injury if he ever played again. Wilson underwent neck surgery on January 16, 2014. On August 4, 2014, he was ruled out for the year due to his neck again. He was advised not to play football again because of recurring neck injuries and announced his retirement from the NFL on August 6, 2014.

Career statistics

Track and field

Wilson was also a sprinter and jumper for the George Washington High School's track team. He won the national championship in the triple jump at the 2009 Nike Indoor Meet. He also competed in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contes ...

, he tied for 1st place at the 2009 WV District Championships, with a career-best time of 10.84 seconds. As a member of the

Virginia Tech Hokies The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representing the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in intercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 22 v ...

track and field team, he placed third at the 2010 VT Indoor Challenge in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...

, with a career-best leap of 7.23 meters. He earned first place triple jump finishes at the Miami Invitational (15.18m) and Liberty Twilight (15.16m). He also competed in the

60-meter dash 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior at ...

, recording a career-best time of 6.86 seconds at the VT Elite Meet. In 2011, he earned his first career All-America honor, after placing sixth in the

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

at the NCAA Championships, with a personal-best leap of 16.20 meters. After ending his NFL career due to a neck injury, Wilson announced that he's planning a return to track and field as a

triple jumper The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

. Wilson failed to reach the final at the 2015 Adidas Grand Prix and finished ninth after posting his best jump of 14.66 meters. Wilson recorded a jump of 14.34 in his first attempt.

References

External links

Virginia Tech Hokies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, David 1991 births Living people Sportspeople from Danville, Virginia American football running backs Virginia Tech Hokies football players New York Giants players Players of American football from Virginia