Luke Michael Willson
(born January 15, 1990) is a Canadian former professional
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 ...
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...
. He has played for the
Seattle Seahawks, the
Detroit Lions, the
Oakland Raiders, and the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
.
Willson played with the
Canadian Junior National baseball team in 2008. In 2011, he signed with the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
organization, but decided to return to football.
Early years
Willson attended
St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic Secondary School in
LaSalle, Ontario
LaSalle is a town in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. It is a bedroom community of the City of Windsor and part of the Windsor Census Metropolitan Area, and is located south of that city. LaSalle, along with Windsor, is the oldest French settleme ...
, near
Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
, and was all-conference three times in football.
He had 29 receptions for 638 receiving yards along with eight receiving touchdowns in his senior season.
Willson was selected as the school's athlete of the year in both his junior and senior seasons,
and graduated in 2008.
College career
Willson played as a tight end for
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...
each year from
2009 through
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
. His position coach at Rice was former
Detroit Lions tight end
David Sloan. After reporting late to camp in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
due to his baseball commitments in Canada, Willson
redshirted
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
as a true freshman.
Freshman season
Willson finished his redshirt freshman year with 7 receptions for 122 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
Sophomore season
He finished his sophomore season in
2010 with a total of 33 receptions, 425 receiving yards, and 3 receiving touchdowns.
Junior season
In
2011, he was selected to
Phil Steele
Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, pr ...
's midseason All-
Conference USA team as tight end.
He was selected to the Consensus first-team preseason All C-USA and also was selected to the first-team of Dave Campbell's Texas Football All-Texas College preseason team before his junior season.
He finished his junior season with 29 receptions, 313 receiving yards, and 3 receiving touchdowns.
Willson was selected by the
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
in the
2012 CFL Draft
The 2012 CFL Draft took place on Thursday, May 3, 2012 at 3:00 PM ET on TSN. 45 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. The Calgary Stamped ...
, but did not sign.
Senior season
Willson finished his senior season in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
with a total of nine receptions for 126 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns,
which earned him a spot in the
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game for NFL draft-eligible college players, held annually in January. The event was founded in 2012 by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Players predom ...
.
Professional career
Seattle Seahawks
He was selected by the
Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall ...
out of
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...
. Willson played in every game for Seattle in
2013
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and scored his first touchdown against 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 ...
. At the end of the regular season, Willson was graded as the second most valuable rookie tight end by
Football Outsiders, despite being the eighth tight end selected in the 2013 Draft.
Willson's rookie season was capped with a blowout win in
Super Bowl XLVIII
Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...
; he caught two passes for 17 yards in the Seahawks' 43–8 victory over the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
.
Willson's second season in
2014
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saw an increased role when starting tight end
Zach Miller Zach Miller may refer to:
* Zach Miller (tight end, born 1984), NFL tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chicago Bears
*Zach Miller (tight end, born 1985)
Zachary Joseph Miller (born December 11, 1985) is a former ...
was injured after a Week 4 Super Bowl rematch against
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, eventually ending up on injured reserve. Willson caught a game-winning 23 yard touchdown pass with less than a minute left in week 8 against the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
. He later starred in a week 16 game against the
Arizona Cardinals, catching three passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Willson ended the season with 22 catches for 362 yards and three touchdowns.
In that season's
playoffs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...
, Willson caught four passes for 68 yards and a touchdown in a divisional round game against the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
. A week later, he caught a key two-point conversion in the
NFC Championship Game against the
Green Bay Packers, as the Seahawks rallied to defeat the Packers 28–22 to reached consecutive Super Bowls. In
Super Bowl XLIX
Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...
, Willson had no catches as the Seahawks failed to repeat as champions, defeated by the
New England Patriots, who rallied in the fourth quarter behind quarterback
On March 17,
2017
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, Willson re-signed with the Seahawks.
Detroit Lions
After five years in Seattle, Willson signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the
Detroit Lions on March 21, 2018.
Oakland Raiders
On March 29,
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, Willson was signed by the
Oakland Raiders, but was released during final roster cuts on August 30.
Seattle Seahawks (second stint)
On September 25,
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, Willson was signed by the Seattle Seahawks after they traded tight end
Nick Vannett to the
Pittsburgh Steelers.
Willson re-signed with the Seahawks on April 21,
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
, and was released on November 3.
Baltimore Ravens
On November 17, 2020, Willson was signed to the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
' practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on November 21 for the team's week 11 game against the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He was elevated to the active roster on December 2 for the team's week 12 game against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He was promoted to the active roster on December 4, and waived on December 19.
Seattle Seahawks (third stint)
On December 30, 2020, Willson signed with the practice squad of the
Seattle Seahawks. He was promoted to the active roster on January 6, 2021.
Willson re-signed with the Seahawks on August 24, 2021. He announced his retirement the next day, citing a heart-related condition.
Personal life
Willson has attributed his success in life to being a part of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
Willson had a Tuesday guest spot with
BJ & Migs Mornings on 99.9
KISW
KISW (99.9 FM) – branded 99.9 KISW, The Rock of Seattle – is a commercial mainstream rock radio station licensed to Seattle, Washington. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves the Seattle metropolitan area; live shows include ''The Me ...
"The Rock of Seattle" radio station titled "The End Zone with Luke Willson."
References
External links
Seattle Seahawks bioRice Owls bio*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willson, Luke
1990 births
Living people
American football tight ends
Baltimore Ravens players
Baseball people from Ontario
Canadian baseball players
Canadian players of American football
Canadian Roman Catholics
Detroit Lions players
Gridiron football people from Ontario
Oakland Raiders players
People from Essex County, Ontario
Rice Owls baseball players
Rice Owls football players
Seattle Seahawks players