Eric Wilbur (born December 12, 1984) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a punter for two seasons in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). Wilbur played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

. He was signed by the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2007, and has also played for the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

and the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the CFL.

Early life

Wilbur was born in

Winter Park, Florida Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 29,795 according to the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Orlando, Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Park was foun ...

. He attended

Trinity Preparatory School Trinity Preparatory School is an independent college preparatory day-school for students in grades 6 to 12, in Winter Park, a suburb of Orlando, Florida in the United States. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church and is accredited by th ...

in Winter Park, and played high school football for the Trinity Prep Saints. At Trinity, he played receiver, defensive back, returner, and kicker. He was selected as the number one kicker in the state of Florida and was ranked as the number seven prospect by SuperPrep. Following his senior season, he was chosen as first-team all-state kicker and was picked to play in the U. S. Army All-American Bowl.

College career

Wilbur accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach

Ron Zook Ronald Andrew Zook (; born April 28, 1954) is an American football coach who is a special teams quality control coach at the University of Maryland. He was the head football coach at the University of Florida from 2002 to 2004 and the Universit ...

and coach

Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is an American Sports commentator, sportscaster and former college football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green F ...

's Gators teams from

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

.
2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 89, 97, 98, 99, 152–153, 186 (2011). Retrieved September 1, 2011. As a freshman, he ranked second in the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) with 44.8 yards per punt which was the second highest in Florida's school history. He led all true freshman nationally and ranked eighth in the nation with his punt yardage average. Wilbur also tied the Florida record for most punts in a season. Against the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

, he kicked a 75-yard punt, which was a career high for him and was the fourth longest punt in school history. He was named a Freshman All-American by Rivals.com and a member of the ''Sporting News'' All-Freshman Team. During his sophomore season, Wilbur was an honorable mention All-SEC selection. He was also named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and was named co-outstanding special teams player at the end of the year. Wilbur ranked sixth nationally with an average of 41.4 yards per punt as a junior and his 56 punts were third behind Blake McAdams who had 69 for

Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

and

Britton Colquitt Britton Douglas Colquitt (born March 20, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football Punter (gridiron football), punter in the National Football League (NFL). He was originally signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafte ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

with 59. He collected 2,459 punt yards which was the highest in the SEC. His longest punt of the year was a 63-yarder against

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

in the

Outback Bowl The ReliaQuest Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Tampa, Florida. The event was known as the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and the Outback Bowl from 1996 to 2022. It was held at Tampa Stadium from 1986 until 1999, when it ...

. For the first time in his career, Wilbur handled the kickoffs against

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

. During his senior year, Wilbur was named a semifinalist for the

Ray Guy Award The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding punter as adjudged by the Augusta Sports Council. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, an All-American for Southern Mississippi and an All-Pro in the National Fo ...

Professional career

National Football League

Wilbur went

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in the

2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...

and was signed by the

on May 1, 2007. He was released on August 8. Wilbur was signed by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

on August 8, 2007. The Florida punter worked out for Jacksonville on a Tuesday, signed a contract, and was let go before the team even took the field for practice on Wednesday. Wilbur was signed by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

on April 15, 2009. He was waived on June 10, 2009.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Wilbur was signed by the

on August 4, 2010.

Omaha Nighthawks

Wilbur was signed by the

Omaha Nighthawks The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League (2009–2012), United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010 UFL season, 2010. During ...

of the United Football League on July 11, 2011.

Edmonton Eskimos

On February 1, 2012, Wilbur was signed by the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

After Edmonton had signed non-import free agent punter Burke Dales, the club traded Wilbur to the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

for a conditional sixth round pick in the 2013 CFL Draft on February 23, 2012. On June 21, 2012, Wilbur was released by the Blue Bombers.

Toronto Argonauts

On September 6, 2012, Wilbur was signed by the

as a replacement for injured starting kicker

Swayze Waters Swayze Waters (born May 18, 1987) is a former gridiron football placekicker and punter. He was most recently a member of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed by the Detroit Lions of the National Football Le ...

. After appearing in one game, Wilbur was released by the Argonauts on September 11, 2012.

Personal

Wibur is married to the former Ali Peek, a sports reporter and University of Florida alumna. When he was signed by the Toronto Argonauts in 2012, Wilbur was then working as a bar manager at the Jesse Black Saloon in

Casselberry, Florida Casselberry is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Greater Orlando, Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 28,794 at the 2020 census. Geography The approximate coor ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilbur, Eric 1984 births Living people American football punters Edmonton Elks players Florida Gators football players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Jacksonville Jaguars players New York Jets players Omaha Nighthawks players Players of American football from Winter Park, Florida Toronto Argonauts players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Trinity Preparatory School alumni Players of Canadian football from Florida