Eric Wilson (born January 30, 1978) 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. He 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 ...

as a

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

from 1997 to 2000. He played professional football 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 ...

, principally as a

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

, for 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 ...

from 2002 to 2003 and 2006 and the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

from 2007 to 2011. He won two

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

championships with the Alouettes.

Early life

Wilson was born in 1978, grew up in

Monroe, Michigan Monroe is the largest city in Monroe County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 20,462 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomously. M ...

, and attended Monroe High School. He graduated in 1996.

University of Michigan

Wilson enrolled at the

in 1996 and played

for the

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the List of NCAA football teams by wins, most all-time wins in college football ...

teams from 1997 to 2000. After redshirting in 1996, Wilson appeared in eight games,(to retrieve Wilson's statistics, enter "wilson" in the box for the player's last name and "eric" in the box for player's first name) none as a starter, for the undefeated

1997 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1997 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1997 Big Ten Conference football season. In its third year under head coach Lloyd Carr, Michigan compiled a perfect 12–0 record, won the Big Ten Conferenc ...

that finished the season ranked #1 in the final AP Poll. He started two games at defensive tackle in 1998 and seven in 1999. As a senior, he was a co-captain of the 2000 Michigan team and started five games at

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

. In four years at Michigan, Wilson recorded 78 tackles, two

pass breakup In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...

s, and three

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

recoveries.

Professional football

In April 2001, Wilson was signed by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

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 2001. In 2002, Wilson signed with the

of the

(CFL). He played for the Blue Bombers as a

from 2002 to 2003, spent two years with the

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

in 2004 and 2005, and returned to Winnipeg in 2006. In 2007, Wilson was signed as a free agent by the

. He played five seasons for the Alouettes, playing on both offense and defense, from 2007 to 2011 and helped the team win consecutive

championships in 2009 and 2010. He announced his retirement from football in May 2012.

Family and later years

Wilson is married, and he and his wife Janessa have a daughter, Kayliana, and a son, Ty. He lives in New York State.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Eric 1978 births Living people American football defensive tackles American football defensive ends American football offensive guards Players of Canadian football from Michigan Canadian football defensive linemen Canadian football offensive linemen Michigan Wolverines football players Detroit Lions players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Miami Dolphins players Hamburg Sea Devils players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Montreal Alouettes players Sportspeople from Monroe, Michigan Sportspeople from Michigan Players of American football from Michigan American expatriate sportspeople in Germany Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Germany American expatriate players of American football