George William Wilson Jr. (May 29, 1943 – August 6, 2011) was an American 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 ...

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier had an enrollment of approximately 5,600 undergraduate an ...

and for the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

's (AFL) 1966 expansion team, 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 1965, Wilson was selected in the 20th round 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) draft 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 ...

, with the overall 277th pick. However, he eventually signed with the AFL's

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, who selected him as the 96th pick in the 12th round of the Red Shirt draft. In

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, Wilson was traded to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 13th round 1967 draft pick. At the time, the Dolphins' head coach was his father, George Wilson Sr. During his only season in Miami, George Wilson Jr. shared starting quarterback duties with

Rick Norton Richard Eugene Norton (November 16, 1943 – July 25, 2013) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback. He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats before playing with the American Football League (AFL)'s Miami ...

, John Stofa, and

Dick Wood Malcolm Richard Wood (February 29, 1936 – April 4, 2015) was an American football quarterback and coach who played college football at Auburn and professionally in the American Football League (AFL). After his player career ended, Wood served ...

. On October 16, 1966, Wilson led the Miami Dolphins to their first win, defeating the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

by a score of 24–7. He played all 14 games, starting in 7 of them. Wilson compiled a win–loss record of 2–5 when starting. Wilson's season stats included completing 41.1% of his passes – 46 out of 112 pass attempts – for a total of 764 yards. Although he threw five touchdown passes, Wilson was intercepted ten times. Additionally, Wilson rushed 137 yards on 27 attempts. He received an unimpressive

passer rating Passer rating (also known as passing efficiency in college football) is a measure of the performance of passers, primarily quarterbacks, in gridiron football. There are two formulas currently in use: one used by both the National Football Leagu ...

of 42.4. Prior to the 1967 season, Wilson, along with

Earl Faison Earl Faison (January 31, 1939 – June 12, 2016) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the American Football League (AFL) between 1960 and 1966. He spent most of his career with the San Diego Chargers. Career D ...

Cookie Gilchrist Carlton Chester "Cookie" Gilchrist (May 25, 1935 – January 10, 2011) was an American football fullback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was named the AFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) ...

, and Ernie Park, were traded to the Broncos in exchange for

Abner Haynes Abner Haynes (September 19, 1937 – July 18, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a halfback and return specialist in the American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the North Texas State Eagles and w ...

, Jerry Hopkins, Dan LaRose, and a draft pick. However, he was cut from the Broncos on July 15, 1967, after practicing for less than a week. Wilson became a free agent and signed with 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 ...

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 ...

on April 23, 1968, before being cut by the team in the following months. By August 1968, he joined the Pottstown Firebirds of the

Atlantic Coast Football League The Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) was a professional American football Minor league football (gridiron), minor league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with National Football Leagu ...

, a minor football league. However, Wilson quit the Firebirds on September 10, citing "personal reasons". Wilson died of

throat cancer Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips ( oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophar ...

in Weeki Wachee, Florida, on August 6, 2011.

References

External links

Miami Dolphins all-time roster
*
Xavier Magazine: Memoriam
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, George 1943 births 2011 deaths American football punters American football quarterbacks Miami Dolphins players Xavier Musketeers football players Players of American football from Oak Park, Illinois Players of American football from Detroit Players of American football from Michigan American Football League players

See also

References

External links