Percival James "Perce" Wilson (February 22, 1890 – September 20, 1936), sometimes shown as Percy Wilson, was an

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 with ...

player. He was the

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

for the 1920 Detroit Heralds during the first regular season 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 ...

(then known as the American Professional Football Association). He was one of the first Canadian-born players and the first Canadian-born quarterback, to play in the NFL.

Early years

Wilson was born in 1890 in Lifford, Ontario, Canada.Draft registration card dated June 5, 1917, for Percy James Wilson, born February 22, 1890, at Lifford, Ontario, Canada, employed in the milk & creamery business. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918 atabase on-line His father, James Wilson, was born in Canada to Irish immigrants. His mother, Anna, was also born in Canada.1900 U.S. Census entry for James Wilson, born June 1859 in Canada. Son Percival J. Wilson born February 1890 in Canada. Son Ernest A. Wilson born Feb. 1887 in Canada. Census Place: Detroit Ward 10, Wayne, Michigan; Roll: 751; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 0106; FHL microfilm: 1240751. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census atabase on-line Wilson moved to Detroit as a young boy and attended Detroit's

Western High School Western High School may refer: Schools in the United States *Western High School (Anaheim, California) – Anaheim, California * Western High School (Illinois) – Barry, Illinois * Western High School (Florida) – Davie, Florida * Western High S ...

. By 1917, Wilson had become a naturalized United States citizen and was employed in the milk and creamery business in Detroit.

Professional football

In 1920, he played for the

Detroit Heralds Detroit had four early teams in the National Football League before the Detroit Lions. The Heralds played in 1920, and had played as an independent as far back as 1905. The Tigers, a continuation of the Heralds, played in 1921, folding midseason ...

during the first regular season of the

(then known as the

American Professional Football Association 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 maj ...

). The Heralds opened their season with a game against the

Cleveland Panthers The Cleveland Panthers were a professional American football team. They were an independent team founded in 1919 from the remains of the Youngstown Patricians. The Panthers played, with various degrees of success, continuously from 1919 and event ...

, played at

Navin Field Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of Michigan and Trumbul ...

on October 10, 1920. The Heralds won by a 40–14 score, and Wilson, the Heralds' starting quarterback, scored the team's fifth touchdown. Two weeks later, Wilson appeared in the Heralds' game against the Columbus Panhandles as a substitute at the quarterback position. On November 28, 1920, he played at the left halfback position for the Heralds. Wilson was one of the first Canadian-born players, and the first Canadian-born quarterback, to play in the NFL. The other three Canadian-born players to play in the NFL during its inaugural 1920 season were

Buck MacDonald George Glover "Buck" MacDonald (June 5, 1894 – March 1, 1985) was an American football guard in the National Football League for the Canton Bulldogs, New York Brickley Giants and the Tonawanda Kardex. He attended Lehigh University. Buck was ...

, a guard,

Tommy Hughitt Tommy Hughitt (born Ernest Fredrick Hughitt; December 27, 1892 – December 27, 1961) was a Canadian-American National Football League utility player, coach, referee and politician. He was also an All-American quarterback for the University ...

, a halfback, and Jim Bryant, a halfback.

Later years

Wilson and his brother, Ernie Wilson, also played basketball for the Detroit Rayls, a team that existed in the late 1910s and early 1920s. Wilson died in 1936 at age 46.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Perce 1890 births 1936 deaths American football quarterbacks Detroit Heralds players Players of American football from Detroit Sportspeople from Kawartha Lakes Sportspeople from Ontario Western International High School alumni Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian players of American football