The first time I interviewed Russell Wilson I couldn’t believe that I was taller than him. Not by much, but enough that I doubted Russell Wilson would ever amount to anything once his college football career with the Wisconsin Badgers was over. Even when I covered my first Rose Bowl and I was first hand witness to Russell Wilson breaking the single season passer rating record in that game (a record set just a few days earlier by RG3) I still didn’t believe.
And look at Russell Wilson now leading his Seattle Seahawks into the NFC title game, and Robert Griffin III, the second pick in that draft, not a middle round pick like Wilson, is on the couch watching. Look for ESPN to hype up Russell Wilson even more than I am in this post.
#3 has silenced all the doubters, critics and skeptics. Including myself. His name is almost household, and will be by the end of the weekend for certain.
The one-hour NFL Featured: Russell Wilson special (Fri., Jan. 17, 76p.m. ESPN2) is a compilation of ESPN features and interviews on the Seahawks All-Pro quarterback. In addition to highlighting Wilson’s success on the field, the program offers a more personal, in-depth look at the man and the positive impact he’s had on Seahawks fans and others. SportsCenter anchor Kenny Mayne, a native of Kent, Wash., hosts while taking viewers on a video tour of Seattle. (Re-airs: Saturday, Jan. 18: 7 a.m. CST and Sunday: Jan. 19, 9 a.m.)
Stories that will be part of NFL Featured: Russell Wilson:
· Depth Chart – All Access as Russell Wilson battles for the Wisconsin quarterback job in 2011.
· Fights On – Russell Wilson recounts his father’s death, which occurred while Wilson was still at N.C. State
· Gruden QB Camp – MNF’s Jon Gruden meet with Russell Wilson before the 2012 NFL Draft
· Russell Wilson’s Hat – Wilson and his wife actually draft the Seahawks BEFORE they draft him
· Keith Price – Russell Wilson reaches out to the University of Washington quarterback to mentor him
· Pump Fakes – an analytic breakdown of one of Wilson’s strongest attributes
· Russell Wilson’s wallet – a young girl in need of a heart transplant makes a stylish wallet, made out of duct tape, for Wilson
· Face-to-Face – Hannah Storm spends some quality time away from the field with Russell Wilson and his wife, Ashton
· My Wish – Russell Wilson and the Seahawks entertain a young, ill Seahawks fan and his family
Wilson takes on the San Francisco 49ers for a trip to the Super Bowl at 5:30 PM CST.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the country; with regular weekly segments discussing: Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Bears and Bulls on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)