Post by Sonny Werblin on Jan 25, 2015 10:29:47 GMT -5
To understand Russell Wilson’s heart, understand his late father
By Mark CannizzaroJanuary 25, 2015 | 12:44am
Russell Wilson and his late father, Harry, when he at Dartmouth
Photo: Getty Images; Dartmouth Athletics
Harry Wilson died almost five years ago, yet he will be playing in his second consecutive Super Bowl next Sunday in Arizona.
His spirit will be channeled inside the No. 3 Seahawks uniform of his quarterback son, Russell. He will be inside Russell’s mind, a part of his beating heart, an integral piece of his son’s soul.
It always has been that way and will continue to be that way when Russell quarterbacks the Seahawks, seeking their second consecutive NFL title when they face the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.
Harry Wilson died on June 9, 2010, at the age of 55 from complications of diabetes — after having lost his vision and having had a leg amputated.
Russell, who was in college at the time, had been picked in the MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies the day before his dad’s death, so that bit of good news was perhaps the last Harrison B. Wilson III would receive.
In a recent interview with Mike Silver from the NFL Network, Russell said he believes his dad understood the news and was comforted by it.
“He couldn’t speak, but I believe he could hear me,’’ Russell said. “I left the room [and] my mom and I were talking out in the hallway for about an hour. I went back into the room and the EKG was moving perfectly fine and I said, ‘Dad I’m here,’ and about three seconds later, the line went flat. I think that he just knew that things were going in the right direction.’’
That’s because Harry Wilson set things in the right direction for his son.
Harry would not get to see his son drafted by the Seahawks in 2012 and become of the of the league’s brightest stars just three years into a professional career that seems limitless.
Every day, though, Russell channels his inner Harry, a former spindly receiver at Dartmouth College, where he began leaving indelible imprints on the lives of those he met and became close to — such as former Jets kicker Nick Lowery, who played on the football and baseball teams with Harry.
Everyone you speak to who knew Harry and knows Russell says the same thing: Harry is living inside of Russell, whose physical appearance, mannerisms, morals and beliefs mirror that of his father.
There cannot be a deeper compliment in life than that for Russell Wilson.
Lowery was so close with Harry and was influenced so profoundly by his friend that, sporadically during an interview with The Post, he was moved to tears and had to compose himself.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone that embodies their father physically, in personality and temperament more than Russell does with Harry,’’ Lowery said. “Everything about Russell is so powerfully and uniquely integrated to his father — the personality, the body language, the quiet but unbelievably powerful low-burning flame that Russell has … that was Harry Wilson.
“Everything about Harry was always about understatement. He was the most humble, sweet guy who had what the Japanese call a ‘sweet sadness.’ He had a really understated countenance. It was hard to get Harry to talk about himself; he always believed you manifest by what you do.’’
Told of Lowery’s description, Harry’s older brother, Ben, the managing principle at Beveridge and Diamond environmental law firm in Washington, D.C., called it spot on.
“Their physical resemblance is striking,’’ Ben said of his brother and nephew. “They run in the same manner, their facial expressions are similar.’’ Ben, who also played football at Dartmouth, said he used to call Harry “the Fred Biletnekoff of Hanover [N.H.],” because of his slight build and because he caught everything thrown near him.
Ben gets emotional when he is at Russell’s games, thinking about how proud his younger brother would be. “There is a ritual in football, and my brothers and I loved the ritual,’’ Ben said. “If you’re in college, the band comes out and plays the alma mater. In the pro game, they bring out the drum corps and cheerleaders, and at Seattle home games they raise the ‘12th Man’ flag. “It’s that period before the ball is kicked — before we have any idea what that day will bring — that I think of my brother and how much he would have enjoyed that game and how fulfilled he would be. I feel those things. It is very emotional.’’
Ben recalled how much Harry wanted to play in the NFL, but out of respect for their father’s request, Harry completed law school at the University of Virginia after graduating from Dartmouth undergrad before trying out for the Chargers.
“When he tried out for the Chargers, [quarterback] Dan Fouts said, ‘Geez, this guy must have a glove on this hands the way he’s catching the ball,’ ’’ Ben recalled. “If Harry touched it, he caught it.’’
Harry spent the 1980 training camp and preseason with the Chargers, but was unable to win a spot on the smaller NFL roster back then. Yet, despite having been with them for only a short time, he touched lives of the Chargers players he came in contact with — Fouts, tight end Kellen Winslow, receiver Charlie Joiner. They had such respect for Harry Wilson they nicknamed him, “The Professor.”
“He was so unique, taking a different path, I’m pretty sure he didn’t know how many people he affected,’’ Winslow said last year in an interview with Sports on Earth. “He made everyone think: ‘Maybe there’s something different I can do.’ ’’
John Wilson, Harry’s other older brother who also played receiver at Dartmouth, said, “Russell learned through Harry that the sky’s the limit, that you don’t have to settle for being good enough because the work will allow you to be better.’’
Buddy Teevens, who was a quarterback at Dartmouth when Harry played, said he “sees Harry’s spirit alive and kicking in’’ Russell.
“Harry had such an impact on so many people,’’ said Teevens, now the Dartmouth head coach. “Any time I see the Seahawks play, I’m thinking of Harry. Last week [in the NFC Championship] it was so neat to see that competitive spirit in Russell … that was Harry.
“Harry was one of happiest people I ever met. You met him and he lit up a room with his bright eyes, huge smile and great natural energy.’’
Teevens, who used to coach at Tulane, has been working with Archie Manning at his annual passing camp in New Orleans for more than 20 years. Several years ago, one of the campers was a high-school-age Russell Wilson.
“He reminded me so much of Harry,’’ Teevens said. “It was like Harry revisited — a smart guy who is very bright, humble, hard-working and supportive of his teammates, giving credit to everyone else and not taking any credit for himself. When I see how people feel about Russell it brings me back to how people felt about Harry.’’
There very well might come a time in the lead-up to the Super Bowl this week when Wilson’s teammates hear him bark out a saying such as, “The separation is in the preparation,’’ or during the game, “Be calm in the storm.’’
Although those words will have come out of Russell’s mouth, they really come from Harry, who coined those phrases over the years, ingraining them into his son’s soul. So in those moments, Harry Wilson will be preparing for — and playing in — the big game with his son.
nypost.com/2015/01/25/to-understand-russell-wilsons-heart-understand-his-late-father/
By Mark CannizzaroJanuary 25, 2015 | 12:44am
Russell Wilson and his late father, Harry, when he at Dartmouth
Photo: Getty Images; Dartmouth Athletics
Harry Wilson died almost five years ago, yet he will be playing in his second consecutive Super Bowl next Sunday in Arizona.
His spirit will be channeled inside the No. 3 Seahawks uniform of his quarterback son, Russell. He will be inside Russell’s mind, a part of his beating heart, an integral piece of his son’s soul.
It always has been that way and will continue to be that way when Russell quarterbacks the Seahawks, seeking their second consecutive NFL title when they face the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.
Harry Wilson died on June 9, 2010, at the age of 55 from complications of diabetes — after having lost his vision and having had a leg amputated.
Russell, who was in college at the time, had been picked in the MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies the day before his dad’s death, so that bit of good news was perhaps the last Harrison B. Wilson III would receive.
In a recent interview with Mike Silver from the NFL Network, Russell said he believes his dad understood the news and was comforted by it.
“He couldn’t speak, but I believe he could hear me,’’ Russell said. “I left the room [and] my mom and I were talking out in the hallway for about an hour. I went back into the room and the EKG was moving perfectly fine and I said, ‘Dad I’m here,’ and about three seconds later, the line went flat. I think that he just knew that things were going in the right direction.’’
That’s because Harry Wilson set things in the right direction for his son.
Harry would not get to see his son drafted by the Seahawks in 2012 and become of the of the league’s brightest stars just three years into a professional career that seems limitless.
Every day, though, Russell channels his inner Harry, a former spindly receiver at Dartmouth College, where he began leaving indelible imprints on the lives of those he met and became close to — such as former Jets kicker Nick Lowery, who played on the football and baseball teams with Harry.
Everyone you speak to who knew Harry and knows Russell says the same thing: Harry is living inside of Russell, whose physical appearance, mannerisms, morals and beliefs mirror that of his father.
There cannot be a deeper compliment in life than that for Russell Wilson.
Lowery was so close with Harry and was influenced so profoundly by his friend that, sporadically during an interview with The Post, he was moved to tears and had to compose himself.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone that embodies their father physically, in personality and temperament more than Russell does with Harry,’’ Lowery said. “Everything about Russell is so powerfully and uniquely integrated to his father — the personality, the body language, the quiet but unbelievably powerful low-burning flame that Russell has … that was Harry Wilson.
“Everything about Harry was always about understatement. He was the most humble, sweet guy who had what the Japanese call a ‘sweet sadness.’ He had a really understated countenance. It was hard to get Harry to talk about himself; he always believed you manifest by what you do.’’
Told of Lowery’s description, Harry’s older brother, Ben, the managing principle at Beveridge and Diamond environmental law firm in Washington, D.C., called it spot on.
“Their physical resemblance is striking,’’ Ben said of his brother and nephew. “They run in the same manner, their facial expressions are similar.’’ Ben, who also played football at Dartmouth, said he used to call Harry “the Fred Biletnekoff of Hanover [N.H.],” because of his slight build and because he caught everything thrown near him.
Ben gets emotional when he is at Russell’s games, thinking about how proud his younger brother would be. “There is a ritual in football, and my brothers and I loved the ritual,’’ Ben said. “If you’re in college, the band comes out and plays the alma mater. In the pro game, they bring out the drum corps and cheerleaders, and at Seattle home games they raise the ‘12th Man’ flag. “It’s that period before the ball is kicked — before we have any idea what that day will bring — that I think of my brother and how much he would have enjoyed that game and how fulfilled he would be. I feel those things. It is very emotional.’’
Ben recalled how much Harry wanted to play in the NFL, but out of respect for their father’s request, Harry completed law school at the University of Virginia after graduating from Dartmouth undergrad before trying out for the Chargers.
“When he tried out for the Chargers, [quarterback] Dan Fouts said, ‘Geez, this guy must have a glove on this hands the way he’s catching the ball,’ ’’ Ben recalled. “If Harry touched it, he caught it.’’
Harry spent the 1980 training camp and preseason with the Chargers, but was unable to win a spot on the smaller NFL roster back then. Yet, despite having been with them for only a short time, he touched lives of the Chargers players he came in contact with — Fouts, tight end Kellen Winslow, receiver Charlie Joiner. They had such respect for Harry Wilson they nicknamed him, “The Professor.”
“He was so unique, taking a different path, I’m pretty sure he didn’t know how many people he affected,’’ Winslow said last year in an interview with Sports on Earth. “He made everyone think: ‘Maybe there’s something different I can do.’ ’’
John Wilson, Harry’s other older brother who also played receiver at Dartmouth, said, “Russell learned through Harry that the sky’s the limit, that you don’t have to settle for being good enough because the work will allow you to be better.’’
Buddy Teevens, who was a quarterback at Dartmouth when Harry played, said he “sees Harry’s spirit alive and kicking in’’ Russell.
“Harry had such an impact on so many people,’’ said Teevens, now the Dartmouth head coach. “Any time I see the Seahawks play, I’m thinking of Harry. Last week [in the NFC Championship] it was so neat to see that competitive spirit in Russell … that was Harry.
“Harry was one of happiest people I ever met. You met him and he lit up a room with his bright eyes, huge smile and great natural energy.’’
Teevens, who used to coach at Tulane, has been working with Archie Manning at his annual passing camp in New Orleans for more than 20 years. Several years ago, one of the campers was a high-school-age Russell Wilson.
“He reminded me so much of Harry,’’ Teevens said. “It was like Harry revisited — a smart guy who is very bright, humble, hard-working and supportive of his teammates, giving credit to everyone else and not taking any credit for himself. When I see how people feel about Russell it brings me back to how people felt about Harry.’’
There very well might come a time in the lead-up to the Super Bowl this week when Wilson’s teammates hear him bark out a saying such as, “The separation is in the preparation,’’ or during the game, “Be calm in the storm.’’
Although those words will have come out of Russell’s mouth, they really come from Harry, who coined those phrases over the years, ingraining them into his son’s soul. So in those moments, Harry Wilson will be preparing for — and playing in — the big game with his son.
nypost.com/2015/01/25/to-understand-russell-wilsons-heart-understand-his-late-father/
