Willie Wilkin

Wilbur Byrne "Wee Willie" Wilkin (April 20, 1916 – May 16, 1973) was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins. Wilkin also played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the Chicago Rockets. He attended St. Mary's College of California.[1]

Willie Wilkin
No. 36
Position:Tackle
Personal information
Born:(1916-04-20)April 20, 1916
Bingham Canyon, Utah
Died:May 16, 1973(1973-05-16) (aged 57)
Palo Alto, California
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:261 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school:Springville (UT)
College:St. Mary's (CA)
Undrafted:1938
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:74
Games started:45
Touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early life

Born in Bingham Canyon, Utah, Wilkin attended Springville High School, where he played football, basketball, and track and field.[2]

College career

Wilkin played college football at Saint Mary's College in Moraga, California, graduating in 1938. He was inducted into the Gaels' Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973.[3] After college, Wilkin briefly worked in a silver mine in Mexico.[4]

NFL

Wilkin signed with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League in 1938, and played through 1943. During that span, he played in three NFL Championship games, winning the 1942 NFL Championship Game. He also scored the only touchdown of his career in 1942, off of a blocked punt in a win over the Cleveland Rams.[5]

Military career

After the 1943 season, Wilkin entered the United States Marine Corps during World War II.[2] While in service, he was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in southern California and played for their football team.[6]

AAFC

After his service with the Marines ended, Wilkin signed with the Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference in 1946.[4][6]

Teaching and coaching

After retiring from football, Wilkin became a math and social studies high school teacher for special needs children in Monterey County, California, and was an offensive line coach for Monterey High School.[4][7] He later taught in Deer Lodge, Montana.[4]

Personal

Wilkin was married and had twin sons, John Sharpe Wilkin and Christopher Wilkin; both died at age 22 in the same 1965 automobile accident near Truckee, California.[1][4][7][8] In 1970, Wilkin had a brain tumor successfully removed. However, two years later, he developed stomach cancer, and died at age 57 in 1973 in Palo Alto, California.[4]

References
  1. Addie, Bob (November 26, 1985). "Willie needs help". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). (Washington Post). p. 43.
  2. "Towering Ex-Redskin Joins Marine". Marine Corps Chevron. Princeton University Library. April 1, 1944. p. 14. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  3. "Saint Mary's College Athletic Hall of Fame Membership". Saint Mary's College. June 23, 2008. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  4. Maxymuk, John (2012). NFL Head Coaches: A Biographical Dictionary, 1920-2011, 340-341, McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6557-6.
  5. "Cleveland Rams 14 at Washington Redskins 33". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  6. "Goin' to the Dogs" (PDF). Pro Football Researchers. 1998. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  7. "Auto Crash Claims Life of John Sharpe Wilkin". The Stanford Daily. March 29, 1965. p. 1. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  8. "Marinite's kin killed in Sierra car crash". Daily Independent Journal. (San Rafael, California). Associated Press. March 25, 1965. p. 15.
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