Willie Wilkin
American football player (1916–1973)
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Wilbur Byrne "Wee Willie" Wilkin (April 20, 1916 – May 16, 1973) was an American professional football 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]
Bingham Canyon, Utah, U.S.
Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Wilkin in 1942 | |||||||||
| No. 36, 46 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | April 20, 1916 Bingham Canyon, Utah, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | May 16, 1973 (aged 57) Palo Alto, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 261 lb (118 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Springville (UT) | ||||||||
| College | St. Mary's (CA) (1934-1937) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1938: undrafted | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL/AAFC statistics | |||||||||
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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.[5] During that span, he played in three NFL Championship games, winning the 1942 NFL Championship Game.[6] He also scored the only touchdown of his career off of a blocked punt in a 33–14 win over the Cleveland Rams in Week 5 of the 1942 season.[7]
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.[8]
AAFC
After his service with the Marines ended, Wilkin signed with the Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference in 1946.[4][8]
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][9] 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][9][10] 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]