Image via Complex Original
Since he was drafted by the Seahawks in 2012, Russell Carrington Wilson has set the NFL on fire. And while the league has no shortage of superstars, there isn’t another dude quite like Wilson. A two-time Pro Bowl quarterback who seems to break a different record every week, Wilson gets it done both on the field and off it. When he’s not breaking a linebacker’s ankles with one of his juking runs, he’s spending time at the Seattle Children’s Hospital, where he volunteers regularly. He’ll forever be worshiped in Seattle for delivering the franchise’s first Super Bowl title, but fans adore Russell Wilson, both the player and the man. He’s smart, never finds himself anywhere near off-field trouble, and most importantly, he’s a winner.
The story of Russell Wilson didn't start at the pre-game handshake with Peyton Manning in East Rutherford, though. It started with a kid who found his faith in religion at a young age, could’ve had a career in Major League Baseball, and did big things on the gridiron with not one, but two colleges.
Today, Russell Wilson turns 26—hard to believe, we know—and in celebration of his birthday we took a deeper look at the man beneath the pads and helmet. From the real reason he wears the number three to how his high school yearbook had it right from the start, check out 26 Things You Didn’t Know About Russell Wilson.
He, along with Seahawks head coach Peter Carroll, recently participated in a video with trick shot artists Dude Perfect.
From basketball to archery, trick shot artists Dude Perfect have continued to blow our minds. Recently, the group met up with Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll, who will impress you with some nasty skills of their own.
He is a senior editor at The Players’ Tribune, and wrote an article about domestic violence.
Seeing as Wilson is an articulate player who has a degree in communications, it should come as no surprise that not only did Russell Wilson write a piece on the apposite issue of domestic violence, he’s also a senior editor at Derek Jeter’s The Players’ Tribune.
In high school, Wilson was voted most likely to appear on television.
Come on, son. Who else at Collegiate School was going to be voted ‘Most Likely to be Seen on TV?’ Hope it worked out half as well for Lizzie Bassett.
He was drafted by two Major League Baseball teams.
After graduating from high school, Wilson was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 41st round of the 2007 MLB draft. He turned down the invitation and instead attended NC State that fall. In 2010, Wilson was selected in the fourth round by the Colorado Rockies. He played Class A ball with the Tri-City Dust Devils and Asheville Tourists, before he was acquired by the Texas Rangers in 2013. Wilson attended spring training this past March, but is obviously committed elsewhere.
Russell put on his barista hat and made pumpkin spice lattes in Pike Place.
Always a man of the people, this past September Wilson got his green apron swag on and made pumpkin spice lattes for customers at the Pike Place Starbucks in Seattle.
He starred in a hilarious commercial for Alaska Airlines.
This might be the funniest athlete commercial of all time. Seriously, watch the whole clip. Chief Football Officer Wilson has quite the relationship with the airline. Not only does he star in several ads, the airline allowed passengers to board early if they were wearing a Wilson jersey. Now that’s priority boarding.
Wilson found religion at the age of 14, after Jesus came to him in a dream.
Wilson recalls that he had a dream about his dad passing away, and how Jesus came into his room and told the quarterback that he needed to find out more about him. That Sunday he went to church, and he’s been a devout Christian since. Apparently all religious quarterbacks are not created equal.
Up until the sixth grade, Wilson was a bully.
Wilson is arguably the perfect combination of athlete, spokesperson, and role model. The dude always seems to be doing the right thing off the field and is a goddamn winner on it. It wasn’t always this way, though. Back on the playground, Russell used to be the dude shaking you down for that lunch money. Safe to say he’s come a long way from those days.
He had one of the best ice bucket challenges of all time.
Everyone and their mother did the ice bucket challenge this summer, and that extends to your favorite athletes as well. Not everyone, however, got dowsed at the top of the Seattle Space Needle. Man, that looks cold.
One of his biggest fans is Billie Jean King.
Billie Jean King isn’t just a 39-time Grand Slam tennis champion, she’s also an activist and advocate for gender equality. Obviously she fell in love with Russell Wilson after watching him on Charlie Rose, because is there anyone who isn’t susceptible to @DangeRussWilson’s charm?
He once performed with Preston Pohl and Trenton George.
The Suncadia Resort has never been treated to a concert like this. That’s right, in addition to being a stud on the football field, Wilson is clearly a talented performer on the stage. Pressure, Preston Pohl? This dude doesn’t know the meaning of the word.
He met Cal Ripken Jr. at the age of 14.
Think the iron man gave him an autograph? Maybe Cal had the foresight to at least get Wilson’s in exchange.
Wilson has a bus named after him at Seahawk tailgates.
In another awesome story out of Seattle, Amazon executive Brian Valentine and his buddies decided their regular truck wasn’t big enough for Seahawk tailgates at Century Link. So what did they do? They converted a school bus into an awesome party bus, of course. And, that’s right, they affectionately nicknamed the little guy Bussell Wilson. The legend grows.
He wears No. 3 because of the Holy Trinity.
It’s no secret Russell Wilson is a gospel music loving, devout Christian. However, it has been reported that Wilson chose the number three because he was selected by the Seahawks in the third round. Wilson says that he chose the number to honor the Holy Trinity.
He is the first QB in the Super Bowl era to post a 100+ passer rating in his first two NFL seasons.
Because this dude is 5 feet 11 inches tall making linebackers and DBs look plain silly. That rating was 101.2 for those keeping score at home.
Russell made less in all of 2013 than Peyton Manning did each week.
In 2013, Russell Wilson had a base salary of $526,217. That same season, Peyton Manning had a base salary of $15 million. If you divide Peyton’s salary by 16 weeks you get $937,500.
In his only season at Wisconsin, Wilson led the Badgers to a Big Ten title and the Rose Bowl.
Russell Wilson had a pretty ridiculous season at Wisconsin in 2011. He led the Badgers to an 11-3 record, a 42-39 victory over Sparty in the Big Ten Championship, and narrowly lost to Oregon in the Rose Bowl, 45-38. Did we mention that Wilson finished the season with 33 passing touchdowns, good enough for the second most in Big Ten history behind one Drew Brees?
He set the single-season FBS record for passing efficiency at Wisconsin.
With a passing efficiency of 191.8, Wilson didn’t have many incompletions. To be exact, Wilson went 225 for 309 at Wisconsin, and racked up 3,175 yards through the air. How did people not know then?
In 2008, Wilson became the first freshman in history to be named the ACC’s First-Team All-Conference quarterback.
In his freshman year at NC State, Wilson completed 150 passes on 275 attempts for 1,955 yards. He posted a ridiculous 17:1 touchdown to interception ratio, and also rushed for 394 yards and four touchdowns. Ya, definitely think he earned the nod to start at First-Team All-Conference. Cue the SEC fans who say it would've never happen there.
Prior to the 2012 NFL draft, Wilson put the names of all 32 teams into a hat, and then picked out the Seahawks.
If you can believe it—and Russell actually said it, so how can you not—it appears it was pre-ordained that Russell Wilson would be a Seahawk.
He was just the sixth rookie quarterback to win an NFL playoff game.
In 2012, Wilson made his postseason debut against the Redskins in the NFC Wild Card round. He rallied the team for a come from behind 24-14 victory, but would lose out 30-28 just a week later against Atlanta. Dude studied up, and a year later he was a Super Bowl champion.
Wilson once roomed with 2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner.
The morning after Madison Bumgarner shut down the Royals in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, Russell Wilson told this little story about how he and the World Series MVP shared a room together during Wilson’s days on the diamond. This was back in 2006, and we really wonder if either of them had any inkling of the greatness that awaited them.
He’s the first player in NFL history to record 300+ pass yards and 100+ rush yards in the same game.
During Seattle’s Week 3 defeat to the Rams, Wilson threw for 313 yards and ran for 106. This dude is only in his third year, folks.
If he and the Seahawks repeat as Super Bowl champions, Wilson will go on Dancing With the Stars.
Russell Wilson has been rumored before to have an interest in participating on Dancing With The Stars, but he’s always rebuked the notion. However, according to this Instagram post by Karina Smirnoff, it looks like Wilson could finally throw on his dancing shoes.
In his first two years, he won more regular season games as a starter than any quarterback in NFL history.
In his first two years as a starter, Wilson led the Seahawks to a combined record of 24-8. He’s made the playoffs both years, and won one Super Bowl. Who needs the numbers of a Rodgers or a Brady when your record is that good?
Ryan Clark says Russell Wilson is the best player in the NFL.
The Seattle Seahawks opened up the 2014 schedule with a 27-17 victory over the Washington Redskins on the road. In that game, Wilson picked up right where he left off in the Super Bowl. He threw for 201 yards and two scores, and racked up 122 yards and a score on the ground. His performance prompted Redskins safety Ryan Clark to proclaim that Wilson is the “best player in the NFL.” And you know what? When you take everything into account, Clark might not be so far off.