Willie Wilkin
No. 36
Position:Tackle
Personal information
Born:(1916-04-20)April 20, 1916
Bingham Canyon, Utah, U.S.
Died:May 16, 1973(1973-05-16) (aged 57)
Palo Alto, California, U.S.
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 · PFR

Wilbur Byrne "Wee Willie" Wilkin (April 20, 1916 – May 16, 1973) was an American 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]

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 in 1942, off of a blocked punt in a win over the Cleveland Rams.[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]

References

  1. 1 2 Addie, Bob (November 26, 1985). "Willie needs help". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). (Washington Post). p. 43.
  2. 1 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Maxymuk, John (2012). NFL Head Coaches: A Biographical Dictionary, 1920-2011, 340-341, McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6557-6.
  5. ↑ "Willie Wilkin Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  6. ↑ "Willie Wilkin Playoffs Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  7. ↑ "Cleveland Rams at Washington Redskins - October 11th, 1942". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  8. 1 2 "Goin' to the Dogs" (PDF). Pro Football Researchers. 1998. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  9. 1 2 "Auto Crash Claims Life of John Sharpe Wilkin". The Stanford Daily. March 29, 1965. p. 1. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  10. ↑ "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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