EP 31: Interview With Retired Football Player Chris Wilson

https://atgridiron.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ATG-Chris.png ()SUBSCRIBEhttps://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/after-the-gridiron/id1441939773?mt=2 (iTunes) | https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/I3poqibyqfnwjnj5mwcn6lhmz2i (Google Play) | https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/after-the-gridiron (Stitcher)Chris enjoyed a long career playing 9 seasons of pro football in both the NFL and CFL.  He played with the BC Lions, Washington Redskins and Montreal Alouettes.  He was born loving the game and often played with family.  Organized tackle football started for him when he was in 7th grade.  Growing up in Flint Michigan was a rough environment and football was a way for him to stay out of trouble and avoid the wrong crowds.  In high school, he developed into a great player and received his first recruiting letter from the University of Illinois.  However he was initially thought to be ineligible, so schools were suggesting that he go to a junior college first.  The division II school of Northwood University was an option for him and wanted him badly.  Not wanting to go the junior college route, he was leaning towards Northwood.  Then he found out that he was actually eligible after all.  That prompted him to reach out to the big schools and let them know he was able to qualify for their schools.  Unfortunately, by that time all their scholarships were spoken for so he couldn’t go to a major school.  He was upset, but his dad told him to prove that he didn’t belong at the division II school and should work to stand out from the crowd.  That is exactly what he did and he helped them to achieve titles that they never did before.  Despite his great play, he wasn’t drafted by the NFL and had to start his career in the CFL.  With determination and relentless effort, he was able to make the team and the starting lineup.  After a few great years with the BC Lions, including a Grey Cup Championship, he was picked up by the Washington Redskins.  Louis Riddick, who was their scout at the time told him that when he noticed him, he was actually scouting another player.  But Chris kept standing out to him in the film and could not be ignored.  He performed well with Washington, and made a great impression on the staff when he walked to his first team workout.  After football ended for him, coaching was not in his radar.  He thought they had to work to hard having long hours and little rest.  However, he caught the bug and has coached at three levels of football.  High school in his hometown of Flint, a college in Minnesota and interned as a coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers.  For more information about Chris you can follow him on social media with the links below. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cwil95flint/?hl=en (www.instagram.com/cwil95flint/)Twitter: https://twitter.com/cwil95flint?lang=en (www.twitter.com/cwil95flint)RESOURCEShttps://www.atgridiron.com (www.atgridiron.com)http://www.symfonies.ca (www.symfonies.ca)