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Tom Wilkinson (football player)
Encyclopedia
Tom Wilkinson was a football
quarterback
for several teams in the Canadian Football League
.
He was born in Iowa
on January 4, 1943 but moved to Wyoming
with his parents in 1945. Tom Wilkinson played high school football in the small town of Greybull, Wyoming
. He is the second of three professional football players to come from this little town of 1700 in the Big Horn Basin. The others were Jim Crawford
who played for the Boston Patriots of the American Football League
and Brett Keisel
who plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers
. He was scouted as both a football and baseball player out of high school.
on a football scholarship. After he graduated there, he was signed as a quarterback
by the Toronto Rifles
of the Continental Football League
. He played a total of 16 games for the Rifles in 1966 and 1967, throwing the ball 287 times for 141 completions with 1952 yards, 11 interceptions and 18 touchdowns. It was during 1967 he moved to the Toronto Argonauts
of the Canadian Football League
as a backup quarterback in 1967. He was the team's leading quarterback in 1969 throwing for 2041 yards. In 1970 Wilkinson made way for Don Jonas
to lead the Argos, but still got enough playing time to throw for 1272 yards. Traded to the BC Lions
in 1971, he played there for a year before being released prior to the 1972 CFL season. He was picked up by the Edmonton Eskimos
and played well enough in the remaining pre-season games to make the team as a backup, but by season's end he was their top passer with 2475 yards in which he completed 177 out of 268. Wilkinson would play the balance of his career there in a two-quarterback system. First with Bruce Lemmerman
and then with Warren Moon
. Oddly enough, after his first professional seasons, when he was considered to be rather injury prone, Wilkinson was never to miss a game during his 10 years with the Eskimos.
"Wilkie" was a western conference and CFL all-star quarterback in 1974, 1978 and 1979. He won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
in 1974.
He first led the Eskimos to a Grey Cup victory in 1975, an especially sweet triumph after disappointing losses in the championship game in 1973 and 1974. After quarterbacking the Eskimos during one more Grey Cup loss in 1977, Wilkinson became an integral part of the 5-time Grey Cup champion Eskimo dynasty from 1978 through 1981, the last two years acting as a backup to Moon.
Including his time with the Rifles, Wilkinson contributed 24,531 passing yards on 1754 completions from 2949 attempts and with 137 interceptions to 172 touchdowns. Although not known for his running abilities he also added 1250 rushing yards on 352 runs with 13 touchdowns.
He retired after the Eskimos' 1981 Grey Cup Championship year. Tom Wilkinson was the inaugural player honoured on the Edmonton Eskimo's "Wall of Fame" at Commonwealth Stadium in 1982.
as a Player, May 2, 1987. He was the head coach of the University of Alberta
Golden Bears until 2001. In 2004, he was announced as the first president of the North American Indoor Football League, a Canadian indoor football league that failed to launch and never played a single game.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for several teams in the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
.
He was born in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
on January 4, 1943 but moved to Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
with his parents in 1945. Tom Wilkinson played high school football in the small town of Greybull, Wyoming
Greybull, Wyoming
Greybull is a town in Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Greybull is located at ....
. He is the second of three professional football players to come from this little town of 1700 in the Big Horn Basin. The others were Jim Crawford
Jim Crawford (American football)
Jim Crawford is a former professional American football player who played running back for five seasons for the Boston Patriots. He ran for 1078 yards and caught for 501 in 5 years. He was nicknamed "cowboy".-References:...
who played for the Boston Patriots of the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
and Brett Keisel
Brett Keisel
Brett "The Diesel" Keisel is an American Football player who starts at defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brett hails from Greybull, Wyoming.-College career:...
who plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
. He was scouted as both a football and baseball player out of high school.
Football career
Wilkinson attended the University of WyomingUniversity of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
on a football scholarship. After he graduated there, he was signed as a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
by the Toronto Rifles
Toronto Rifles
The Toronto Rifles were a minor-league professional American football team active between 1964 and 1967. It was based in Toronto, Ontario. The team's home fields were Maple Leaf Stadium and Varsity Stadium from 1966 to 1967...
of the Continental Football League
Continental Football League
The Continental Football League was a professional minor American football league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to become the major force in professional football outside of the...
. He played a total of 16 games for the Rifles in 1966 and 1967, throwing the ball 287 times for 141 completions with 1952 yards, 11 interceptions and 18 touchdowns. It was during 1967 he moved to the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
as a backup quarterback in 1967. He was the team's leading quarterback in 1969 throwing for 2041 yards. In 1970 Wilkinson made way for Don Jonas
Don Jonas
-Sources:* Bob Gill, “The Best Little Quarterback You Never Heard Of” on the Professional Football Researchers Association website.-References:...
to lead the Argos, but still got enough playing time to throw for 1272 yards. Traded to the BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
in 1971, he played there for a year before being released prior to the 1972 CFL season. He was picked up by the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
and played well enough in the remaining pre-season games to make the team as a backup, but by season's end he was their top passer with 2475 yards in which he completed 177 out of 268. Wilkinson would play the balance of his career there in a two-quarterback system. First with Bruce Lemmerman
Bruce Lemmerman
Bruce Lemmerman is a former professional American football player. He was a backup quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in 1968 and 1969. He later played in the Canadian Football League for the Edmonton Eskimos....
and then with Warren Moon
Warren Moon
Harold Warren Moon is a former American professional gridiron football quarterback who played for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos and the National Football League's Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs...
. Oddly enough, after his first professional seasons, when he was considered to be rather injury prone, Wilkinson was never to miss a game during his 10 years with the Eskimos.
"Wilkie" was a western conference and CFL all-star quarterback in 1974, 1978 and 1979. He won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
The Most Outstanding Player Award is annually awarded to the best player in the Canadian Football League. The Most Outstanding Player award can be compared to the National Football League's Most Valuable Player, otherwise known as the "MVP" award...
in 1974.
He first led the Eskimos to a Grey Cup victory in 1975, an especially sweet triumph after disappointing losses in the championship game in 1973 and 1974. After quarterbacking the Eskimos during one more Grey Cup loss in 1977, Wilkinson became an integral part of the 5-time Grey Cup champion Eskimo dynasty from 1978 through 1981, the last two years acting as a backup to Moon.
Including his time with the Rifles, Wilkinson contributed 24,531 passing yards on 1754 completions from 2949 attempts and with 137 interceptions to 172 touchdowns. Although not known for his running abilities he also added 1250 rushing yards on 352 runs with 13 touchdowns.
He retired after the Eskimos' 1981 Grey Cup Championship year. Tom Wilkinson was the inaugural player honoured on the Edmonton Eskimo's "Wall of Fame" at Commonwealth Stadium in 1982.
After retirement
He was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of FameCanadian Football Hall of Fame
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
as a Player, May 2, 1987. He was the head coach of the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
Golden Bears until 2001. In 2004, he was announced as the first president of the North American Indoor Football League, a Canadian indoor football league that failed to launch and never played a single game.