Kyrie Wilson
| No. 19 Winnipeg Blue Bombers | |
 Wilson at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 2019 Grey Cup parade. | |
| Born: | November 5, 1992 Fresno, California |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | 6-game injured |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | Linebacker |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 216 lb (98 kg) |
| College | Fresno State |
| High school | Ridgeview High School[1] |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2016* | Oakland Raiders |
| 2017–present | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career stats | |
| |
Kyrie Jamal Wilson (born November 5, 1992) is an American professional football linebacker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs. He has also been a member of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL).
Professional career
[edit]Oakland Raiders
[edit]Wilson signed with the Oakland Raiders after going undrafted in the 2016 NFL draft.[2] However, he was released as part of the team's final roster cuts before the start of the 2016 season.[3]
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
[edit]Wilson first signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on April 19, 2017.[4] He made his professional debut in the Banjo Bowl that year on September 9, 2017.[5] He played in five games in 2018 and signed a two-year extension to remain with the team early in 2019.[6] He played a key role in the Blue Bombers' defence at linebacker throughout the 2019 Winnipeg Blue Bombers season as he started in all 18 regular season games, recording 63 defensive tackles, three sacks, and an interception. Wilson helped the Bombers to the 107th Grey Cup in 2019. His efforts in the game included five tackles and a pass break-up on a two point conversion attempt that saw the Bombers win their first Grey Cup in 29 years and Wilson's first CFL championship.[7]
Wilson signed a two-year extension with the Blue Bombers in January 2021, keeping him with the team through the next two seasons.[5] He suffered a hip flexor injury in the first game of the season and did not play again until the end of September.[8] Wilson finished the regular season with 16 tackles over seven games played. Despite the injuries he was a key part of the team that wen to defend their Grey Cup title in the 2021 CFL Final against the hometown Tiger-Cats in Hamilton. Trailing 22-10, the defence would rally the team as they would go to overtime and take the lead 33-25. There, after a tip drill with two Blue Bomber teammates, Wilson caught the pass deflected to him by Winston Rose sealing his and the team's second consecutive title.[9] Wilson's father, step-mother, sister, and brother were all in attendance for the game and made their way down to the field to celebrate with him.[9] Considering the season and the title in the middle of the pandemic, Wilson said that "Sometimes when you’re not able to do certain things, your mind starts to wander or you start questioning whether you still want to do it, but we were all locked in. It just shows that no matter what you go through, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Some stuff might be tough, but it’s all going to work out in the end."[9]
Wilson suffered an Achilles injury early in the 2022 season and was expected to miss a significant amount of time recovering.[10]
CFL statistics
[edit]| Defence | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | ST | Sacks | Int | TD | FF | |||
| 2017 | WPG | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2018 | WPG | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2019 | WPG | 18 | 63 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | WPG | Season cancelled | |||||||||
| 2021 | WPG | 7 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| CFL totals | 31 | 79 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ "Kyrie Wilson Bulldogs profile". Fresno State Bulldogs. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ Galaviz, Anthony (June 9, 2016). "Former Fresno State star Kyrie Wilson relishing time with Oakland Raiders". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ "NFL Roster Cuts Tracker: Latest moves for all 32 teams as they trim to the final 53". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". CFL. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ a b "Relentless Bombers Thrived on being the Underdog". Winnipeg Blue Bombers. January 13, 2021.
- ^ Sam Thompson (February 5, 2019). "Winnipeg Blue Bombers sign Rasheed Bailey, re-sign Kyrie Wilson". Global News Winnipeg. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ Jim Morris (November 24, 2019). "Relentless Bombers Thrived on being the Underdog". CFL.
- ^ Taylor Allen (September 28, 2021). "Bombers linebacker Wilson ready to rock". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
- ^ a b c Ron Stapp (December 28, 2021). "Ridgeview grad Wilson overcomes obstacles to clinch second straight Grey Cup title". The Bakersfield Californian.
- ^ "Bombers' Wilson out with Achilles injury - TSN.ca". TSN. July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Winnipeg Blue Bombers bio
Media related to Kyrie Wilson at Wikimedia Commons
- 1992 births
- Living people
- American football linebackers
- Players of American football from Fresno, California
- Winnipeg Blue Bombers players
- Canadian football linebackers
- Fresno State Bulldogs football players
- 21st-century African-American sportsmen
- Oakland Raiders players
- Players of Canadian football from California