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 Linda Thomas
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Linda is the morning news anchor and features reporter for KIRO Radio. This is her local news blog, with an emphasis on social media, technology, Northwest companies, education, parenting, and anything else that grabs her attention.

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The faith and football of Russell Wilson

August 24, 2012 @ 2:10 am (Updated: 7:39 am - 8/25/12 )

The stats tell football fans a lot about the performance of rookie quarterback who started for the Seattle Seahawks Friday night. Wilson threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Hawks to a 44-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

His updates on Twitter tell me a little about his personality.

"Blessed to be a Seahawk."

Who is this guy?

WilsonWilson was drafted with the 12th pick in the third round - 75th overall - during the 2012 NFL Draft.

He's the first quarterback drafted under Carroll and General Manager John Schneider and the highest quarterback selected by the club since 710 ESPN Seattle's Brock Huard was taken with the 77th overall pick in 1999.

"My goal is to be great," Wilson told reporters after Coach Pete Carroll announced he'd get the start in the Hawk's third preseason game. "I definitely imagine myself always being successful."

A lot has been made of his height, or lack of, for a quarterback. He's 5'11" and many sports writers and pros say it's rare for someone under 6 feet tall to make it in that position.

"It's pretty unbelievable how the Lord works," says Wilson.

Wilson's faith is an important part of his life.

He's referred to it in post-game interviews and he posts daily Bible verses on his Twitter feed. His latest: I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14 NKJV)

Wilson says faith in God is the foundation for his life and family - brother Harrison Wilson IV, sister Anna, and mother Tammy.

Wilson told a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter about how faith helped him deal with the death of his father, Harrison Wilson III in 2010, who had been suffering from diabetes and several strokes.

The date was June 9, the day after Russell Wilson was drafted by the (Major League Baseball team, the Colorado) Rockies. He went to share the news with his father.

"My grandmother and I went there and we started praying," Russell Wilson said. "He was non-responsive."

Undaunted, Russell Wilson told his father about being drafted by the Rockies. He eventually stepped out into the hallway, along with his grandmother and mother.

Mother and son stepped aside and started talking privately, for about 15 minutes.

Russell Wilson finished the story:

"We were just standing there and all of a sudden it clicked," he said. "The Holy Spirit was telling us to go in there. So we went in the room and - this is the crazy part.

"I walked in and I could see the (EKG) monitor. As soon as I walked in the door I said: 'Hey, Dad, I'm here.'

"As soon as I said that, the line went flat. That's how I knew the Lord is real. I knew my dad heard me and he could hear everything I was telling him about how I got drafted. He was waiting for something great to happen.

"That's how I knew he went in peace. He is here watching me right now."

By LINDA THOMAS

Photo by Ron Chenoy

More from Linda Thomas

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Comments (41)


  • Add A Comment

  • fiddlepimp wrote...
    touching story
    August 24, 2012 7:10 am
    Im a little weepy... I hope Russell does well tonight.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Lancesawlot wrote...
    Thanks for the insight!
    August 24, 2012 7:26 am
    Great story. Makes me pull for Russell even more. I love to see great things happen for a great guy. He's a winner on and off the the field.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • boeingmarcus wrote...
    Great story
    August 24, 2012 7:51 am
    Linda I enjoyed hearing you talk about Wilson this morning, not the usual jock talk. I appreciated it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • cobain501 wrote...
    good story
    August 24, 2012 8:00 am
    thanks Linda
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Good story.
    August 24, 2012 8:55 am
    He is a respectful, intelligent athlete. Long after his pro career is over and his skills have diminished, these traits will still be with him and will guide his life. I wish him well in his NFL career and from what I've seen, he stands a good chance of fulfilling his desire to be "great".
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • BocaBob1 wrote...
    When?
    August 24, 2012 10:28 am
    are they going to "Tebow"bash him because he has faith? Very good story.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SGMD1 wrote...
    Re: When?
    September 5, 2012 5:35 am
    I am a huge Russell Wilson fan and I respect his faith - it is clearly a big part of his life and has helped mold him into a genuinely good human being. I also think that religion can be polarizing. There are millions of football fans who aren't Christian. Wilson is of course free to talk about his faith, post daily Bible verses on his Twitter feed, etc. but I've always felt that religion is a deeply personal thing and should be between you and God - not between you, the public, and God. I'd like to be able to follow his football-related stuff without feeling like I'm being preached to. Just my humble opinion.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Dan1 wrote...
    Great story
    August 24, 2012 10:41 am
    Thanks Linda!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SMarti018 wrote...
    I dont really care about his faith
    August 24, 2012 10:45 am
    I care about if he can get first downs and convert 3rd downs... suggestion= write about him as a QB, his numbers, his college days etc.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • BocaBob1 wrote...
    Go
    August 24, 2012 11:18 am
    to ESPN for stat's DuH
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    Anyone who has interacted with Wilson
    August 25, 2012 1:08 pm
    We know his faith is first and writing about him while skipping his faith is just plain bad journalism. Linda knows it. I know it. Anyone without a devilish agenda knows it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    Great story Linda
    August 24, 2012 10:54 am
    Good Luck Young Man!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rajuseattle wrote...
    Liked this story about Russell Wilson
    August 24, 2012 12:18 pm
    but in this land of BLUE nation...if Russell doesnt succeed, people will bash him like they are bashing Tim Tebow for bringing faith into the sports. Just one word of advice for Russell,play hard and be succeeful, your faith will always help you, but please dont do any Tebowing in public places....some people just dont like it and they will be ready to bash you.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Hakuzen wrote...
    Could care less..
    August 24, 2012 12:44 pm
    About his faith. It's all about performance on the field. If he sucks, he sucks. If he's good, he's good. Let's not bring religion into football please.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Derrol_o wrote...
    Religion?
    August 24, 2012 1:51 pm
    Who said anything about religion? This is about the man's faith, his spirituality and not his religion. I didn't see any particular church mentioned in the article. And yes, there is a big difference.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    Interesting how Christians twist things around
    August 24, 2012 3:02 pm
    How many times have you read of a Christian stating the Lord spared them after a horrible accident or experience " My car went off the road and fell several hundred feet killing everyone but me,"the Lord spared me" why did the Lord make you suffer? in this case the Lord takes Russells father when he enters the hospital room.Why didn't the Lord simply not take his dads life?The answer to BOTH is that their is no Lord things are what they are life and death is not manipulated by any higher power. That type of thinking is for people who fear death and the unknown it brings.They are looking for hope in an extended life after death.You get ONE chance to live make the most out of it while your living count on NO afterlife
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    Hey internet hate-monger
    August 25, 2012 12:41 pm
    People of faith change history. We lost a man of faith today in Neil Armstrong. Did you know the Holy Sacrament was the first food and drink consumed on the surface of the Moon? Did you know the first transmission from the orbit of the Moon to Earth was the first three chapters of Genesis? Atheists immediately filed a lawsuit tying up money in court that could have been used to explore space.

    Guys like you are breaking the back of this nation. More Atheists = less prosperity. When you see the mounting debt of all nations with rising Atheism, know you did your part to make it happen. REPENT!

    http://www.classicalastronomy.com/news/anmviewer.asp?a=316&z=21

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • GoldFish wrote...
    Leave it...
    August 24, 2012 4:43 pm
    To an atheist to bash and ruin a story about another mans faith in something. Atheists ruin everything for good god fearing people. Messiah 101 I genuinely feel bad for you that you are such a low self esteemed piece of trash.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    GOLDFISH
    August 24, 2012 7:25 pm
    If what I wrote ruined anything for you then I guess you really have little faith in what you supposedly believe in.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Hakuzen wrote...
    Leave it...
    August 24, 2012 7:41 pm
    to the few, the proud, the sub-70 IQ to actually utter the words "good god fearing people". Oxymoron much? Don't hurt your thumbs looking it up in the dictionary.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    Very common
    August 24, 2012 10:53 pm
    I dare you to find me one godless person that believes they are in the bottom half of humanity's IQ. Give it a try.

    What you will find out is that your intellect is actually masquerading as pride. And it is pride that blinds you to your enslavement to self and sin. It is this blindness that causes you to be oblivious to the fact that nobody actually trusts godless folks very much at all. Why? Because they have fickle and changing ethics. Today they could be against lying, but tomorrow, who knows?

    Mr. Wilson is very smart. He is smart like the people who invented the printing press, the airplane, the mechanical computer, etc. etc. etc. In other words, his pride is in check and he is a benefit to humanity.

    You? You are someone who got a free brain and now uses it like a knife and reason to puff yourself up. If you are half as smart as you think you are, you will REPENT and seek Jesus Christ with all your heart and soul. The first book off a printing press is a love letter from God to you. Have you read it?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    Hakuzen
    August 25, 2012 12:43 pm
    "Any English speaker that has not read a word of the Bible is like a barbarian." Dr. Richard Dawkins

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2147090/Is-believer-Atheist-Richard-Dawkins-SUPPORTS-plan-free-bibles-schools.html

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    The internet
    August 24, 2012 10:58 pm
    This place is an Atheist church. In a place where a person can pretend to be 7 feet tall and leap over buildings, Atheism prospers. A fake place like the internet was made for something as fake and opposite of the truth as Atheism.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Hakuzen wrote...
    Daddy Dennis is deeply troubled
    August 24, 2012 11:46 pm
    I was going to make a rebuttal, but I think you made my point for me without me saying a word. I feel bad for your children.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    You talk about my kids?
    August 25, 2012 12:33 pm
    Hey, let's keep my kids out of your mouth, OK pop culture groupie? I understand that you are an internet hate-monger who probably struggles to pay bills and lives in your mom's basement, but let's try to keep it civil.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    Daddy Dennis
    August 25, 2012 7:39 am
    And the Bible is a place of fantasy,the TV is full of evangelists who will tell you how to find the Lord if you send them a few dollars.The largest group of phonies in the USA seems to be Christians.The extreme members of this group will make up fiction and outright lie if they think their side will benefit from it.I'll admit that some are truly beautiful people but far too many are pond scum
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    If you think this is true...
    August 25, 2012 12:36 pm
    If you think Christianity is not true, stop using our date to measure time. Go to your bank and tell them you will be using a new date. You are not allowed to change words to make the year something new. Just like I can't change the name of my car to "Ferrari" and take it to a lot and make massive profits trading it in.

    The first book off a printing press and the most popular book in the history of mankind is the opposite of a lie. If you skip it, you are the opposite of smart.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    It's OK
    August 25, 2012 12:59 pm
    They are held as slaves by a master much more subtle and wise than they are. Devils tremble when confronted by the Holy Spirit. Fools do not. A fool lacks healthy fear. They hate friends and embrace enemies.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sportsguru wrote...
    I don't care if he is religious or a man of faith
    August 25, 2012 12:42 pm
    All I care about is if he can make plays as the quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. All the other stuff is for him and his church, all I care about is if he is a good person or not and not what his faith is or what his religion is. I think it takes away from how hard he has worked and how dedicated he is to his work.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    Wrong answer
    August 25, 2012 12:48 pm
    It takes nothing at all away from what he does. It actually adds to what he does. This was a great story about his faith and look who showed up. A bunch of examples as to why this nation is heading toward a financial cliff.

    You see, in China when provinces started converting to Christianity in droves they noticed something. No longer did these provinces rely on the state to care for them. The church stepped in and took that burden from the state. Suddenly provinces that were once a burden started filling the state's coffers with revenue. By the end of this year China will be the largest Christian nation on the planet. And as the self-worshiping media zombies continue to boom in the west, the west goes broke.

    To Mr. Wilson, this is ALL about faith.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    Daddy Dennis
    August 25, 2012 1:56 pm
    Its all about politics with you Christians isn't? In case you did not notice China made its great leap forward as a atheist nation. Now you Christians see China as a place to spread your poison while making a few bucks.At some point the Peoples Republic will have had its fill with your missionary and will start lining them up and shooting them as you will cause political unrest if they don't
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    Mess
    August 26, 2012 1:45 pm
    Every country that has declining Atheism has rising prosperity. In China, throwing little girls into lakes and farming prisoners for their organs is on the decline as Christianity rises.

    The real clue for a hate-monger and disgusting internet Atheist like yourself is this: The fingers you used to type this question were not earned by you at all. You were given them FOR FREE and now use them to promote your sick agenda.

    The only reason you don't walk with a limp is because you popped off something out of your disgusting mind at someone who loved God. Instead of breaking your ego-tripping leg or worse, they said a prayer for you and forgave you. You walk right because of the Lord.

    You are a disturbed bigot who should up to this story to display it. Get a life, loser.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    should = showed
    August 26, 2012 2:13 pm
    We are not all perfect. The ones who attack people on the internet for their faith are perhaps the farthest thing from good the world has ever seen. Want to hate on someone for their faith from a hidden place? WELCOME TO THE INTERNET! Cowardice marries digital vanity and has a baby...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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