De'Runnya Wilson
De’Runnya S. Wilson[1] (September 14, 1994 – January 21, 2020) was an American football wide receiver for the Albany Empire of the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Wilson in 2014 | |
| No. 1,81 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 14, 1994 Birmingham, Alabama |
| Died: | January 21, 2020 (aged 25) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight: | 218 lb (99 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Birmingham (AL) Wenonah |
| College: | Mississippi State |
| Undrafted: | 2016 |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school career edit
Wilson attended Wenonah High School in Birmingham, Alabama, where he was primarily a basketball star, earning first-team Parade All-American honors in 2013. He joined the football team in his senior season, when he caught 31 passes for 682 yards and helped lead the Dragons to a 10-2 season.[1]
On the hardwood, he helped lead the Dragons to three consecutive state championships and was named the 2013 Alabama Mr. Basketball.[2]
Wilson was rated as a three-star football recruit by 247sports.com,[3] Rivals.com,[4] and Scout.com.[5] He chose to attend Mississippi State over offers from Auburn, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Louisville, Tennessee, and UAB.[3]
College career edit
Freshman season (2013) edit
Wilson made his debut in the first game of the 2013 season, catching 2 passes for 17 yards in a 21-3 loss to Oklahoma State in the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff.[6] Wilson's first touchdown came on a 59-yard pass from Tyler Russell against LSU.[7] Wilson had a breakout game against Texas A&M, catching 7 passes for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns.[8]
After the football season ended, Wilson played on the Bulldogs men's basketball team. He appeared in 7 games, scoring 6 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.[9]
Sophomore season (2014) edit
Wilson started every game at receiver for the Bulldogs in 2014. He had four catches and a touchdown in each of the Bulldogs' wins over top 10 teams LSU,[10] Texas A&M,[11] and Auburn,[12] helping lead the Bulldogs to the #1 ranking. Wilson came on strong at the end of the season, having 8 catches each in losses to Alabama[13] and Ole Miss.[14] He followed it up with 9 catches and 2 touchdowns in the Orange Bowl.[15] Wilson was the 2014 Bulldogs' leading receiver in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.[16]
Wilson was listed on the 2014–15 men's basketball roster,[17] but did not appear in any games.[18] Wilson's career as a basketball player was over, as it turned out later.[19]
Junior season (2015) edit
Wilson had 8 catches and a touchdown in a 21-19 loss to LSU.[20] He had 102 yards and 2 touchdowns in a rainy 31-13 win over Missouri[21] and a career-high 10 receptions in a 51-50 thriller over Arkansas.[22]
Wilson ranks 5th in school history with 133 receptions, 6th with 1,949 yards, and 2nd with 22 touchdowns.
College statistics edit
| Season | Team | GP | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
| 2013 | Mississippi State | 13 | 26 | 351 | 13.5 | 59 | 3 |
| 2014 | Mississippi State | 13 | 47 | 680 | 14.5 | 44 | 9 |
| 2015 | Mississippi State | 13 | 60 | 918 | 15.3 | 48 | 10 |
| Career | 39 | 133 | 1,949 | 14.7 | 59 | 22 | |
Professional career edit
On January 1, 2016, Wilson declared for the 2016 NFL Draft.[23] He had drawn comparisons to Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson,[24] Carolina Panthers receiver Kelvin Benjamin,[25] and Baltimore Ravens tight end Darren Waller.[26] Wilson participated in the NFL Scouting Combine but went undrafted, gaining only a workout with the Chicago Bears in October of that year.[27]
On March 20, 2018, Wilson joined the Albany Empire of the Arena Football League as a free agent, but never played a game as the team placed him on recallable reassignment a week later.[28]
Death edit
On January 21, 2020, Wilson was found shot to death inside his Birmingham, Alabama home. He was 25 years old.[29] Wilson was the father of five children.[29]
References edit
- ^ a b "De'Runnya Wilson bio". HailState.com. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "Wenonah's De'Runnya Wilson wins Mr. Basketball; Hoover's Marqu'es Webb named Miss Basketball". AL.com. April 4, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ a b "De'Runnya Wilson". 247sports.com. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "De'Runnya Wilson". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "De'Runnya Wilson". Scout.com. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "J.W. Walsh helps No. 13 Oklahoma State beat Miss. State". ESPN.com. August 31, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "No. 10 LSU pulls away to beat Mississippi State". ESPN.com. October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "Johnny Manziel throws 5 TDs, 3 interceptions in Texas A&M's win". ESPN.com. November 9, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ . HailState.com. March 14, 2013. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "Dak Prescott leads Mississippi State to first win at No. 8 LSU since 1991". ESPN.com. September 20, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "Dak Prescott accounts for 5 TDs in Miss. State's rout of Texas A&M". ESPN.com. October 4, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "Dak Prescott, No. 3 Mississippi State knock off No. 2 Auburn". ESPN.com. October 11, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "No. 5 Tide lock down on D to knock off top-ranked Mississippi State". ESPN.com. November 15, 2014.
- ^ "No. 19 Ole Miss topples No. 4 Mississippi State in Egg Bowl". ESPN.com. November 29, 2014.
- ^ "Justin Thomas' four total TDs lead Georgia Tech over Mississippi State". ESPN.com. December 31, 2014.
- ^ "Mississippi State 2014 Season Statistics". HailState.com. October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "Mississippi State 2014-15 Roster". HailState.com. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- ^ . HailState.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- ^ Bonner, Michael (January 5, 2015). "Rick Ray's plan for De'Runnya Wilson: to play in the NFL". ClarionLedger.com. The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- ^ "Leonard Fournette goes for 3 TDs to help LSU fend off Mississippi State". ESPN.com. September 12, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ "Dak Prescott throws four TDs to lead Mississippi State past Missouri". ESPN.com. November 5, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ^ "Late block helps Mississippi State hold off Arkansas 51-50". ESPN.com. November 21, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
- ^ Robbie Faulk [@robbiefaulk247] (January 1, 2016). "MSU wide receiver De'Runnya Wilson plans to declare for the NFL Draft. Wilson announced on Instagram he's played his last MSU game" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Scarborough, Alex (October 10, 2014). "Bear Force 1 takes off for Mississippi State". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- ^ "Mississippi State rising: A week behind the scenes with the Bulldogs". Sports Illustrated. October 10, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ . NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 29, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
- ^ Robinson, Dallas (October 4, 2016). "NFL Workout Updates: 10/4/16". profootballrumors.com. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ . arenafan.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ a b Robinson, Carol (January 23, 2020). "De'Runnya Wilson's family seeks answers in fatal shooting". al.com. Retrieved January 23, 2020.