Lawrence Frank Wilson (March 24, 1938 – September 17, 2020) was an American professional football safety who played 13 years with the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Wilson was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, and first or second-team All-Pro in seven seasons, at free safety. During the 1960s, Wilson became the leading player in developing and using the safety blitz as a means to disrupt opponents' offenses. He was nicknamed "Wildcat", after the Cardinals' name for their safety blitz play.
Wilson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978, in his first year of eligibility. He was named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994, and was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019. He received numerous other honors at every level; from his high school, at the collegiate level, and in the NFL.
Wilson ranks 26th all-time in interceptions. In 1966, he led the NFL in interceptions while tying the record for interceptions in consecutive games (seven); and received the first George Halas Cup as defensive player of the year. Wilson had three interceptions in a single game twice (with interception returns for touchdowns in each of those games); famously had an interception in 1965 while playing a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with casts on both of his broken hands; and in 1966 made a spectacular one-handed interception against the Philadelphia Eagles which he then returned 91 yards for a touchdown, that later was selected as one of the top 100 plays in NFL history.
Wilson played his entire 13-year career with the Cardinals and remained with the team in coaching, scouting, and executive capacities until 2003, long after the team moved to Phoenix in the 1988 season. He is a member of the Cardinals Ring of Honor, and the team retired his jersey No. 8 at the end of the 1972 season after Wilson announced his retirement. Wilson played college football for the University of Utah Utes; and was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 1985.
Early life Wilson was born on March 24, 1938, in Rigby, Idaho, where he grew up. Wilson’s mother died when he was a child and his father raised Wilson and his brother. Wilson helped raise his younger brother, with his father out of the house as a truck driver at times. As a teen, he worked long days harvesting potatoes.
Wilson attended Rigby High School. He earned 16 varsity sports letters, and the football team won a state championship. Wilson also set state records in the high jump and high hurdles. In 1956, he was the state champion in both the 120–yard high hurdles and 180–yard low hurdles.
High school honors A Hometown Hall of Famer plaque in Wilson's honor now hangs at Rigby High School, noting his accomplishments. This was presented by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a 2012 ceremony at Rigby. The school’s stadium was named for Wilson until relocating, after which Wilson was honored with a $20,000 monument in 2021 at the new stadium site. During the 2021 ceremony, the chair of the committee to honor Wilson observed the lack of hate and divisiveness in his nature and stated, "'It doesn’t matter what your politics are or what your religion is, (honoring a man like Larry Wilson) is something we can all come together on and I think that is so important for our community'".
Wilson's high school jersey No. 7 has been permanently retired. The Larry Wilson Sharpening the Axe Award is given annually to one offensive and one defensive player on Rigby's football team. A scholarship is given annually in Wilson’s name to one senior based on a number of factors, including that the student reflects Wilson’s qualities of kindness, humility, and having the respect of peers. College career Wilson attended the University of Utah from 1956 to 1959, where he got a degree in physical education and obtained a teaching certificate. He played college football for the Utes in the Skyline Conference, where he was a two-way starter at halfback and cornerback under head coaches Jack Curtice and Ray Nagel.
As a sophomore in 1957, Wilson rushed for 152 yards on 51 carries, and had nine pass receptions for 122 yards and three receiving touchdowns. As a junior, he rushed for 489 yards with three rushing touchdowns. Wilson's six yards per carry average was seventh best nationally in 1958. He also had a team-leading 13 receptions for 256 yards and one receiving touchdown. Wilson's quarterback in 1957 and 1958 was All-American and future NFL quarterback, and sports broadcaster, Lee Grosscup.
As a senior in 1959, Wilson rushed for 559 yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry; and his eight rushing touchdowns were tied for eighth best nationally. He also had 21 receptions for 215 yards and four receiving touchdowns. In a late October 1959 game against the Arizona Wildcats, Wilson rushed for three touchdowns, caught two touchdown passes, and ran for a two-point conversion, in setting a school record at the time for most points in a game. During the 1959 season, Ute head coach Nagel stated that Wilson was equally skilled on both offense and defense, but would likely become a defensive back in the NFL. Nagel observed that "'Larry is one of the finest defensive backs in the nation. He is plenty fast enough to take care of most performers on pass defense, he is a fine blocker, and a savage tackler. He's a great all-around football player'".
In 1959, Wilson was a third-team All-American and first-team All-Skyline Conference at running back. The Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI) named Wilson an honorable mention All-American in 1959. Wilson was named a third-team 1959 Williamson All-American. The AP and UPI named Wilson first-team All-Skyline Conference in 1959; the AP stating that the conference coaches rated Wilson highly as a defensive player, blocker, and running back. He was selected to play in the January 1960 East West Shrine Game.
During his three-year Ute career, Wilson rushed for 1,200 yards with 11 rushing touchdowns, had eight more touchdowns as a receiver, and averaged 26.1 yards per kickoff return. Wilson played more minutes for the Utes than any player in school history. He was inducted into Utah's Crimson Club Hall of Fame in 1985. He was the first Utah player ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Professional career Despite his skill and adaptability, Wilson's small size (he was only six feet tall) resulted in him not being selected until the seventh round of the 1960 NFL draft by the Chicago Cardinals. The draft was held in November 1959, and the franchise moved to St. Louis before the start of the 1960 season. Wilson was chosen by the Buffalo Bills in the first American Football League draft.
During his first Cardinals' training camp, Wilson was unsuccessful at running back and cornerback, and was in danger of being cut from the Cardinals roster. In his first preseason game at cornerback Wilson was assigned to cover the Baltimore Colts' Hall of Fame receiver Raymond Berry; and was benched after giving up three touchdowns. Looking back on that day as he was retiring in 1972, Wilson said it might have been the lowest moment of his life and was sure the team would cut him. Cardinals Defensive coordinator Chuck Drulis was going to cut Wilson, but cornerback Jimmy Hill convinced Drulis to keep Wilson on the team at safety, telling Drulis that Wilson had more desire than anyone Hill had ever seen. Drulis and head coach Frank "Pop" Ivy moved Wilson to safety in the final preseason game and he had two interceptions against the San Francisco 49ers; and Wilson made the team at free safety.
Wilson started 11 of the Cardinals 12 games his rookie year (1960) at free safety. He had two interceptions that season, and also returned three punts and six kickoffs. Wilson referred to himself as the "weak side safety" in the Cardinals' system. He found that the term "free safety" belied the fact that he generally had defined defensive assignments; and was not typically free to decide what to do on defense.
Safety blitz (1961) Drulis, working with Ivy, developed the "safety blitz" with the Cardinals in 1960. Wilson later called it Drulis's brainchild. This involved a safety rushing the line of scrimmage as soon as the ball was snapped instead of retreating to defend against the pass, in an attempt to sack or pressure the quarterback before the ball was thrown. Wilson stated that it was the coach's decision when the play would be used, and the safeties themselves did not decide when to blitz.
The play was risky because if the blitzing safety was blocked then there would be an opening in the defensive backfield for the quarterback to complete a pass. To succeed, the safety blitz required a player with advanced athletic and defensive capabilities along with precise timing. Drulis and Ivy first tried the safety blitz in 1960, using the Cardinals 1960 All-Pro safety Jerry Norton in the scheme. When the Cardinals first ran the safety blitz, the pressure was severe since most teams at the time did not expect a defensive back to take part in a pass rush. This single play also helped to set up today's defenses where a blitz can come from anywhere.
Drulis became the Cardinals' head coach in 1961. He expanded use of the safety blitz, which Drulis decided would feature Wilson and his skill set. In the opening game of the 1961 NFL season against the New York Giants, Wilson sacked quarterback Charley Conerly twice on safety blitzes, and kept pressure on Conerly throughout the game; disrupting the Giants' offense in an upset victory for the Cardinals. This was Allie Sherman's first game as the Giants' head coach, and he was so surprised by the tactic that he looked to the officials for relief. He later said "'We're on offense and here comes Larry Wilson. He's playing free safety and he's rushing Y. A. Tittle. Pretty soon they had four, five, six and seven guys rushing'". After the game, he and his coaches immediately began to plan against these blitzes.
Over two decades later, Sherman recollected that the Giants were not hurt by the Cardinals' safety blitz after that first game. However, playing against the Giants again less than one month later in early October 1961, Wilson sacked Connerly for long losses twice. In that same game, Wilson also blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety and intercepted a pass that he returned 25 yards. Over the course of that season, Wilson started all 11 games in which he played, with three interceptions, three fumble recoveries, multiple sacks, and a safety.
Wilson transformed the nature of the safety position with his aggressive play, and would be known for the safety blitz throughout his career. As stated by the Pro Football Hall of Fame biographical note on Wilson, Wilson "did not invent the safety blitz, but he did capitalize on the maneuver to a degree not reached by any other pro player of the decade". In 1966, Wilson said "'The safety blitz is the only thing new to come along in the last six years . . . I'm very proud to have been a part of it. We sometimes call the maneuver 'Wildcat' and, as a result, I picked up the nickname 'Wildcat'".
Beginning of Pro Bowl/All Pro career In 1962, Drulis went back to the role of defensive coordinator and Wally Lemm became the Cardinals' new head coach; with the team having a 4–9–1 record. Drulis would remain Wilson's defensive coordinator for the remainder of their Cardinals' careers. Wilson started all 14 games for the first time, and had two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and five sacks. He was selected to play in the Pro Bowl for the first time. In a late October game against the Dallas Cowboys, Wilson intercepted an Eddie LeBaron pass and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown.