# Wade Wilson (American football)
**Wade Wilson** (Charles Wade Wilson; February 1, 1959 – February 1, 2019) was an [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) quarterback who played 19 seasons in the NFL with five teams, spent his first 11 years with the [Minnesota Vikings](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnesota-vikings), earned a [Pro Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-bowl) selection in 1988, and later worked 18 years as an NFL assistant coach, mostly as the Dallas Cowboys' quarterbacks coach, where he helped develop Tony Romo and Dak Prescott.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-vikings-cowboys-qb-wade-wilson-dies-at-60-0ap3000001015302) • [2](https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/former-cowboys-coach-wade-wilson-passes-away)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1959, Greenville, Texas; February 1, 2019, Coppell, Texas (his 60th birthday)[3](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WilsWa00.htm) |
| Draft | Minnesota Vikings, 8th round (210th overall), 1981 NFL Draft, out of East Texas State University[3](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WilsWa00.htm) |
| Teams | Vikings (1981–91), Falcons (1992), Saints (1993–94), Cowboys (1995–97), Raiders (1998–99)[2](https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/former-cowboys-coach-wade-wilson-passes-away) |
| Career passing | 125 games, 69 starts, 1,391-of-2,428 for 17,283 yards, 99 touchdowns, 102 interceptions, 75.6 passer rating, 36–33 as a starter[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/wade-wilson/stats/career) • [1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-vikings-cowboys-qb-wade-wilson-dies-at-60-0ap3000001015302) |
| Peak season | 1988 Pro Bowl: 204-of-332 for 2,746 yards, 15 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 91.5 passer rating, NFL-leading 61.4 completion percentage[5](https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-family-teammates-remember-wade-wilson) |
| Championships | Super Bowl XXX champion as Troy Aikman's backup in Dallas[2](https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/former-cowboys-coach-wade-wilson-passes-away) |
| Coaching | Cowboys quarterbacks coach 2000–02 and 2007–17; Bears quarterbacks coach 2004–06[2](https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/former-cowboys-coach-wade-wilson-passes-away) |
## Playing career with the Vikings
Wilson was an eighth-round pick, a draft slot from which few quarterbacks survive long in the league, and he nearly did not make Minnesota's roster at all.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-vikings-cowboys-qb-wade-wilson-dies-at-60-0ap3000001015302) He became the backup to Tommy Kramer and spent his early seasons in spot duty, throwing 13 passes as a rookie in 1981 and appearing in only one game in 1983.[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/wade-wilson/stats/career)
**The 1987 breakthrough.** In 1987, under head coach Jerry Burns, Wilson started seven of 12 regular-season games and two of Minnesota's three postseason games.[5](https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-family-teammates-remember-wade-wilson) The season included the franchise's biggest comeback: with the Vikings trailing Philadelphia 23–0 in the fourth quarter of a game on December 1, 1985, he had come off the bench to throw three touchdowns, two to Anthony Carter, in a 28–23 victory.[6](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/saints/sxtkajg4ucn4vq26ytkj.pdf) In the 1987 playoffs he helped upset the 13–2 [San Francisco 49ers](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-49ers) in the Divisional Round, then started the [NFC Championship Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfc-championship-game), which Minnesota lost 17–10 to Washington.[5](https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-family-teammates-remember-wade-wilson)
**The 1988 Pro Bowl season.** Wilson earned his only Pro Bowl selection in 1988, finishing 204-of-332 for career highs of 2,746 yards and 15 touchdowns with a 91.5 passer rating that led the NFC; his 61.4 percent completion rate led the entire league.[5](https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-family-teammates-remember-wade-wilson) • [6](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/saints/sxtkajg4ucn4vq26ytkj.pdf) That November he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month after going 73-of-112 for 1,009 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions during a 4–0 month.[6](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/saints/sxtkajg4ucn4vq26ytkj.pdf) In 1990 and 1991 he shared Minnesota's starting duties with [Rich Gannon](https://www.edgepedia.org/rich-gannon), and he left the Vikings with 929 completions on 1,665 attempts for 12,135 yards, 66 touchdowns, and 75 interceptions, having started 48 of 76 games.[5](https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-family-teammates-remember-wade-wilson)
## The journeyman years
After leaving Minnesota, Wilson moved through four teams in eight seasons. He threw a career-best 13 touchdowns for Atlanta in 1992, then signed with New Orleans in 1993 and handled starting duties in 14 games, leading the Saints to a 5–0 start before a 1994 season in which he appeared in only four games.[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/wade-wilson/stats/career) • [7](https://www.neworleanssaints.com/news/wade-wilson-former-new-orleans-saints-quarterback-dies-at-age-60) With Dallas from 1995 to 1997 he served as the backup to [Troy Aikman](https://www.edgepedia.org/troy-aikman), winning [Super Bowl XXX](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xxx) with the Cowboys after their 27–17 victory over the [Pittsburgh Steelers](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh-steelers).[2](https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/former-cowboys-coach-wade-wilson-passes-away) He closed his playing career with Oakland in 1998 and 1999.[2](https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/former-cowboys-coach-wade-wilson-passes-away)
## Coaching career
Wilson retired after the 1999 season and immediately became an NFL assistant, beginning an 18-year run as an assistant coach.[7](https://www.neworleanssaints.com/news/wade-wilson-former-new-orleans-saints-quarterback-dies-at-age-60) He coached the Cowboys' quarterbacks from 2000 to 2002, moved to the [Chicago Bears](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-bears) from 2004 to 2006, where he helped [Lovie Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/lovie-smith)'s teams win back-to-back [NFC North](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfc-north) titles in 2005 and 2006 and reach the 2006 NFC Championship Game, and then returned to Dallas for eleven more seasons from 2007 to 2017.[2](https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/former-cowboys-coach-wade-wilson-passes-away) • [8](https://www.chicagobears.com/news/ex-bears-qbs-coach-wilson-passes-away)
In Dallas he tutored [Tony Romo](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-romo), an undrafted free agent who became the franchise's all-time leader with 248 touchdown passes, and helped [Dak Prescott](https://www.edgepedia.org/dak-prescott) transition to the league after Prescott was drafted in the fourth round in 2016.[8](https://www.chicagobears.com/news/ex-bears-qbs-coach-wilson-passes-away) Cowboys owner [Jerry Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-jones) credited Wilson with helping guide the development of both Romo and Prescott.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-vikings-cowboys-qb-wade-wilson-dies-at-60-0ap3000001015302)
## Death and tributes
Wilson died on February 1, 2019, his 60th birthday, at his home in Coppell, Texas; the Cowboys announced his passing but did not specify a cause.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-vikings-cowboys-qb-wade-wilson-dies-at-60-0ap3000001015302) • [9](https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/former-cowboys-quarterback-assistant-coach-wade-wilson-passes-away/) Aikman, whom Wilson had backed up in Dallas and later coached, wrote that the team had lost a teammate far too soon, and former teammate Emmitt Smith also publicly mourned him.[2](https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/former-cowboys-coach-wade-wilson-passes-away) Vikings equipment manager Dennis Ryan recalled Wilson's 1987 relief appearance in a New Orleans playoff game, entered with Minnesota down 10–0 and won 44–10, as the day he "quieted the loudest crowd I've ever heard on a game day"; Kramer said he had helped the young Texan adjust his grip on the ball early in his career, turning fluttering passes into spirals.[5](https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-family-teammates-remember-wade-wilson)
Wilson played his high school football at Commerce (Texas) High School and lettered four years at East Texas State University, where he earned NAIA All-America and Lone Star Conference MVP honors as a senior while leading the conference in passing and total offense; the school's conference inducted him into its Hall of Honor in 2003.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-vikings-cowboys-qb-wade-wilson-dies-at-60-0ap3000001015302) • [10](https://lonestarconference.org/hof.aspx?hof=22)
## References
1. [Former Vikings, Cowboys QB Wade Wilson dies at 60, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-vikings-cowboys-qb-wade-wilson-dies-at-60-0ap3000001015302)
2. [Former Cowboys Coach Wade Wilson Passes Away, DallasCowboys.com](https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/former-cowboys-coach-wade-wilson-passes-away)
3. [Wade Wilson Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WilsWa00.htm)
4. [Wade Wilson Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/wade-wilson/stats/career)
5. [Vikings Family, Teammates Remember Wade Wilson, Vikings.com](https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-family-teammates-remember-wade-wilson)
6. [Wade Wilson biographical profile, Dallas Cowboys media publication (PDF)](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/saints/sxtkajg4ucn4vq26ytkj.pdf)
7. [Wade Wilson, former New Orleans Saints quarterback, dies at age 60, NewOrleansSaints.com](https://www.neworleanssaints.com/news/wade-wilson-former-new-orleans-saints-quarterback-dies-at-age-60)
8. [Ex-Bears QBs coach Wilson passes away, ChicagoBears.com](https://www.chicagobears.com/news/ex-bears-qbs-coach-wilson-passes-away)
9. [Former Cowboys Quarterback, Assistant Coach Wade Wilson Passes Away At 60, CBS Texas](https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/former-cowboys-quarterback-assistant-coach-wade-wilson-passes-away/)
10. [Wade Wilson (2003), Lone Star Conference Hall of Honor](https://lonestarconference.org/hof.aspx?hof=22)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Quarterbacks › 1970s and 1980s quarterbacks*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license