Wisconsin Football Countdown: No. 53, Robert Wilson
By Jim Oxley
As the countdown to the first Wisconsin football game of the season continues, Badger of Honor is taking a look at Badgers by the numbers, checking in on a different Badger or Badgers players who wore the number corresponding with the remaining days until the Badgers head to Texas to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday, Sept. 5.
Next up in our countdown, signifying 53 days until college football is back, is Robert Wilson.
Wisconsin Badgers
Robert “Red” Wilson (No, not THAT Rob Wilson) is a Milwaukee native who played for Wisconsin from 1946 to 1949. Wilson played center and end for the Badgers.
In 1949 he was a Central Press second team All-America and an Associated Press, All-Players and Grantland-Rice third team All-American.
He was a first team All-Big Ten selection in both 1947 and 1949, and was the Jimmy Demetral team MVP for three straight seasons from 1947 to 1949.
He was a team captain in 1949, as well.
He won “The Silver Football” in 1949, the award presented to the Big Ten Most Valuable Player as voted by the Chicago Tribune. He won the award in between Badgers legends Dave Schreiner (1942) and Alan Ameche (1954).
In 1969 he was voted to Wisconsin’s All-Time Team in conjunction with the centennial of college football.
Who wore No. 53 first?
• Guard Robert Sykes first wore No. 53 in 1927.
Who wears No. 53 now?
• Redshirt freshman inside linebacker T.J. Edwards currently wears No. 53 for the Badgers. Edwards, along with Leon Jacobs, is a likely starter at inside linebacker this season as the Badgers look to replace the constant production from Marcus Trotter and Derek Landisch.
Stay tuned to Badger of Honor as we continue our daily countdown in preparation of the season opener against Alabama.
Next: Wisconsin Football Experience