The Cowboys family got very sad news today when it was revealed Wade Wilson passed away. Wilson spent a lot of time with the Cowboys organization as a backup quarterback and then as a quarterback coach. He was 60 and no cause of death was released. Wilson was the Cowboys quarterback coach from from 2000 to 2002 and again from 2007 through 2017 when he was replaced by Kellen Moore. He also played for the Cowboys back in the day. Sad news today as we lost a teammate far too soon. Wade Wilson was my backup from 1995-‘97 and my QB coach my last season in 2000. Prayers for his children and family. #RIP — Troy Aikman (@TroyAikman) February 1, 2019 He was instrumental in developing Tony Romo’s game and was the coach when Dak Prescott had his breakout rookie season in 2016. He got caught up in the wave of change among the assistant coaches in Dallas that occurred after the 2017 season. Wilson also had a long career playing quarterback for other franchises in the NFL including the Vikings, Falcons, Saints and Raiders. Overall, he spent 19 seasons as an NFL quarterback. Today was also his birthday. RIP, Wade Wilson.<doc-sep>On Friday, a great number of Minnesota Vikings fans lost a big link to their early days as fans of the purple. News came down earlier today that former Vikings’ quarterback Wade Wilson has passed away. His death comes on his 60th birthday. Wilson was drafted by the Vikings in the eighth round of the 1981 NFL Draft out of East Texas State. He served mainly in a backup capacity for the Vikings until 1987, when he started seven of the twelve games played by the team’s “regular” players. The 1987 season was interrupted by a player’s strike, which saw the cancellation of one week’s worth of games and three weeks of games played by “scabs,” or non-union players. In that 1987 season, Wilson led one of the more memorable postseason runs in Vikings history, for reasons both good and bad. The Vikings went into the playoffs as the fifth team in a five-team field, and started the playoffs by demolishing the New Orleans Saints by a final score of 44-10. They then went into San Francisco and beat the top-seeded 49ers by a score of 36-24, a beatdown so thorough that the legendary Joe Montana was benched during the contest. Alas, a Super Bowl run was not to be, as the Vikings fell to the Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship Game by a score of 17-10. The game ended with Wilson’s fourth-down pass being dropped at the goal line by running back Darrin Nelson, sending the Redskins to the big game. Wilson would play four more seasons for the Vikings, earning a Pro Bowl selection in 1988. He then spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Dallas Cowboys before finishing his playing career with the Oakland Raiders. Wilson retired following the 1999 season, and immediately went into coaching as the Dallas Cowboys’ quarterbacks coach. Wilson held that job from 2000 to 2002, and then coached the quarterbacks for the Chicago Bears from 2004 to 2006. He then returned to Dallas, where he coached quarterbacks for 11 more seasons from 2007 to 2017. As of today, Wilson is fourth in Minnesota Vikings’ history in both passing yardage (12,135) and passing touchdowns (66). He is fifth in team history in both passing completions (929) and passing attempts (1,665). We here at The Daily Norseman would like to send our condolences to the family and friends of Wade Wilson.<doc-sep>DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and assistant coach Wade Wilson died at his home in Coppell, Texas on Friday, his 60th birthday, the Dallas Cowboys confirm. The Cowboys did not say anything about his cause of death. Coppell Police said someone made a 911 call from Wilson’s home, where the caller said Wilson was unresponsive and CPR was underway. When paramedics got there, they determined Wilson had died. Wilson played with five different NFL teams in a career that spanned 19 years from 1981 to 1999. Following his playing career,Wilson served as an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. Wilson was an eighth round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings in 1981 and led them to three playoff appearances, including the 1987 NFC Championship Game, during his 11 years with the team. He also spent time with the Atlanta Falcons (1992), New Orleans Saints (1993-94), Dallas Cowboys (1995-97) and Oakland Raiders (1998-99). He served as Troy Aikman’s backup on the Cowboys Super Bowl XXX championship team in 1995. Aikman tweeted shortly after hearing the news, “Sad news today as we lost a teammate far too soon. Wade Wilson was my backup from 1995-‘97 and my QB coach my last season in 2000. Prayers for his children and family. # RIP” Sad news today as we lost a teammate far too soon. Wade Wilson was my backup from 1995-‘97 and my QB coach my last season in 2000. Prayers for his children and family. #RIP — Troy Aikman (@TroyAikman) February 1, 2019 Cowboys owner Jerry Jones released the following statement on Wilson’s passing: Wade was a cherished and valued member of our organization as a player, a coach and a wonderful friend. His contributions began as a member of a Super Bowl winning team and carried on through to helping guide the development and growth of both Tony Romo and Dak Prescott. This is a sad day for all members of the Cowboys family as we have lost a truly great man. Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones and all of the lives that he touched with his warm demeanor and his caring persona. Wade Wilson will be missed greatly—and never forgotten. Former Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith tweeted, “I am completely saddened by the loss of my former teammate, Wade Wilson… my thoughts, prayers and heart go to him and his family during this time. 🙏🏾” Former Cowboys safety Darren Woodson tweeted, “Cowboys Nation lost a good man today in Wade Wilson! I personally lost a friend and a great teammate! RIP Wade!” Cowboys Nation lost a good man today in Wade Wilson! I personally lost a friend and a great teammate! RIP Wade! — Darren Woodson (@darrenwoodson28) February 1, 2019 Former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten tweeted, “RIP Sticks. A life well lived.” RIP Sticks. A life well lived. https://t.co/vIftSHjF9T — Jason Witten (@JasonWitten) February 1, 2019 Wilson completed his career with a 75.6 quarterback rating on 1,391-of-2,428 passing for 17,283 yards. His best statistical year was 1988 when he led the NFC with a 91.5 quarterback rating and completed 204-of-332 passes (61.4%) for 2,746 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. During his three years in Dallas, Wilson threw for 585 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions on 58-of-96 passing for a 63.9 rating. He earned one start (at Washington, 12/22/96) in his three-year stay in Dallas. Born in Commerce, Texas, Wilson graduated from Commerce 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. CBS 11 Sports Director Bill Jones tweeted, “So sad to hear the news that Wade Wilson has passed away. Such a great guy. So kind. Great QB at East Texas State..18y NFL career..He was Troy Aikman’s backup (95-97) and QB coach (00-02)…Tony Romo’s QB coach (07-16) and Dak Prescott’s (16-17). This was his 60th birthday.”<doc-sep>
In sudden and tragic news, former longtime Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson has passed away. Today was his 60th birthday. Wilson’s ties to the Cowboys franchise span three separate stints, as both a player and position coach. Wilson most recently was Dallas’s quarterbacks coach for a decade (2007 – 2017), a role he also served for the Cowboys from 2000 – 2002. Before that, Wilson played for Dallas for three seasons, and was even a member of the Cowboys’ the last Super Bowl-winning team. Sad news today as we lost a teammate far too soon. Wade Wilson was my backup from 1995-‘97 and my QB coach my last season in 2000. Prayers for his children and family. #RIP — Troy Aikman (@TroyAikman) February 1, 2019 Cowboys Nation lost a good man today in Wade Wilson! I personally lost a friend and a great teammate! RIP Wade! — Darren Woodson (@darrenwoodson28) February 1, 2019 RIP Wade Wilson great teammate. — LarryAllen (@larryallen73) February 1, 2019 Born in Commerce, Texas, Wilson’s NFL career began as an eighth round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 1981. His playing career lasted 19 seasons for five different teams, which included a Pro Bowl selection in 1988. All told, Wilson threw for 17,283 yards and 99 career touchdowns, and immediately transitioned to Cowboys quarterbacks coach after retiring from his playing career in 2000. 16 of his 37 years within the NFL were spent with Dallas. A true lifer, Wade Wilson was a familiar and friendly face for multiple generations of Cowboys players and fans, and will be dearly missed. Cowboys Wire sends its condolences to the Wilson family.