In a time when star quarterbacks enter the NFL complete with accolades, hype videos, and trademark eligible nicknames, Russell Wilson is a change of pace. Wilson’s day-to-day life seems to be quieter and less publicized than one might think for a 26 year old, Super Bowl winning, franchise quarterback. This is due in large part to the manner in which Wilson lives his life. Most story-seeking media outlets do not deem his habits very “newsworthy”. In short, Wilson is not an athlete that one would expect to see come across the ESPN ticker for anything other than his statistical achievements. On a typical day, Wilson tweets out a morning Bible verse to his 1.09 million Twitter followers and then proceeds to go about his daily business while confiding in only a handful of close friends, colleagues, and mentors.
#BVD I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. (Proverbs 8:17 NIV)
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) January 29, 2015
#BVD Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17 ESV)
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) January 28, 2015
Other than his teammates and family, Wilson’s inner circle consists of his agent, Mark Rodgers founder of Frontline Athlete Management; Rodger’s son, Matthew who lives near Russell in Seattle; and his mental toughness coaches, Trevor Moawad and Dr. Michael Gervais. These are the people who makeup Team Wilson. Wilson and his team place an emphasis on positive thinking and a motivated mind.
Wilson: “I visualize success every day. I never visualize failure. I credit that to my parents.” #SB49 — Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 28, 2015
“As long as we have faith in our own cause & an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied.” -Winston Churchill
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) January 31, 2015
Wilson credits these individuals for a large part of his success and for placing him in a structural environment that allows him to lead men ten years his senior. With “people like Trevor Moawad and Dr. Gervais” it’s the “nature v. nurture debate” and with “Mark Rodgers my agent, but he’s more than that he’s really like my best friend. I talk to them a lot, and they keep me going the right way.”
In an interview about Wilson, Mark Rodgers spoke of his confidence and demeanor,
“With this guy, nothing happens by happenstance. Nothing surprises him. He’s been this way since I met him. He’s just different. He had a vision and a complete understanding of who he was, a very lucid vision of exactly who he wanted to be, and he wasn’t asking questions; he was making statements. He wanted to play Major League Baseball, he wanted to play in the NFL. And I’m looking at this kid across the table from me, and he was smaller than me, and I’m thinking he might be a middle infielder, but a two-sport star who is a starting quarterback in the NFL? I was like, ‘Wow, I love this kid’s confidence.'”
Wilson’s unwavering confidence was never on display more than during this year’s NFC Championship game. On a day when Wilson had thrown four interceptions and the Seahawks trailed Green Bay by two scores late in the 4th Quarter he remained positive, engaged, and focused on leading his teammates. Now on the verge of Super Bowl 49 when few things are certain its safe to say Wilson will be ready, and as he has already proven, the stage will not be too big for him.
