(‘3 Guys Before the Game’ podcast with Quincy Wilson)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Quincy Wilson is perhaps best remembered for a play that covered 33 yards in 11 seconds. Trailing No. 2 Miami 19-13 with 2:13 to play in their 2003 matchup at the Orange Bowl, Wilson caught a screen pass from Rasheed Marshall, evaded three tackles, barreled through and leaped over Brandon Meriweather for a touchdown.
According to Wilson, that play wasn’t dissimilar from many in his final season at West Virginia.
“If you watch my senior year, I was a second effort, keep going, you better bring five or six guys to bring me down type of guy,” Wilson said. “Was it spectacular? I think the end of the run, whenever you run over a guy and jump over him, I had done that against Syracuse. I had done that all season.
“I wore offensive lineman shoulder pads so that should have been a dead giveaway.”
Weirton-built
Prior to arriving at WVU in the fall of 1999, Wilson authored an impressive career at Weir High School. Wilson rushed for 6,161 yards and scored 90 touchdowns as a Red Rider. In 1997, he led WHS to the Class AA semifinals with a 10-3 record.
“If you are ever in Weirton, you know it is uphill and downhill. I walked to school everyday. And those legs developed over time. Every time I went to a camp, a guy would ask, ‘How many calf raises do you do?’ I didn’t lift weights until I got to West Virginia.”
In 1998, Wilson became the first player in state history to eclipse the 3,000-yard rushing mark in a single season (3,262). He also set a new state mark with 47 touchdowns. Wilson shared the Kennedy Award (state’s top player) with Nitro quarterback J.R. House. Morgantown running back Chris Yura was also in the mix for the honor in one of the best competitions for the Kennedy that the state has seen. Both House and Yura had won the honor previously.
“J.R. House was throwing eight or nine touchdowns a game, Chris was running for five or six touchdowns per game. It was one of the best Kennedy races ever. I had to go for three thousand yards if I even wanted to be considered.”
Wilson capped his prep career with an undefeated run (14-0) to the Class AA state championship. The Red Riders defeated DuPont 20-17 at Wheeling Island Stadium.
“There was so much anticipation for the game. To be able to put our team in a position to win, was just an awesome feeling.”
Transition season at WVU
Wilson played sparingly in his freshman season of 1999. He carried the ball 27 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. His missed the entire 2000 season due to injury.
In December of 2000, Rich Rodriguez was hired as head coach. A transition season in 2001 resulted in a 3-8 record but also set the stage for a solid decade that would follow.
“They knew exactly the kind of guys it was going to take to win. They were like, ‘We are going to cut the fat’. If these kids can’t take it, it is going to be process of elimination. We were picked to the bare bones and we paid for it that next year but everyone we brought in after that was their guy.
“We hit from period 1 to period 29. That’s the mentality we had built.”
In his junior season, Wilson became an integral part of the WVU offense. He rushed for 901 yards and six touchdowns while sharing carries with Avon Cobourne. The Mountaineers went 9-4.
A year later, Wilson flourished in the starting spot. He rushed for 1,380 yards and a dozen touchdowns. Wilson averaged almost 22 carries a game.
“It was five, six, eight, twelve yards downhill and just pounding it. I found out that defenses wore down. You get tired of running into someone about 200 pounds by the third and fourth quarters. We just kept coming at teams and we caught fire my senior year when we won seven straight.”
The Mountaineers claimed a share of the Big East Conference title in 2003. Three more league titles would follow over the next four seasons.
“That culture, to be the first part of that will always have a special part in the start of the golden era of WVU football.”
“We got jackets and we got rings and all of that. It was the culmination of a career of what we went through. To be Big East champs, we’ll always hang our hat on that.”
Wilson was selected in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He would later catch on with the Cincinnati Bengals and played parts of four seasons in the NFL.
Back in the game at West Virginia State
Wilson has been reunited with former WVU teammates on the coaching staff at West Virginia State University. John Pennington is in his fourth season as head coach. George Shehl is the defensive coordinator and Wilson leads the running backs.
“That first year we had a winning record (6-5 in 2017). The second year we lost (quarterback) Austin Hensley, who was probably going to be the conference player of the year, in the first game. But we still kept rolling (6-5). Last year we played for a share of the (Mountain East) Conference championship (7-4).”
Wilson says the highlight of his coaching experience is hitting the recruiting trail.
“I love going out to high school games, seeing kids on visits, recruiting is the best.”
Wilson just celebrated his 39th birthday last month but insists, he could still strap on a helmet and get tough yards if needed.
“No doubt. I have goal line in me. I have some third downs. Now I would be smarter about it, run out of bounds, pick your spots. The game has changed so much.”