Red Wilson obit

Former Elon, Duke coach Red Wilson dies at 95

 

He was not on the list.

Shirley "Red" Wilson, a longtime North Carolina football coach whose career was highlighted by successful tenures as the head coach at Elon and Duke, died Friday night at his home in Burlington, North Carolina. He was 95.

A football player himself at Davidson College, Wilson would first rise to acclaim by coaching high school football in both North Carolina and Virginia. After winning eight conference championships, including three undefeated seasons, Wilson would be hired as the head coach of the then-Elon Fighting Christians in 1967. Wilson would coach at Elon for ten seasons, leading the team to six conference championships - Including four-straight from 1971 to 1974 - and a trip to the National Championship Game against Central Arkansas in 1976.

To this day, Wilson remains the winningest head coach in Elon history with a record of 72-34-2.

"Coach Wilson was a great coach and even better person," read a statement by Elon Director of Athletics Dave Blank. ""His impact on so many Elon student-athletes, assistant coaches, and members of our campus and community was remarkable and he will be missed by all of us."

During his time at Elon, Wilson coached seven All-Americans and one College Football Hall of Famer in tight end Rich McGeorge, who went on to become the No. 16-overall pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 1970 NFL Draft.

After a decade at Elon, Wilson would go on to become an assistant coach with the Duke Blue Devils before being promoted to head coach in 1979. According to John Dell of the Winston-Salem Journal, Wilson's record at Duke was 16-27-1, but he had two winning seasons in both 1981 and 1982. He was fired shortly after the 1982 season despite Duke's victory over their arch rival in the North Carolina Tar Heels. Wilson's tenure at Duke was particularly notable for his hire of a young Steve Spurrier, who was given his first opportunity to serve as an offensive coordinator in the early 1980s.

After the end of his coaching career, Wilson would go on to work in public relations for Duke hospitals as well as a starter at Pinehurst Resort before moving back to Burlington. Wilson was inducted into the Elon Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984, and he was also named to both the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Wilson was preceded in death by his wife of 72 years, Katie, who died on December 26. According to the Journal, the Wilsons had spent the last months of their lives in and out of hospice care.