George William Wilson Sr.

George William Wilson Sr.

Detroit Lions Football Coach (1957 – 1964)

George Wilson was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended Austin High School and St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy. He went on to play football at Northwestern University where he helped the wildcats win the 1936 Big Ten Championship. After going undrafted he signed on with the Chicago Bears where he spent the next ten seasons. During this time the Bears played in five NFL Championship games. When his playing days were done, he went into coaching, after a few seasons as an assistant with the Bears and the Lions he was named the Lions head coach in 1957, where he guided them to the NFL Championship and was named the NFL Coach of the Year. He remained the Lions head coach through 1964 season, compiling a 53 – 45 – 6 record. In 1966 he was named the first head coach of the expansion Miami Dolphins of the American Football League a position he held through the 1969 season.  George Wilson Sr. was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. He passed away on November 23, 1978 at 64 years of age.