Quick Facts
Biography
Cedrick Wilson (born December 17, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was originally drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He was picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005. Wilson earned a Super Bowl ring with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL, beating the Seattle Seahawks. With that achievement, he became one of very few football players to earn a championship ring at all three levels of football - high school, college, and professional. He played college football at Tennessee where he converted to wide receiver from quarterback and earned a National Championship ring in the 1998 Fiesta Bowl defeating Florida State 23-16, topping off an undefeated season, 13-0. He played high school football at Melrose High School in Memphis Tennessee where he earned a State Championship ring in 1996 as the starting quarterback topping off a 12-3 record. In high school, he was teammates with Kindal Moorehead who also made it to the NFL and played for the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons.
Professional career
San Francisco 49ers
He was drafted with the sixth pick of the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. After being used primarily as a kick returner in 2001, Wilson's role in the San Francisco offense expanded throughout the next three seasons, and Wilson posted career highs in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in 2004.
Pittsburgh Steelers
On March 8, 2005, Wilson signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and had considerably less success in the 2005 regular season.
Wilson's breakout for the Steelers came during the 2005 NFL playoffs. Having caught only 26 passes for 461 yards and 2 touchdowns during the regular season, Wilson became a "go to guy" on the Steelers road to Super Bowl XL. In the Steelers' 4 post-season games (including the Super Bowl), Wilson recorded 9 receptions for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 24 yards per catch.
Assault incident
Wilson was charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend at a Pittsburgh restaurant on March 19, 2008. According to the complaint, Wilson allegedly entered the restaurant and, upon seeing his ex-girlfriend, approached her, pushed her and punched her in the face. Wilson will be arraigned on charges of simple assault, harassment, and disorderly conduct.
On March 20, 2008, the Steelers released Wilson just hours after the incident. The next day, Wilson's ex-girlfriend said Wilson only pushed her, not punched. She added, "It was misconstrued apparently by the people around us."
Personal
In 2008, Wilson began serving as offensive coordinator at Douglass High School in Memphis, Tennessee. Dee Montgomery, Wilson's former coach at Melrose High School, is also on the staff.
Wilson later moved to White Station High School in Memphis as a volunteer coach, and became a substitute physical education teacher in the Memphis City Schools system. However, in October 2012, Wilson was indicted on federal charges of fraud for hiring two people to take his teacher certification exams in his place. This was part of a massive scam orchestrated by longtime Memphis educator Clarence Mumford in which dozens of teachers in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas paid Mumford as much as $3,000 to hire people to take teacher certification exams for them.
Wilson's son, Cedrick Wilson Jr., is a starting wide receiver for Boise State University.