Varsity - The Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics

Varsity - August 30, 2011

Varsity is the free Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics, covering Badgers football, basketball, hockey and more each week.

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History helps Wilson write latest chapter LUCAS AT LARGE MIKE LUCAS • UWBADGERS.COM I f you're looking for the "book'' on quarterback Russell Wilson, all you have to do is read one. Wilson has derived inspiration from Drew Brees' book, "Coming Back Stronger." Brees chronicled the highs and lows in his life, culminating with a triumph in Super Bowl XLIV. Overcoming all levels of adver- sity, including his mother's suicide, Brees cited his faith. Wrote Brees, "I sense that God was bringing us (to New Orleans) for a reason …'' In so many words, Wilson said the same thing after choosing the UW over Auburn and a career in professional baseball. Wilson's strong faith has also been a guiding light in his life. Especially after his dad lost his battle with diabetes. "I really look up to him,'' Wilson said of Brees, the former Purdue quarterback. In all situations, Brees has always carried himself with a high degree of professionalism. Wilson has also tried to follow that path. To this end, there's a unique cor- relation between Wilson, the minor league infielder for the Colorado Rockies, and Wilson, the start- ing quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers. UW coach Bret Bielema discov- ered that almost immediately. "The part that really jumped out to me during one of my early conversations with the coaches,'' comment, 'Let's be great here' or 'We're in the red zone; we want touchdowns, not field goals.' He's always thinking about the game. "His football IQ is really excep- tional … He's got a pretty good handle on everything.'' That would include the X's and O's, locker room chemistry and media relations. "I don't think it makes him think any bigger,'' Bielema said, "than who he is or what he is.'' Voted a team captain by his new teammates, Wilson has had no trouble fitting in with the Badgers. Bielema said, "was that he has been a professional athlete. He knows the pro side of sports.'' Bielema is convinced that made for an easier transition to Madison and his UW teammates. "It wasn't the first time he's walked into a strange locker room with a bunch of new faces,'' he said. Training camp has revealed even more about Wilson. "Every time he gets in the hud- dle,'' Bielema said, "he'll make a Wilson was groomed at an early age by his dad. "He'd wake me around 6 every morning,'' he said, "and we'd go out to the field I'd take grounders and throw the football.'' Wilson's footwork in the pocket is a product of his footwork on the diamond. As a second baseman, he learned how to get the ball out of his hand and make the turn on the double play. That is so evident in his quick release as a passer. "It helps me get rid of the ball in a pressure situ- ation,'' Wilson said, "along with getting the ball to the right guy, especially on check-downs.'' As a middle infielder, he was required to make different plays and throws, whether he was back- handing a grounder behind second or charging a topper and scooping it up barehanded. "You learn how to work your feet,'' Wilson said. "That's what I can relate to football.'' Maybe it's only a coincidence but Drew Brees was a high school shortstop.

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