Dave Wilcox—The Intimidator, R.I.P.

By John Turney

Today, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the passing of Dave Wilcox, a Class of 2000 inductee. He was 80.

"What I do best is not let people block me. I hate to get blocked." That is what Dave Wilcox said when asked what his strength as a football player was.

He was "quick-on-the-trigger" at diagnosing plays said Weeb Ewbank. 

His nickname was "The Intimidator" and it was a well-earned nickname. 

Wilcox would push guys back using strength generated from unusually large triceps that gave him unreal power. He'd top that off with forearms and elbows he'd use to thump and control tight ends.

Said to have the "right blend of size, speed, and savvy", he was  6-3, 239-pounds and was timed in 4.62 seconds in the forty-dash by Gil Brandt, the Cowboys' superscout. 

His 49ers linebacker coach Mike Giddings once said, "You can't run at him. You can't pass on him. So just stay away from him."

Giddings added, “Many strongside linebackers get hooked to the inside on running plays. "Wilkie" never got hooked. It was a point of honor with him. And he could rush the passer when needed."

During Wilcox's Hall of Fame enshrinement highlight film then-49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo commented, "Guys always fall back when he hits them. Giddings replied, "They never went forward, always backward. That's what he did."

The testimonials from his coaches go on and on.

“He may have been the best man at his position that I have ever seen,” said assistant coach Paul Wiggin. His final head coach Dick Nolan once called him. “(T)he best open-field tackler I have ever seen.

Not just his coaches sang his praises, opponents did, too.

”Former Viking quarterback Joe Kapp once commented, "I'd have to say he played the position as well as anyone has ever played it. Once the ball was snapped he brought an intensity whether it was blitzing, covering a guy or making a tackle."

Roman Gabriel, the quarterback on the rival Los Angeles Rams who had to face Wilcox twice a year, added his opinion that Wilcox "played linebacker from the outside the way Dick Butkus played it in the middle."

Longtime Sports Illustrated writer Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman chose Wilcox for his all-time team and also his personal 1960s All-Decade team. 

Dr. Z was a champion for Wilcox's inclusion into the Hall of Fame a task he was able to complete when the big linebacker was voted in as part of the Class of 2000. “He was a great, great player at his position and in his time,” Zimmerman said. “He never got his due.”

Wilcox was a Pro Bowler in 1966, then from 1968 through 1974.

He was a consensus All-Pro from 1971-73 but when it came to the NEA All-Pro team, the one the players voted for he was a first-team pick in 1967, 1970-73 and second-team in 1968 and 1969.

NFL players knew how good he was. 

He had a goal to play a perfect season. But, a realist, admitted it would "never happen".

But his 1973 season was not far off.

In 1973 he was voted the NFLPA NFC Linebacker of the Year. That year he was credited with 104 tackles, 13 for losses, four forced fumbles, and ten passes defensed. He had similar numbers in 1972.

In his eleven-year career, he played 153 games, missing only one, starting 144.

He intercepted fourteen passes, fell on twelve loose balls, and though sacks were not official until 1982, unofficially he had 36-1/2, with a career-high of 9-1/2 in 1967.

He was a third-round pick out of Oregon in 1964 where he was an honorable-mention All-American. He played for two years in Eugene after two years of junior college ball in Boise, Idaho. There he was a JC All-American. The Houston Oilers took him in the sixth round of the AFL draft that year as well.

He was the leader of the 49ers' defense that helped them win the NFC West from 1970-72 and that beat the Vikings in Minnesota in 1970 and Washington in 1971. 

But those teams ran into a Dallas Cowboys buzzsaw all three years preventing Wilcox from playing in a Super Bowl, which was another of Wilcox's goals. Near the end of the 49ers' playoff run, Wilcox told the press, "The only thing I want to do now is get to the Super Bowl."

He didn't get there but he was not far off.

In 1967 he was voted the recipient of the Len Eshmont Award, the 49ers' top seasonal honor that was emblematic of inspirational and courageous play.

Had another goal - to be the best outside linebacker to ever play the game. Again, the realist said it would "never happen."

Wilcox is probably one of the least-known Hall-of-Fame linebackers but don't let the lack of publicity fool you. 

Was he the absolute best? Maybe not, but he was not far off.