Why It's Time Canton Wakes Up to 49ers' Great Billy Wilson

By John Turney 

Billy Wilson

When you play on a team of stars, it's easy to be overlooked ... even if you're one of those stars. Such is the case for former San Francisco 49ers' receiver Billy Wilson.

Never heard of him? Not surprising because he's one of those forgotten players who deserves a chance to have his case heard by the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame's board of selectors.

Except he never has. 

He's never been a finalist nor semifinalist for Canton, including the Centennial Class of 2020 when he wasn't one of 20 finalists, and his name seldom -- if ever -- surfaces when the Hall's seniors committee convenes. But that doesn't mean he's not qualified.

He is.

Playing from 1951-60, Wilson led the decade in receptions ... by a lot. Nicknamed "Goose," he had 404, far ahead of the next-best receiver, Billy Howton, with 342. Three times he led the NFL in catches -- 1954, 1956 and 1957 -- tying the Eagles' Pete Pihos for the most titles in the decade and Raymond Berry, Lance Alworth, Sterling Sharpe and Tom Fears for the most in a career. 

One difference. They all own Gold Jackets. Wilson does not.

It's also more receiving crowns than Jerry Rice, who had two, and let's stop right there. Before you get the wrong idea, I'm not comparing Wilson's career to the G.O.A.T. I'm just noting that three receiving titles are a lot -- so many that even the greatest pass catcher in NFL history doesn't have that many. Wilson was also third in receiving yards and second in touchdown receptions in the 1950s, all the more remarkable when you consider that he played for a team that ran for more yards than anyone but the Los Angeles Rams.

The 49ers of the 1950s featured the "Million Dollar Backfield," with Hall-of-Famers everywhere: Quarterback Y.A. Tittle and running backs Joe "The Jet" Perry, Hugh "The King" McElhenny and John Henry Johnson. No wonder they threw fewer passes than all but a few NFL teams; they had the horses. And those horses grabbed the lion's share of attention.

But you can't keep defenses honest if you don't throw the ball, and the 49ers did ... mostly to Billy Wilson. He was THE receiving option. In fact, when he retired after the 1960 season, he ranked second only to then-G.O.A.T. Don Hutson in receptions and touchdown catches and was third in receiving yards.

So what's missing here? Championships, that's what, and that may have hurt his Hall-of-Fame candidacy. Not only wasn't he on a league champion; he was part of a franchise that participated in just one playoff game during his tenure -- the 1957 Western Conference contest vs. Detroit. But look what happened: Though the Lions won, 31-27, the 6-3, 190-pound Wilson caught nine Tittle passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.

And all this after getting a late start in pro football.

Born on a Cherokee reservation in Sayre, Okla., Wilson moved with his family to California at the age of 3 when his parents decided to escape the "Dust Bowl" of The Great Depression. After high school, he served 18 months in the U.S. Navy, then attended San Jose State where he shattered nearly every pass-receiving record. A 1949-50 All-Pacific Coast honoree, he dazzled as a receiver, excelled as an offensive blocker and dominated as a defensive end. Over three college seasons, he hauled in 66 catches for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

“Billy’s a lock for the pros," his coach, Bob Bronzan said then, "potentially the league’s top rookie end.”

He was prophetic. Clearly, he knew something about his talented receiver that others would soon discover.

Six times Wilson was invited to Los Angeles to play in the Pro Bowl, including 1955 when he was the game's MVP. He was a second-team All-Pro in 1954 and named by media outlets to all the major teams. One year later, he was a first-team choice on the players' All-Pro squad (NEA), followed by first-team selections to the UPI and Sporting News' All-Pro teams in 1956.

Then, in 1957 he was first-team everywhere -- AP, UPI, NEA, The Sporting News; you name it, he was on it. He was the best receiver in the NFL. Bar none. A second-team All-Pro (NEA) in 1958 and 1959, he was a six-time first-or-second-team All-Pro -- including three times times on the first team and once as a consensus pick.

So how does that compare to Hall of Famers? Well, he populated more teams than Art Monk, Bob Hayes, Tommy McDonald, Tom Fears, Charley Taylor, Harold Carmichael, Isaac Bruce, John Stallworth, Charlie Joiner, Andre Reed, Bobby Mitchell and "Crazylegs" Hirsch, just to name a dozen.

The bottom line is that his "all" resume is in line with many receivers with busts in Canton. Yet despite the numbers and honors, Wilson has yet to break through from the Hall's preliminary lists.

And that's as wrong as it is baffling.

"He was the top pass receiver of his time," Hall-of-Fame coach Bill Walsh told the San Francisco Chronicle, "and one of the finest blockers; just a great all-around end. As I've seen the men inducted into the Hall, including myself, I've thought that Billy certainly should have been enshrined some years ago."

Walsh later told the San Jose Mercury-News that "Billy had speed and incomparable agility. He was also one of the best blocking receivers the game has seen."

Walsh wasn't alone. Others, including several Hall-of-Fame coaches, lined up behind him to praise Wilson:

-- "(H)e truly was a great receiver," said Don Shula. "He's one of the few players of another era that would excel today.''

-- Marveling at Wilson's ability to get free on broken plays, Weeb Ewbank wrote that what drove him crazy was "Y.A. Tittle's maddening ability to scramble at the last instant and hit Billy on the sideline for a keep-the-drive-alive first down." 

-- "Whenever we needed a big catch," said Tittle, "I went to him. I knew he would make the play."

--- "Billy Wilson," said former Cowboys' coach Tom Landry, "was almost impossible to cover."

Landry and Shula should know. Each was a defensive back in the 1950s. So was Rams' veteran Hall Haynes, who called Wilson the most difficult man in the league to cover. Wilson was especially dangerous on hook routes, turning his back on a defender before making the catch. And he did it so often that teammates started calling him "Poor Devil," as in that's what he made opponents look like on the indefensible pattern. 

"Billy had hands like glue," said former teammate Bob St. Clair, another Hall of Famer. "His ability to run after the catch was amazing. He is probably one of the most underrated players in NFL history."

I'll second that.

Wilson's case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame is compelling and deserves more, much more consideration than it's been given. Because let's be honest: It's been given little, if any. Given his statistical dominance in the 1950s, his exclusion from a Hall discussion is so indefensible that it makes Wilson ... well, the "poor devil."

His numbers, his honors and his endorsements from football luminaries all support Wilson as a strong seniors' candidate -- that is, if voters ever revisit his candidacy, which they should. Because Billy Wilson wasn’t a faint twinkle amidst cosmic giants. He was a radiant force, propelling his team, redefining the game and blazing brilliantly.