KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In the early 1980’s, Jay Wilson was a standout for the University of Missouri’s football team. He ended his college career as a leading tackler and also developed a bond with teammate Andy Hill.
Hill is now an assistant coach/quarterbacks coach who also recruits. He saw Wilson’s son, Andrew, as a football player with many similarities to his dad and decided he had to be a Tiger.
“I’ve known him since he was real little, and you never know how good they’re going to be. You always feel like you know the family, but when he turned into a great football player, probably noticed him as a junior playing at Ray-Pec, but what a great player,” Hill said.
The familiar bond between Jay and Andy made his recruitment an easy fit.
“Coach Hill, Andy Hill, that I played with recruited him. So that was nice,” said Jay Hill, who was a Mizzou linebacker from 1980-1983.
In many ways, the Wilson duo act very similar, both on and off the field.
“It’s very scary because they are almost identical in their demeanor, and certainly in the way they play,” said Hill.
Both are well-known as heavy hitters and sound tacklers on the field, though that may surprise you given their off-field demeanor.
“Jay was really quiet and would hit anyone who walked across his area and Andrew Wilson is exactly the same way,” he said. “Great young man, real quiet, a great leader for our football team, but is a big hitter.”
As Andrew Wilson prepares for his final game in Tiger stripes, the oft-reserved linebacker is still following his dad’s advice and also flying under the radar.
“He just told me to stay focused and keep working,” Wilson said. “I try to stay low-key, low-key within the media so I talk a lot to my teammates,” Andrew said.