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This Day In Sports…July 29, 2000, 25 years ago today:
The best player of the Boise Junior College era, Dave Wilcox, joins two other San Francisco 49ers greats, Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott, as new inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Born in Ontario and raised in Vale, Wilcox played for Lyle Smith at BJC in 1960 and 1961 before moving on to Oregon. He was a star linebacker for the 49ers for 11 seasons, from 1964-74. Also inducted that day were former Raiders defensive end Howie Long and Steelers owner Dan Rooney.
Wilcox was part of the inaugural class of the Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982. He was a junior college All-American after (among other things) blocking eight kicks for BJC in 1961. He then transferred to Oregon to finish his college career. Two-way players were common back then, and Wilcox played at guard on offense and at end on defense. Also common were draft battles between the American and National Football Leagues. Wilcox was selected in the sixth round in 1964 by the AFL’s Houston Oilers and was taken two days later in the third round (29th overall) by the 49ers.
Wilcox opted for the NFL and the Niners, who converted him to outside linebacker. There, he became the consummate disruptor on the line of scrimmage. The 49ers made the NFL Playoffs three straight seasons (when it was harder to get in) with Wilcox as the defensive centerpiece. The net result was seven selections to the NFL Pro Bowl. The game was more physical than today in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but Wilcox missed only one game in his career due to injury.
Here are two great quotes from the Pro Football Hall of Fame website: “Wilcox has the size to control the tight end and the speed to stay with the backs,” said Dick Nolan, San Francisco’s head coach for seven seasons of Wilcox’s pro career. “And he is the best open-field tackler I have ever seen.” And this from longtime Bay Area columnist Dave Newhouse: “Wilcox hit fullbacks and tight ends like a misplaced steer wrestler, grabbing them at the top of both arms, or by the shirt, and flinging them to the ground. A Dave Wilcox tackle starts at the shoulders and hurts all the way down.”
Wilcox followed in the footsteps of his brother John, who was four years older and also came through Vale and Boise Junior College and Oregon. John was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1960 but played just one year. Making only $7,000 a year, he decided to retire. Wilcox’s son, Justin, was Boise State’s defensive coordinator from 2006-09. That brought him back to Boise often. Justin, of course, is now the head coach at Cal. Dave Wilcox died in April, 2023, a short time after heart surgery.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
