Wisconsin Badgers’ football legend Russell Wilson was named the Big Ten’s 2024 Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award winner on Tuesday.
In conjunction with the Dungy-Thompson Humanitarian Award, the honor celebrates Big Ten student-athlete alumni who have showcased humanitarianism and leadership after their collegiate tenure, per the Big Ten conference.
Wilson’s on-field contributions speak for themselves. The nine-time Pro Bowler won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014 and has thrown for at least 3,000 yards in 12 consecutive NFL seasons. His Pittsburgh Steelers now sit at 9-3 atop a tough AFC North conference.
Off the field, Wilson is just as impactful. He won the 2020 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year award and the 2022 Bart Starr Award. He also founded the Why Not You Foundation in 2014, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating real and lasting change in the world by motivating and empowering today’s youth.
His nonprofit opened a tuition-free public high school near Seattle and he helped donated 10 million meals to food insecure families following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
For more information of Wilson’s humanitarian contributions, click here.
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— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) December 3, 2024
At Wisconsin, Wilson pocketed the 2011 Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year award and captained UW to the Big Ten Championship title in his sole season as a Badger in 2011. After setting breaking the school record for single-season passing yards (3,175), touchdown passes (33) and completions (225), WilsonΒ earned consensus first-team All-Big Ten nods.