Wilson and Ciara also used their platforms to encourage voting, especially among young people and communities of color, through the I AM A VOTER campaign. They also announced in 2020 the founding of the Why Not You Academy, a tuition-free public charter school in Des Moines, Washington that is set to open in the fall of 2021.
“For me personally, 2020 really changed my perspective,” Wilson said. “I’ve always thought about others and that’s always something that’s been important to Ciara and me, but when you realize that so many people every day can be affected in so many different ways, it was so important that we give back. It felt like God was calling on us to do something, calling on us to use our resources, use our networks of relationships and such to come together and really try to make a difference. Ultimately it made me think about my kids, that I pray that this isn’t them one day, so that’s why we really tried to step up and make a difference in 2020.”
On the field, Wilson excelled as he has throughout his career, earning Pro-Bowl honors for the eighth time in nine seasons, helping the Seahawks to a 12-4 record and an NFC West title, and throwing a career-high 40 touchdown passes.
And throughout his career, Wilson’s success on Sundays and in the community has been driven, in no small part, but the rhetorical question his father, Harrison Wilson III, used to always ask his three kids, Russell, Harrison IV and Anna.
Harrison III died from complications of diabetes in 2010, but not before he and his wife, Tammy, instilled in their three kids the drive to excel not just in sports but in life.
“The thing my dad used to always tell me as a young kid was, ‘Son, why not you?'” Wilson said. “‘Why not you play pro baseball, why not you play pro football, why not you graduate early, why not you do this and that?’ I realized at a young age when I was 6, 7, 8 years old, that was the driving force question consciously and subconsciously that I ended up asking myself all the time. And I think that’s the question we all have to ask ourselves.”
So it’s only fitting that this prestigious award Wilson won, acknowledging his excellence on and off the field, happens to be named for one of Harrison Wilson III’s favorite athletes.
“My dad’s probably smiling ear-to-ear, because (Payton) was probably one of my dad’s favorite athletes of all time, and he always talked about what he did off the field and who he was as a person,” Wilson said. “… I know my dad’s smiling down on me, and I know Walter’s up there too, they’re probably hanging out, maybe even smoking a cigar, who knows? What a blessing it is.
“If I can serve others, I think that’s my responsibility. It’s my responsibility as a quarterback to serve to help my teammates, but more importantly, it’s an opportunity and gift to be able to give back to others around the country, around the world, and I think that’s why God has me right where I am, and I’m grateful for it every day.”
