{{Short description|American college football player (born 1959)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}{{Distinguish|text=paper mill owner Thomas Willcox, clergyman Thomas Wilcox, or association football player Tom Wilcox}} {{Infobox gridiron football person | name = Tommy Wilcox | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1959|7|30}} | birth_place = Harahan, Louisiana, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | team = | number = | status = | position1 = Defensive back | height_ft = | height_in = | weight_lb = | college = Alabama | playing_years1 = 1979–1982 | playing_team1 = Alabama Crimson Tide | playing_years2 = 1983 | playing_team2 = Arizona Wranglers | playing_years3 = 1984 | playing_team3 = Chicago Blitz | career_highlights = * National champion (1979) * Consensus All-American (1981) * Second-team All-American (1980) * 2× First-team All-SEC (1980, 1981) * 2× Second-team All-SEC (1979, 1982) | honors = }}
'''Tommy Wilcox''' (born July 30, 1959) is an American television personality and former college football player. He played defensive back for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide from 1979 through 1982 and was a member of the 1979 national championship team and was a consensus selection to the 1981 College Football All-America Team. Presently Wilcox serves as the host of a hunting and fishing show entitled "Tommy Wilcox Outdoors."
==Playing career== A native of Harahan, Louisiana, Wilcox played high school football for Alfred Bonnabel High School. In 1977, a year in which the New Orleans area featured three outstanding quarterbacks in Wilcox, Bobby Hebert, and John Fourcade, he led Bonnabel to the state championship game. From there, he went to play for Bear Bryant at Alabama. <ref name=1981Media>{{cite web|title=1981 University of Alabama alphabetical roster|url=http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/alab/graphics/docs/81-m-footbl-roster.pdf|publisher=RollTide.com|access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref> Wilcox started at safety for his first season and was named SEC Freshman of the Year for his overall performance.<ref name="1992TCL">{{cite news |first=Herman |last=Fuselier |title=Playing days at Alabama educational for Wilcox |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-jYdAAAAIBAJ&pg=6802%2C2973259 |newspaper=The Tuscaloosa News |date=July 12, 1992 |page=2I |access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref> In recognition for his play during his sophomore and junior years, Wilcox was a First Team All-SEC selection.<ref name="2012MG">{{cite web |url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/alab/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/2012FootballRecordBook.pdf |title=2012 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book |year=2012 |page=219 |publisher=University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office |location=Tuscaloosa, Alabama |access-date=August 21, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130717112227/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/alab/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/2012FootballRecordBook.pdf |archive-date=July 17, 2013 }}</ref> After his junior year, Wilcox was named as a consensus selection to the 1981 College Football All-America Team.<ref name="2012MG"/> In recognition of his career with the Crimson Tide, Wilcox was selected to Alabama's Team of the Century in 1992.<ref name="1992TCL"/>
Although he was a consensus selection to the All-America Team, Wilcox went undrafted and was not signed as an undrafted free agent after the 1983 NFL draft. Although he wanted to be drafted by the Birmingham Stallions as part of the 1983 USFL Territorial Draft, the Stallions passed on Wilcox citing his speed and size.<ref name="1983TD">{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Goens |title=Wilcox has reason for wanting to excel |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KWIeAAAAIBAJ&pg=4326%2C5726542 |newspaper=Times-Daily |date=March 27, 1983 |page=22 |access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref> He was subsequently signed by the Arizona Wranglers where he was a defensive starter for their 1983 season.<ref name="1983TD"/> He played for the Chicago Blitz in 1984, but was forced to retire that season after he suffered a serious neck injury.<ref name=Eli>{{cite book|last=Gold|first=Eli|title=Bear's Boys: Thirty-Six Men Whose Lives Were Changed by Coach Paul Bryant|year=2007|publisher=Thomas Nelson, Inc.|isbn=9781418574178|page=261|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sh7In_W8c-UC&pg=PP1|access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref>
==Later life== After his playing career, Wilcox became a teacher and football coach at Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and later was a pharmaceutical sales representative.<ref name="1992TCL"/><ref name=Eli/> In the mid-1990s, Wilcox began to film his hunting and fishing show entitled "Tommy Wilcox Outdoors" and in the time since has filmed hundreds of episodes that also include famous sports personalities.<ref name="2012AL">{{cite news |first=Michael C. |last=Bolton |title=Former Alabama football standout Tommy Wilcox still pulls in the stars with outdoors TV show |url=http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/08/former_alabama_football_stando.html |publisher=AL.com |date=August 26, 2012 |access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
{{1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football navbox}} {{1981 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilcox, Tommy}} Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:American football defensive backs Category:Alabama Crimson Tide football players Category:All-American college football players Category:Arizona Wranglers players Category:Chicago Blitz players Category:People from Harahan, Louisiana Category:Players of American football from Jefferson Parish, Louisiana