HANOVER — Star NFL quarterback Russell Wilson will be delivering the commencement address at Dartmouth College on June 12, the school announced Tuesday.
Although he did not attend Dartmouth, Wilson has several connections to the school. His father, Harrison Wilson III, graduated in 1977 and played football and baseball for the Big Green. Harrison Wilson’s three brothers are all Dartmouth alumni as well.
“Russell Wilson is one of the great athletes of our time, but it’s off the field — as a philanthropist and as an entrepreneur — where his true character shines,” Dartmouth president Philip Hanlon said in a news release. “Dartmouth is honored to have Russell as our speaker.”
Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos this March after spending 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, where he won a Super Bowl, was selected to nine Pro Bowls and had started every game since his rookie year until he missed two games last season. He has also been named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, awarded to a player who gives back to his community in addition to leading his team on the field.
In 2014, Wilson started the Why Not You Foundation in Seattle with his wife, Ciara, a Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter. The foundation is dedicated to fighting poverty through education and empowering children in underprivileged communities.
Wilson spent a summer in high school at the prestigious Manning Passing Academy, where he worked with Big Green head coach Buddy Teevens. He went on to play college football at North Carolina State and then Wisconsin, and was drafted in the third round in 2012 by the Seahawks.
In addition to speaking at commencement, Wilson will also receive an honorary degree along with seven other individuals.
“Dartmouth has always held a very special place for me and my family,” Wilson said in the release. “My dad, a Dartmouth alum, was my biggest champion and instilled in me the importance of education … from an early age. I can’t wait to be there and share some of those lessons with the class of 2022 and celebrate their many accomplishments.”