49ers Blog and Q&A: Former 49ers receiver Billy Wilson passes away

49ers Blog and Q&A

News, notes and reader questions about the San Francisco 49ers

• Ask Matt a 49ers question

January 27, 2009

Former 49ers receiver Billy Wilson passes away

The 49ers are reporting that Billy Wilson, a prolific receiver with the team from 1951-1960, has passed away at age 81. A six-time Pro Bowler, Wilson led the NFL three times in receptions. He is fourth among the 49ers' all-time receiving touchdown leaders. He averaged 14.5 yards per reception with 407 career receptions, marks that place him sixth in both categories among all-time 49ers players. After his playing career ended, Wilson became an assistant coach with the 49ers.

"When you look at what Billy accomplished in his 10 years as a 49ers player, it's quite remarkable," John and Denise DeBartolo York said in a statement. "Considered as one of the greatest wide receivers to ever play the game, Billy's impact on the 49ers organization is far-reaching, not only as player, but also as a coach and administrator. We are grateful for all of Billy's contributions and he will be missed."

In 2003 Wilson was inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame. Former 49ers coach Bill Walsh campaigned for Wilson to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, even sending tapes of Wilson from the 1950s to the hall's veterans committee, which handles the voting.

"I don't control things like that." Wilson told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2004 when asked about the hall of fame. "But I've had people tell me that I'm the most qualified player who's not in. A lot of people have pushed me in the last year or so."

-- Matt Barrows

About Comments

Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.

What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com

Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)

Here are some rules of the road:

• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.

• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.

• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.

• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.

• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.

• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.

• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.

• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.

You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.

If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.

blog comments powered by Disqus

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Please use the form below to submit your question. Because there is a 100-word limit for questions, a word counter is located directly beneath the box where you enter the your question.