Russell Wilson retires as one of Richmond’s greatest athletes ever. But is he a Hall of Famer?

Russell Wilson’s journey is the stuff movies are made of.

Undersized and overlooked, he defied expectations in high school, college and finally in the National Football League to become one of the most famous players in the biggest sporting league in America.

On Wednesday, Wilson put out a 3-minute video on social media announcing he will join the CBS broadcast team this year instead of playing football. He didn’t use the word “retire” (athletes always leave that door propped open), but it’s unlikely we see him on a football field again.

Wilson’s legacy is secure. He was a state champion at Collegiate, where he also served as class president. He was the Big Ten quarterback of the year as he led Wisconsin to a Rose Bowl appearance. And of course, he was a Super Bowl champion with the Seattle Seahawks.

He won the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award for faithfully visiting patients at the local children’s hospital each week wherever he played, and his family story has served as an inspiration to many – Wilson’s great-great grandfather was a freed slave who started a farm in Kentucky, beginning a legacy of education that was passed down to his entire family.

Greatness in sports invites comparison to other greatness. Wilson will get stacked up both against other Richmond sporting legends, and, in five years, will be sized up by the committee responsible for selecting the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It’s a tribute to Richmond’s sports scene that Wilson may not even be the greatest local athlete of his generation. Justin Verlander is a baseball legend, a World Series champ and former MVP. (Both also have famous wives – singer Ciara for Wilson and model Kate Upton for Verlander.) NASCAR’s Denny Hamlin is also a contender in that conversation.

Comparing across eras and sports is even harder. Willie Lanier won a Super Bowl 44 years before Wilson did, Arthur Ashe overcame racism to become an icon for millions, and how do you even start comparing Wilson’s athletic feats to another Richmond icon, Triple Crown-winning horse Secretariat? (Longtime RTD sportswriter John O’Connor tried a few years ago, placing Wilson fifth on his list).

Nationally, it’s the Hall of Fame conversation that is polarizing. Only five players are allowed into the Hall each year, and there’s currently a traffic jam at the quarterback position, where Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers and other greats of their era are awaiting their nod.

Wilson’s metrics place him exactly on the line. Every quarterback with three or more Super Bowl appearances is or will be a Hall of Famer. Wilson has two, which historically is not a guarantee.

He’s made nine Pro Bowls. Every other quarterback in that club has or will be a Hall of Famer. But Wilson also never received a single vote for the league’s MVP award.

His passer rating with the Seahawks, a measure of a quarterback’s efficiency, is 101.8. If he had never played again, that would place him third all-time. But he did play again, two stints that went poorly in Denver and Pittsburgh.

Late-career flops are rarely held against athletes (see Brett Favre and Michael Jordan). But Wilson was 33 years old when he was traded to Denver for a king’s ransom, and appeared to have many more successful years of play in him.

His career will always be defined in part by the goal-line interception that cost the team a Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. But looking past that, he was one of the most successful running quarterbacks in an era that redefined the game.

The 50 voters who decide the Hall of Fame don’t weigh in publicly on such matters. Longtime NFL writer Frank Schwab, who is not a voter, offered his thoughts yesterday, speculating that in five years voters may remember his peak more than focusing on the valley.

Wilson can also do himself a favor with a memorable TV career, which has helped other athletes raise their level of fame later in life. Wilson, whose dad gave him “practice” interviews as a youth football player to prepare him, has always been a media natural – last year, he was invited to host the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square.

The most successful athletes on television are more than just engaging, though. They’re unafraid to give their opinions, even controversial ones. Whether Wilson warms up to that element remains to be seen.

Regardless of his post-career success, Wilson’s story is one of the greatest in Richmond sports history. He famously went unrecruited by one of his family’s top college choices, UVA. The Seahawks signed a different quarterback the year Wilson was drafted. Yet every time, he turned those obstacles into motivation, and came out the victor.

Contact Michael Phillips at mphillips@richmonder.org.