Mississippi State wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson (1) completes a pass defended by Auburn defensive back Carlton Davis (18) in the endzone for a touchdown during the first half Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (Julie Bennett/[email protected]) AL.COM
His high school coach described De’Runnya Wilson as a “selfless” hard worker.
High school teammate Justin Coleman called Wilson – Alabama’s 2013 Mr. Basketball at Birmingham’s Wenonah High who became a football star at Mississippi State – as “one of the funniest dudes I’ve ever been around” and an inspiration to the entire Wenonah community.
Artis Cleveland, another high school teammate, called him a legend.
All of them spoke reverently about Wilson, who was found shot to death inside a southwest Birmingham home on Tuesday. Police have announced no arrests and few details.
“That was,” said Cleveland, pausing for nearly 10 seconds to compose himself, “my brother, man. He was the guy that if you were down, he’d pick you up. If he was down, he’d pick himself up. It crushed me. It crushed my spirit.
“He was a legend,” Cleveland continued. “Hearing that news was probably one of the worst phone calls. I wish I had never received it. He was a true friend, a true brother. That hurt me. That hurt my soul.”
Coaches and teammates remembered Wilson for his work ethic, hustle and team-first attitude.
“He was just a worker,” said Carver-Birmingham coach Cedric Lane, who guided Wenonah and Wilson to three straight state titles. “He was just a competitor. He put the work in. He came in as a freshman and was just an average player. He was a Mr. Basketball finalist as a junior and won it as a senior. He came in every day and just grinded.
“He hated to lose,” Lane added. “He was one of those guys who would come into the locker room crying after a loss. You know you’re not going to lose many with a guy like that. … He could get a rebound, dribble to the other end and give up a layup and pass it to a teammate for a 3-pointer. That’s just who he was.”
Wilson – nicknamed Bear, a moniker given to him by a grandmother – starred while winning three straight Class 5A state basketball championships with the Dragons from 2011-13. Listed at 6-foot-6 in high school and 6-foot-4 in college, Wilson was renowned for his hustle and grit and was twice named the All-Birmingham Basketball Player of the Year by AL.com.
“He was always the guy who would outwork, outhustle,” said Coleman, now a graduate assistant at Arizona who is working on his doctorate in educational leadership. “As a college coach now, I’m always trying to get our guys to play hard and outwork your opponent. With Bear, he outworked every opponent every day.”
Wilson capped his senior season with a third straight state title and won Mr. Basketball.
While basketball was where he won individual awards and state titles, football provided the ticket to the next level. After not playing for the previous two seasons, Wilson rejoined the Wenonah football team for his senior season in the fall of 2012 and quickly emerged as a bona fide star at receiver. His tall, lanky frame and off-the-charts athleticism made him a matchup problem, and he signed to play football and basketball at Mississippi State.
“How many 6-foot-6 receivers do you see in the SEC?” retired Wenonah football coach Ronald Cheatham said in 2013. “I don’t see too many, especially not ones that can go up and get a ball and then throw a guy off him and then throw another guy to the ground who’s trying to tackle him. He’s that tall, but he’s really an athlete that can do a lot of things. We put him on defense and he’s out there getting sacks when we do.”
“His potential really is unlimited,” Cheatham said seven years ago, though he could not be reached for this story. “It is hard to find kids like that who can run and have good hands. He can block. He is aggressive. He’s not that typical basketball player you have in mind you think comes out to play football.”
At Mississippi State, Wilson played wide receiver and tallied 133 career receptions for 1,949 yards and 22 touchdowns from 2013-15. Best known for clutch touchdown catches against Auburn and LSU, he left school early to enter the NFL draft, but wasn’t selected. He later spent time on the Chicago Bears’ practice squad.
In 2017, Wilson was arrested after a traffic stop in Mississippi and charged with four misdemeanors, including marijuana possession. He had two other arrests for marijuana possession in Alabama in 2015 and Mississippi in 2016, according to media reports, but online court records in Alabama show only cases involving child support. That suggests the marijuana charge in Alabama was later dismissed or he was granted youthful offender status.
Wilson, 25, struggled to find steady work since failing to make it in professional football, although those who knew him said he continued to work out while seeking another chance and had hoped to latch on to an XFL team this spring.
Through it all, Coleman and Cleveland remember another or different Wilson; one who stayed positive in their conversations and tried to be a good father to his children.
They said they’ll always remember Wilson’s positive outlook and influence on their lives.
“Every time I saw him, he always had something positive to say,” current Wenonah boys basketball coach Audwin Howard said. “Every time I saw him, he had a smile on his face.”
Added Coleman, “I know how he uplifted me. … I feel like I lost a brother, that’s for sure.”
The 6-foot-11 Cleveland recalled his first season at Wenonah when opposing players were challenging him and fans were heckling him.
“At halftime, he told me, ‘I got your back no matter what,’” Cleveland said. “He moved in front of me and said, ‘If you mess with him, you mess with me.’ That’s a true friend. It was always love.
“That was a great human,” he continued. “I’m at a loss for words. My condolences and prayers go to his mom and his family. I can’t get my brother back, no matter what I say.”
