:Gabe Wilkins
{{Short description|American football player (born 1971)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Gabe Wilkins
| number = 98
| position = Defensive end
Defensive tackle
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|1|9}}
| birth_place = Cowpens, South Carolina, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 5
| weight_lb = 305
| high_school = Spartanburg (SC) Broome
| college = Gardner–Webb
| draftyear = 1994
| draftround = 4
| draftpick = 126
| pastteams =
- Green Bay Packers ({{NFL Year|1994|1997}})
- San Francisco 49ers ({{NFL Year|1998|1999}})
| highlights =
| statlabel1 = Total tackles
| statvalue1 = 124
| statlabel2 = Sacks
| statvalue2 = 13.5
| statlabel3 = Fumble recoveries
| statvalue3 = 3
| pfr = W/WilkGa20
}}
Gabriel Nicholas Wilkins (born January 9, 1971) is an American former professional football defensive end who played for the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers in a six-year career that lasted from 1994 to 1999 in the National Football League (NFL).{{Cite web |title=Gabe Wilkins |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WilkGa20.htm |access-date=2 August 2014 |website=pro-football-reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference LLC}}
Early life
He attended Gettys D. Broome High School.{{Cite web |title=Gabe Wilkins |url=http://www.profootballarchives.com/wilk02200.html |access-date=6 January 2017 |website=The Pro Football Archives |archive-date=3 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803152415/http://profootballarchives.com/wilk02200.html |url-status=dead }}
College career
Attending NAIA Gardner–Webb University, Wilkins recorded 29 sacks and 53 tackles for loss (both school records), and participated in the 1992 NAIA Football Championship game.{{Cite web |title=Gabe Wilkins HOF |url=http://static.psbin.com/0/s/8j1zbe6lbnwmr4/GabeWilkinsHOF.jpg |access-date=2017-01-06 |website=Gardner–Webb Athletics |archive-date=2019-12-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215230629/http://static.psbin.com/0/s/8j1zbe6lbnwmr4/GabeWilkinsHOF.jpg |url-status=dead }}
Professional career
=Green Bay Packers=
Wilkins was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 1994 NFL draft (fourth round, 126th overall).{{Cite web |title=1994 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1994/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=1994 NFL Draft Results by Position - Defensive Ends - ESPN |url=http://insider.espn.com/nfl/draft/positions/_/id/31/year/1994 |access-date=2017-01-06 |website=ESPN.com}} After being used sparingly in his first three seasons, Wilkins performed well in relief of Reggie White during Super Bowl XXXI, recording a tackle and a deflected pass. Becoming a starter after Sean Jones retired in 1997, Wilkins finished the season with 50 tackles, 5.5 sacks, a 77-yard interception return touchdown, and a fumble recovery touchdown. However, Wilkins played only one drive of Super Bowl XXXII due to a knee injury.{{Cite news |last=DILLON |first=DENNIS |date=1998-06-14 |title=Moves That Don't Seem to Add Up |language=en-US |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jun-14-sp-60581-story.html |access-date=2017-01-06 |issn=0458-3035}}
=San Francisco 49ers=
Following the 1997 season, the San Francisco 49ers signed Wilkins to a 5-year, $20 million contract. After recording 30 tackles and a sack over two years in San Francisco and being injured late in his career,{{Cite web |title=ESPN.com: NFL – PFW: Salary-cap lessons of Cowboys, 49ers |url=http://a.espncdn.com/nfl/s/010308pfw/dickey.html |access-date=2017-01-06 |website=a.espncdn.com}} Wilkins retired after the 1999 season.{{Cite web |title=SUPER BOWL COUNTDOWN {{!}} 48: Gabe Wilkins found life's ultimate after Super Bowl triumph {{!}} American Sports Network |url=http://americansportsnet.com/no-48-gabe-wilkins-found-lifes-ultimate-after-super-bowl-triumph/ |access-date=2017-01-06 |website=americansportsnet.com}}
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="2"| Legend |
| style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"|
| Won the Super Bowl |
| Bold
| Career high |
=Regular season=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||||||||||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Team !colspan="2"| Games !colspan="4"| Tackles !colspan="4"| Interceptions !colspan="4"| Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | FF | FR | Yds | TD | |
| 1994 | GNB
| 15 || 0 || 4 || 3 || 1 || 1.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1995 | GNB
| 13 || 8 || 15 || 12 || 3 || 3.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1996 | style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"| GNB
| 16 || 1 || 19 || 12 || 7 || 3.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1997 | GNB
| 16 || 16 || 50 || 30 || 20 || 5.5 || 1 || 77 || 1 || 77 || 1 || 3 || 1 || 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1998 | SFO
| 8 || 4 || 10 || 10 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1999 | SFO
| 16 || 15 || 26 || 17 || 9 || 1.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 | |||||||||||||
| colspan="2"| | 84 | 44 | 124 | 84 | 40 | 13.5 | 1 | 77 | 1 | 77 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Post-career life
Wilkins now lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with his wife and four daughters.{{Cite news |title=Packers.com {{!}} News {{!}} Stories {{!}} September 14, 2006: Gabe Wilkins Has Become A Dedicated Family Man |url=http://www0.nfl.packers.com/news/stories/2006/09/14/2/ |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107003941/http://www0.nfl.packers.com/news/stories/2006/09/14/2/ |url-status=dead }}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Green Bay Packers 1994 NFL draft picks}}
{{Super Bowl XXXI}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkins, Gabe}}
Category:Players of American football from Spartanburg, South Carolina
Category:American football defensive ends
Category:Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football players
Category:Green Bay Packers players