Hall of Fame
David Wilkins played four seasons at defensive end for coach Roy Kidd’s Colonels. He came to EKU out of Aiken High School in Cincinnati where he gained all-city, all-conference, and all-state honors in football and served as captain for his Aiken High School basketball team.
After being redshirted as a freshman in 1987, Wilkins had 42 total tackles in 1988. He was voted co-MVP for the Colonel defense his redshirt sophomore year when he posted 33 tackles, 46 assists and six sacks.
During his junior and senior seasons he was an honorable mention All-America choice and first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference pick both years. As a junior, while serving as one of the team’s co-captains, he collected 16 tackles for loss, nine sacks and 87 total tackles. As a senior in 1991, he had 82 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 12 sacks leading the Colonels to the semifinals of the I-AA playoffs.
Wilkins was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent in 1992 and was part of that team that lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC championship game. After being released by the 49ers in 1993, he was in the Falcons and the Cardinals camps in 1994. Wilkins went to Europe and was on the World Championship team in 1995 with Frankfurt, Germany. He was part of the Indianapolis Colts camp in 1995 and 1996 before being released.
In 1996, Wilkins suffered two injuries that curtailed his career – hypertension in his left knee and torn triceps. At the time of induction, Wilkins was the vice president of the Cincinnati chapter of the NFL Players Association and a real estate investor who helps people with life Insurance annuities, wills, and trust estate planning.
