All About Russell Wilson’s Parents Harrison Wilson III and Tammy Wilson

Harrison Wilson III and Tammy Wilson were the quarterback’s first fans

Russell Wilson’s parents, Harrison Wilson III and Tammy Wilson, always supported their son’s athletic dreams. Now, the Denver Broncos quarterback is passing on the lessons he learned from them to his growing family with singer Ciara, whom he shares three kids with, plus a fourth baby on the way.

Over the years, Russell has spoken fondly of his late father, who was an athlete himself. “My dad, when I was young, he always inspired me,” Russell told ESPN while remembering him. “He used to always ask me the question, ‘Son, why not you? Why don’t you play pro baseball? Why don’t you play pro football?’ “

He continued: “The idea of ‘Why not you?’ was really at the center of who I was. I started really subconsciously and consciously asking myself that question.”

Related: Russell Wilson and Ciara Surprise His Mom with a New House for Mother's Day

On June 9, 2010, Harrison died at the age of 55 due to complications from diabetes. Russell posted a touching tribute to his father on the 10th anniversary of his death on Instagram.

“Dad, I miss you everyday. You were and still are one of my greatest inspirations,” he wrote. “You helped instill Perspective, Vision & Belief in me. 3 things necessary for not only success but overcoming. Jesus blessed me with an amazing Dad in you and I will forever cherish my time with you.”

Russell is also very close with his mom Tammy. In 2019, the NFL player even gifted her an ultra-extravagant Mother’s Day present: her very own house.

Here’s everything to know about Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson’s parents, Harrison Wilson III and Tammy Wilson.

Harrison attended Dartmouth College

Harrison attended Dartmouth College and was part of the class of 1977. He was the second of his four siblings to attend the Ivy League school; his brother Benjamin attended in 1973, followed by John in 1980 and Richard in 1985.

During his four years in college, Harrison was a receiver and split end on the football team. According to Benjamin, Harrison and Russell’s football skills are incredibly similar.

“In addition to looking very much alike, they run alike, their mannerisms and their facial expressions are similar, their manner of speaking is similar. So it’s really striking,” he said in a 2014 interview with the school.

In 1976, Harrison made the First Team All-Ivy and broke a 23-year-old team record for receiving yards. He went on to try out for the San Diego Chargers in 1980 and played throughout the preseason, but was cut later that year.

At Dartmouth, he also played shortstop and third base on the baseball team, where he excelled as a defensive player.

Harrison was a lawyer

After graduating from Dartmouth College, Harrison studied law at the University of Virginia School of Law. According to his brother John, Harrison chose to focus on his higher education to give his separated shoulder time to heal after playing the final two games of the season with it. While there, Harrison was elected class president.

After graduating and briefly pursuing a career in the NFL, he joined Procter & Gamble’s legal department. He later moved to the firm McGuireWoods in Richmond, Virginia.

Tammy was an emergency room nurse

According to Tammy’s LinkedIn, she first worked as a registered nurse in Cincinnati in July 1987. She held several positions at different hospitals throughout the years while she and Harrison raised their family. Today, Tammy is the Director of Patient Outreach and Care Management at the University of Washington Medicine.

When the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the U.S., she helped organize additional patient space to relieve overburdened hospitals. Russell shared her efforts while speaking with NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico on his Lunch Talk Live show.

“My mom is in Seattle right now and she’s helping build, basically these portable hospitals in a way, in and around the community in Seattle so people can check for coronavirus and everything else,” he said.

Harrison and Tammy have three children

Harrison and Tammy raised three kids: Harry, an entrepreneur, Russell and Anna, who played basketball at Stanford University.

Athletics were always a focus in the Wilson house, but Harrison and Tammy stressed the importance of academics, too.

“It started with hard work, and they were expected to excel academically and to study hard,” Harrison’s brother Benjamin recalled in the Dartmouth profile. “That was pretty firm. You weren’t going to play if you didn’t do well in school.”

Russell has been open about the impact his father’s death had on him

Harrison died in June 2010 after struggling with his health for years. Three years prior to his death, however, Harrison had been told by doctors that he had just hours to live after suffering a stroke. As Russell recalled in an essay for The Player’s Tribune in 2017, his mother called him to let him know his father “only has a little time left.” Russell was at college, but Tammy remained by her husband’s side through the night.

“She was alone with him in the room that night, and she bent down on one knee and started singing her favorite song from church to him. It’s called ‘All By Grace,’ ” Russell wrote. “After a few minutes, he started moving his hand a little bit.”

Despite doctors deeming his recovery impossible, Harrison woke up from his coma and “kept on fighting for another three years before he passed away.”

“I think about my father’s courage almost every day, and how he defied the odds,” the quarterback wrote.

Related: Russell Wilson Congratulates Sister Anna on NCAA Championship After Stanford Win: 'I See You Sis'

Harrison and Tammy inspired Russell’s philanthropic efforts

Russell credits his parents as the influence behind his philanthropic and charitable organizations, including the Why Not You Foundation and the Why Not You Academy. Per the Seattle Seahawks, Harrison and Tammy “instilled in their children a drive not just to do great things in life, but to make a difference in the community at the same time.”

Russell shared with the team, “My dad always told me, it’s the hashmark in between of significance that you can leave on a place. You always want to leave a place better, you always want to go to a place and make it better.”

He added: “You want to always encourage people and make people believe. That’s why I went to the hospitals. My mom was an ER nurse and did so many different things.”

Russell gifted his mom Tammy a house

For Mother’s Day in 2019, Russell surprised his mom with a new home.

“All these years you have never asked me for anything… only thing you ever wanted is for me to LOVE,” he captioned a video posted on YouTube. “Well thanks for loving us the way you do. This ones for you. I love you momma.”

In the two-minute clip, Tammy was seen being caught by surprise when Russell broke the news to her. The mother of three was overcome with emotion and repeatedly asked, “Are you serious?” before entering her house.

Tammy has a strong Christian faith

Tammy is a devout Christian, and often posts about reading the Bible and how her faith has impacted her life on Instagram.

In November 2022, Russell dedicated a message to Tammy in honor of her birthday, praising his mom for teaching him to “always keep the Faith.”

“Mom, You’ve taught me through the midst of pain, through the midst of the storms of life, when life sometimes gets rocky to always keep the Faith and keep praying,” he wrote on Instagram.

Tammy offers Russell parenting advice

In 2016, when Russell married his wife, Ciara, Tammy encouraged him to embrace and love her son, Future Zahir Wilburn, as his own. Ciara shares Future Zahir with ex-fiancé and fellow musician Future.

Related: All About Ciara and Russell Wilson's 3 Kids (and Baby on the Way!)

“So I said to him, ‘OK, if you’re really serious about it then you have to love that kid as if it were your own, even if that means that you give that kid your name,’ ” she said, according to Good Morning America. “If you’re going to be with someone who has a kid you can’t treat that kid any differently than if it were yours.”

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