Before a game in October 1985, members of the Chicago Bears found themselves discussing the danger of James Wilder, an intimidating running back on a bad team. He was 6-foot-3, and used his 225-pound frame as a percussive instrument, initiating a steady drumbeat of contact when he carried the ball.
“He just runs over guys,” Bears defensive end Richard Dent told reporters.
“Next to Walter Payton,” said coach Mike Ditka, “James Wilder would be the running back I'd want on my team.”
Leeman Bennett, his coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: “James Wilder can splatter tacklers.
Emerging Argonauts running back James Wilder Jr. taking a page from his former NFL star father's book
