Former New Orleans Saints Defensive End Jimmy Wilkerson Passes Away At 43

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Dec 16, 2024, 18:36 IST

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Former NFL player Jimmy Wilkerson tragically passed away from cardiac arrest at 43. Hours before his son Maddox's high school championship game, Wilkerson was found unresponsive at his Oklahoma City home. Despite the devastating loss, Maddox played in the game, contributing to Carl Albert High School's victory.

Former New Orleans Saints Defensive End Jimmy Wilkerson Passes Away At 43

Wilkerson ended his NFL career in 2010. (Image Via New Orleans Saints)

Former NFL defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson passed away on December 13 in Oklahoma City. He was 43 years old and reportedly died from a cardiac arrest. Wilkerson played with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2003 to 2007 and switched over to Tampa Bay for two seasons before joining the New Orleans Saints in 2010. His NFL career concluded the same year.
Wilkerson was working as an assistant coach at Carl Albert High School in Oklahoma. As per a local news report, a few hours before the Titans were scheduled to have their final practice before Saturday’s title game against Guthrie, a call went out to the paramedic, from Wilkerson’s home. As per reports, Wilkerson had passed before the paramedics arrived.

Oklahoma’s Carl Albert High School Honours Coach Jimmy Wilkerson, Wins Class 5A Title

On Saturday, Carl Albert High School won the state championship. Maddox, Jimmy’s son also played at the game. “You were the best dad and also my best friend … ” he wrote Friday on his Instagram page. “I love you so much, Dad. Life won’t ever be the same without you here by my side.
The Carl Albert team defeated Guthrie 30-6 at the Class 5A state championship football game in Edmond, Oklahoma, marking the school’s third consecutive Class 5A title.

The coaches at Carl Albert coaches weren’t sure if Maddox would play Saturday and his mother Jamie, gave him the option and told him it was up to him. But Maddox played immaculately as he handled both sides of the ball, defensive end and tight end. He had two tackles and he almost had a touchdown.
“We were trying really hard to get him in” said coach Mike Dunn. “But he’s made plays all year long, and so I know his dad would be proud of him.”

“You talk about hard. That kid dealt with a lot. … He’s a great kid, great family and he’s gonna have a bunch of coaches, we’ll never be his dad, but we’ll always be there for him,” he added.
"He was a great teammate," said former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle. "He fit into our locker room perfect. He was only here for a year but we were talking about it on our group chat, and everybody remembered Jimmy. He was just a standup dude."

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