East Texan former NFL player Jimmy Wilkerson dies at 43
Posted/updated on: December 16, 2024 at 3:20 am
TYLER – Longtime NFL player and East Texas A&M University defensive line coach Jimmy Wilkerson died at 43-years-old in Oklahoma City on Friday, according to the New Orleans Saints.
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Jimmy Wilkerson. Photo courtesy of East Texas A&M University.
Wilkerson was born in Mount Pleasant and went on to play football for the University of Oklahoma, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints.
“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.”
According to East Texas A&M University, Wilkerson was also a personal trainer and owned Level Up Fitness. East Texas A&M credits Wilkerson as holding the University of Oklahoma’s record for sacks in their rivalry games against the University of Texas.
Wilkerson is survived by his wife Jamie and their four children named Tyson, Maddox, Jax and Emilia.
