Never Failed: The Russell Wilson Story

Had Russell Wilson’s Wisconsin graduation commencement speech in 2016 been as good as his NC State graduation commencement speech in 2021, this limited series podcast might’ve never been produced. In the final episode of “Never Failed," Joe Giglio and Joe Ovies highlight the unnecessary embellishment Wilson gave to his own sports super hero origin story and ask prominent national media members with local connections why the layers to his departure from NCSU tend to be glossed over. In closing “Never Failed”, Giglio asks Elliott Avent, Mike Glennon, and others whether NC State did Wilson wrong.

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Can you be right and wrong at the same time? Given the success Russell Wilson had at Wisconsin and currently with the Seattle Seahawks, most fans and media would say Tom O’Brien was wrong with decision to go with Mike Glennon at QB. However, the passage of time has positioned O’Brien’s larger point to be right. Commit to the team and to football, which is exactly what happened when Wilson ditched baseball after arriving in Madison. In the fifth of six episodes, Joe Giglio and Joe Ovies explore the breakup of Wilson and NC State, how O’Brien could’ve communicated his intentions better, and why Wilson’s dream of being the next Bo Jackson was always a long shot.

How is this for a mind-bending experience: if Russell Wilson had returned to NC State for his final football season, do you know which school Mike Glennon had preliminary thoughts about transferring to? Episode 4 of Never Failed: The Russell Wilson Story takes a deeper look at the quarterback who succeeded Wilson with the Wolfpack in 2011, and what led Tom O' Brien to his final decision.

Despite the success in 2010, former NC State head coach Tom O’Brien believed Russell Wilson splitting time between football and baseball resulted in some inconsistent play. Even though Wilson’s baseball future looked bright after getting drafted by the Colorado Rockies, his former NCSU teammate and QB Mike Glennon knew Wilson wouldn’t just walk away from the football field. In this episode 99.9 the Fan's Joe Ovies and Joe Giglio explore Wilson’s deep connection with his late father and his three seasons as the Wolfpack QB.

It has been 10 years since Russell Wilson left NC State but the story has never quite been told like this. In the second of six episodes, 99.9 the Fan's Joe Ovies and Joe Giglio explore the recruitment of Wilson to the Wolfpack. The coaches involved always understood Wilson's desire to play baseball and football, but what happens when the football coach who brought him in gets fired and the new guy doesn't see it the same way?

It has been 10 years since Russell Wilson left NC State but the story has never quite been told like this. In the first of six episodes, 99.9 the Fan's Joe Ovies and Joe Giglio explain what made Wilson so special at NCSU and how Wilson's exit remains controversial, even to his former coaches and teammates, to this day.

The story of Russell Wilson’s exit from NC State, ten years ago to Wisconsin and then NFL stardom, has been told hundreds of times. But there have always been gaps and questions and inaccuracies. With insight from the people who knew Russell Wilson and Tom O’Brien the best, we set the record straight about Wilson’s time and departure from NC State. Hosted by Joe Ovies and Joe Giglio from 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh, North Carolina.