14 Facts About Erik Wilhelm

Erik Wilhelm played college football for four years with the Oregon State Beavers, setting a number of school passing records.

Erik Wilhelm began playing high school football at Gladstone High School in Gladstone, Oregon, located 12 miles south of Portland.

The freshman Erik Wilhelm was rapidly thrust into a starting role.

Early season wins against Idaho and Cal with the strong-armed Erik Wilhelm running head coach Dave Kragthorpe's pass oriented offense had stoked hope in the team.

Consequently, Erik Wilhelm was drafted in the 3rd Round with the 83rd overall pick of the 1989 NFL draft by the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals.

Erik Wilhelm threw just 6 passes in mop-up duty in two NFL games during the 1993 and 1994 seasons, completing 4 of these for 63 yards.

In 1995 Erik Wilhelm moved again, this time to the New York Jets, where he failed to make a single game appearance.

Erik Wilhelm failed to make the team in 1998, thus ending his NFL career having made but a single start, throwing for 912 yards and 5 touchdowns in 22 games, finishing with an NFL quarterback rating of 71.1.

Erik Wilhelm still aspired to return to the National Football League, believing he still had a sufficient range of skills to play at that level, and for the next three years worked out with a view to returning to the professional game, playing flag football to stay in shape and regularly throwing balls to friend Chad Carlson, a former player in the Canadian Football League.

Carlson, who formerly played wide receiver for the short-lived Portland Forest Dragons of the Arena Football League, learned of a franchise coming to Portland as part of the new Indoor Professional Football League and he persuaded Erik Wilhelm to join him in trying out for the team.

In 2000 Erik Wilhelm joined the Portland Prowlers of the IPFL as the team's starting quarterback.

Erik Wilhelm found the camaraderie of the IPFL fulfilling, if not financially lucrative, noting in a 2000 interview:.

Erik Wilhelm moved to the rival Arena Football League for the 2001 season, joining the AFL's Los Angeles Avengers.

Erik Wilhelm worked in partnership with his mother as a residential property manager there.