Prior to Wagner, Wilson accrued seventeen years of experience at three Big Ten Conference.

[2] A former honorable mention Division I-AA All-America defensive back for Connecticut (1976–80), Wilson was named to the Huskies' 100th-anniversary all-time team in 1998.

His teams won five conference championships and four times advanced to the South Jersey Group III state finals.

Along with the success of his teams on the football field, Wilson was named Camden's "Citizen of the Year" by the Rotary Club in 1992.

Wilson joined the Iowa staff after serving as outside linebacker coach and special teams coordinator at Wisconsin for two years (2000–01).