During his first three seasons the left-handed quarterback developed and emerged as a fledgling star, gaining honors as a junior in 1982 when he was named to the Class-AA Oregon All-State team.
[2] In the summer of 1983 Wilhelm's family moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon, another Portland suburb, with Erik enrolling at Lakeridge High School for his senior year.
Early season wins against Idaho and Cal with the strong-armed Wilhelm running head coach Dave Kragthorpe's pass oriented offense had stoked hope in the team.
The chimera faded, however, when the promising Wilhelm was lost for the season due to injury – and event which punctuated a brutal four game swoon which included a merciless 63–0 thrashing at the hands of the University of Southern California.
[4] It would be another freshman QB, the previously unknown Rich Gonzales, who would lead the 38-point underdog Beavers to their sensational 21–20 road victory over the mighty University of Washington in October for their third and final win of the year.
[6] Victories over Cal, Boise State, and BYU would highlight Wilhelm and OSU's 3–8 season,[4] during which the southpaw threw a Conference best 2,871 yards.
[6] He set a school record for single game passing yardage in an October 10 victory over the University of Akron, racking up 461 yards in the air.
[8] Following the success of the San Francisco 49ers and their "West coast offense," the National Football League (NFL) began a move towards a more pass-centric game, thereby putting a premium on quarterback accuracy and arm strength.
Standing tall at 6'3" and with impressive collegiate credentials for completion percentage and passing yards in a pro-style offense, Erik Wilhelm represented a tantalizing prospect, despite his propensity for throwing interceptions and the poor win–loss record of his team.
Initially wearing the number 12, Wilhelm saw limited action backing up Esiason in 6 games during his 1989 rookie season, completing 30 of his 56 passes for 4 touchdowns, at a cost of 2 interceptions.
[10] For the 1992 season Wilhelm moved to the Phoenix Cardinals where he was relegated to third on the depth chart behind starter Chris Chandler and backup Timm Rosenbach,[10] the latter another Pac-10 quarterback selected in the 1989 draft.
"I'm enjoying it tremendously because it's guys coming together, bonding and going for a common goal to win games and to learn an offense together, to practice together, to get beat up by the other team.
[15] Wilhelm's squad lost the championship in a shootout, 53–48, falling victim to quarterback John Fourcade and the Mississippi Fire Dogs at Portland's Memorial Coliseum.