CINCINNATI — When you watch the Cotton Bowl, keep this in mind: Every player on the field is a student-athlete, and some juggle both roles at the highest level.
Bearcat Linebacker Wilson Huber is certainly one of them.
“I take a lot of pride in what I do,” Huber said, “Especially school. Always have.”
And it shows. Huber has made the most of his academic opportunities at the University of Cincinnati.
He has an undergraduate and a graduate degree in finance.
His GPAs are proof of his discipline and determination.
“With my undergrad, it was a 3.95. My masters was a 3.9,” said Huber.
And he did it while giving football hours of dedication each and every week.
His parents are super proud of him. Dad, Daryl, really understands what it’s taken because he was a Bearcat, too.
“You know I tell everybody it’s like having a full-time job on top of being a student,” Daryl said.
Wilson agreed.
“For awhile there, it was school, football, school, football and repeat,” Huber chuckled.
UC’s Associate Athletic Director for Student Athlete Support Services, Keri Thoman, said Huber is the whole package.
“He had been self-sufficient, and academically motivated,” Thoman said, “He’s humble, kind, and hard-working.”
The Cotton Bowl has taken notice. It awarded Huber one of two “Dan S. Petty Scholar-Athlete Awards.”
The day we interviewed Huber, he was recording an acceptance speech for the prestigious honor.
He said, “I’m thrilled to be named the…award winner.”
And he’s thrilled to be playing with his team at the Cotton Bowl.
This is the ultimate dual moment for Huber, the student-athlete.
But he also talked about life beyond the Bowl.
“I’m going to attempt to work on the NFL process. If that doesn’t work out, I have a foundation to fall back on,” said Huber.
That is the gift he gave to himself, with the help of everyone who was part of his UC experience.
On that note, Huber made sure to give Professor Mike Neugent a special shout out, naming him an influential academic presence in his time at the university.
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