University of Minnesota Athletics
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Dan Wilson
Class of 2008
Baseball: 1988-90
Dan Wilson is regarded as one of the most talented and classiest players ever to come out of the University of Minnesota baseball program. In his three years with the Golden Gophers, he batted .337 with 126 runs, 17 homers, 119 RBI, 89 walks, threw out 33 of 52 baserunners, was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree and first team All-American.
Wilson burst upon the scene as a freshman batting .347 with 35 runs, 12 doubles, four home runs and 42 RBI. He also showed off his arm as a pitcher, going 4-3 with one save, while posting a 4.20 ERA in 45.0 innings. As a true freshman, Wilson was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team and also drew the start on the mound against Fresno State in the Gophers’ first NCAA Regional game. Following his tremendous freshman season, Wilson was named second team All-Big Ten as a sophomore in 1989 and played for the U.S. National Team over the summer.
In his junior season, Wilson batted .370 with 43 runs, eight home runs, 49 RBI and was named a first team All-American, joining Ron Wojcak (1964), Greg Olson (1982) and later Shane Gunderson (1995) as one of only four Golden Gopher catchers to receive first-team honors. Wilson was drafted with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft. He remains the third-highest University of Minnesota player to be picked in the draft behind Paul Molitor (third overall pick in 1977) and David Winfield (fourth overall pick in 1973).
Wilson spent 14 years in the big leagues with the Cincinnati Reds (1992-93) and the Seattle Mariners (1994-2005). During that time, he was regarded as one of the best defensive catchers in Major League Baseball. When Wilson retired in 2005, he had the highest fielding percentage (.995) of any American League catcher in Major League history.
Wilson experienced many thrills over his 12-year career with the Seattle Mariners. In 1995, he was a member of the first Seattle Mariners team to make the playoffs, and was part of a dramatic five-game series victory over the New York Yankees. In 1996, Wilson was named to the AL All-Star team as a catcher. He reached the playoffs three more times with Mariners (1997, 2000 and 2001); including 2001 when he was a member of the team that tied a Major League record for wins in a season with 116. Wilson was the starting catcher for Seattle during a four-year span from 2000-03 that saw the Mariners go 393-255 for a .606 winning percentage.
His impact on the Seattle Mariners franchise was underscored on April 10, 2006, when the organization held “Dan Wilson Day” in his honor. The University of Minnesota honored him once again the following year during the final Pro-Alumni Game in 2007.