| 49ers LB Michael Wilhoite would have earned a game ball if the 49ers had won on Sunday. (US Presswire) |
If not for the final outcome of the 49ers' loss at St. Louis on Sunday, LB Michael Wilhoite would be the proud owner of a game ball for his performance in his first NFL appearance.
“Had an outstanding game on special teams,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Multiple tackles and had we won the game he would have deserved a game ball. He would have been the guy.”
Not bad for a guy who once redshirted at Division II Washburn University -- home of the Ichabods -- and whose lone professional experience before Sunday came with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League.
Wilhoite was bumped up from the practice squad last week and was in on four special-teams units: kickoff, kickoff return, punt and punt return. Harbaugh complimented him for staying on his assignments and was especially pleased with the job he did on punt team, where he was consistently able to free up teammates to get a good release off the line of scrimmage.
Only a win would have made it a better day for Wilhoite.
“I was on cloud nine, obviously, all day,” he said. “Words can’t explain it, but it was awesome to have my family there and have teammates there that were happy for me.”
There was a time, not long ago, when the NFL wasn’t a realistic dream. After his redshirt year at Washburn in 2005, he switched from safety to linebacker and finished No. 21 on the team with six tackles. His two standout performances consisted of two tackles against both Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist.
He was on the radar of exactly zero NFL teams.
But once he started having success for the Ichabods, Washburn coach Craig Schurig told him professional football could be in his future.
“I never really realized it as much,” Wilhoite said. “(Schurig) realized it before I did, and he said something to me and when he did, I said ‘OK, this can be a realistic goal.’”
There were other milestones along the way -- signing with Omaha, then to the 49ers practice squad last year, then getting re-signed to the practice squad following training camp again this year, but none of those signified just how far he’d come compared to his first 49ers' game action.
Call K David Akers’ touchback to open the game most memorable non-play of Wilhoite’s life.
“I was glad we started with kickoff, there is no assignment, you just run down as fast as you can and try to make a play,” Wilhoite said. “A touchback isn’t as near as fun, but it was a blessing to be able to run down the field with my teammates.”
Already one of the strongest, most physically imposing players on the team, Wilhoite more than held his own when he finally got in on some action. His first tackle came following a punt.
"That was pretty awesome," he said. "First one in my career, hopefully there’ll be many more. I’ll just remember that one running down, making a play and celebrating with my teammates."
See the trend? Wilhoite gives a lot of credit to the guys around him in the San Francisco locker room, guys whose trust he's earned with consistent effort in practice over the last year.
"He gives tremendous effort. The willingness to do his job and beyond," said Tavares Gooden, who lined up next to Wilhoite on the kickoff team. "That's great and that's what you need because you're not going to win every battle, but as long as your effort is there, then you have a great chance at winning."
How his role evolves remains to be seen. The positive impression he made on the coaching staff was certainly a good sign for his future, but he’ll be on the 46-man bubble the rest of the way. Special teams standout Demarcus Dobbs, who didn’t travel with the team to St. Louis, is expected to play this week, which could affect Wilhoite’s game-day status.
Naturally, he’d prefer to be on the field, but for now Wilhoite is content living the dream, the dream he almost didn't have.
Follow 49ers reporter Kyle Bonagura on Twitter @CBS49ers and @KyleBonagura.