Sports

Coach Kirby Wilson Talks Recovery, Attends Steelers Camp

The running backs coach was severely burned during a fire at his Seven Fields town house in January.

Steelers running backs Coach Kirby Wilson is staging a comeback.

at his town home in Seven Fields, the veteran running backs coach is attending this week at St. Vincent College in Latrobe.

On Thursday, he shared his joy at being back with the team—and his determination to make a full recovery.

Find out what's happening in Cranberrywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“It’s great to be back,” Wilson told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It’s my most rewarding camp ever.”

In April, Wilson returned to the Steelers , including evaluating running backs. He also coached during organized team activities and the spring mini-camp, according to the Post-Gazette.

Find out what's happening in Cranberrywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While much of that time was spent yelling instructions to the players from a golf cart, Wilson now is well enough to jog up and down the sidelines.

“No doubt ever came in my mind that I would not be here," Wilson told the PG. "It was just what conditioning would I be in when I got here? That was the goal in the OTAs and mini-camp—to be smart, pace myself, learn what bothers me and what doesn't bother me. Just fix that when we got to training camp. I'm pretty much 100 percent right now. I got a little bit more, but I'm happy where I'm at."

Earlier in July, Wilson was honored with the Kirby Wilson Courage Award during the Homeboys football camp at Geneva College.

While at the camp, he spoke to WPXI’s Alby Oxenreiter about his desire to inspire others overcoming huge obstacles in their lives. A father of five, Wilson was burned on more than 45 percent of his body and also suffered a smoke inhalation injury during the fire, which started when his He went through several serious surgeries before returning to work.

“The biggest obstacle to overcome is just believing that you can do it,” Wilson said to Oxenreiter. “That’s the reason I’m here today.”

He added he continues to be grateful for the overwhelming support he has receives from family, friends, fans and the Steelers organization.

“I think the people may see him a little bit more when the fans see him on the field and they can appreciate what he’s done to get where he’s gotten to,” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said during an interview with WPXI.

Already, Wilson has set a few new goals for himself, making a full recovery—and winning another Super Bowl.

Have a message or words of encouragement for Coach Kirby Wilson? Tell us in the comment section.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here