UW athletes rally to help former teammate

by Elysia Conner
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 9:21 AM MDT

The late 1980s is remembered as a great time for University of Wyoming basketball, and Oliver Wilson was a major part of the team’s success during that era.

Today Wilson is fighting for his life, and some old teammates are lending a helping hand.

University of Wyoming and NBA stars Theo Ratliff and Fennis Dembo will sign autographs at Sunrise Shopping Center on Saturday, July 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The athletes will sign items for a donation to the Oliver Wilson Cancer Fund.

The event also will feature 20 tables of sports cards and collectibles from Wyoming. The card show will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

After graduating from UW, Wilson worked as a junior high school coach and teacher’s assistant before becoming UW’s first admissions counselor/coordinator of minority recruitment. 

He eventually became the associate director for minority recruitment at Grand Valley State University, where he now lives in Michigan.

He earned his doctorate degree in educational leadership from the university a few years ago. Shortly after graduating, he was diagnosed with cancer.

His doctors told him that he had days to weeks to live, if he was lucky. Nearly three years later, Wilson is still going.

“I am still here fighting and will continue to fight,” he said. “I constantly ask the Lord to use me as an example and I enjoy providing God with the glory so that people can have a better understanding of the Lord's work and how it's being done.”

The Oliver Wilson Cancer fund was begun to raise money for Wilson’s medical costs, which have drained the family’s savings.

One child is struggling to pay for college and the youngest is in high school.

“If I had a million dollars, it would be his,” said Shawn Wiggins, who co-organized the fundraiser for Wilson. “But I just do what I can to help him out.”

Wiggins was a UW football player and now coaches sports at Kelly Walsh High School and teaches fifth grade.

Both Wiggins and Wilson came from the south Chicago area and became University of Wyoming athletes. Wiggins describes his friend as a family man and a fighter.

Wilson showed his determination early on, deciding to go to college while most of his peers chose a different path.

While his parents didn’t have the opportunity to go to college, Wilson said, they sacrificed so that he could.

He believes that parental involvement and serving as a role model “are a few of the key essential elements to the success of our future generations.”

“Dream without limitations and boundaries” is his advice to others growing up in environments similar to what he was exposed to.

With a high dropout rate in his high school, Wilson’s only goal was to graduate from high school. But determination to leave a neighborhood that was filled with crime and drugs led him to enrolling at Casper College.

He began playing basketball and received an athletic scholarship, which allowed him to pay for college.

One of Wilson’s best memories of being a student athlete was advancing to the National Invitational Tournament as a finalist and participating in the Sweet 16 the following year. 

“The coaching staff truly had a significant impact on me as a student-athlete as well,” he said.

Wilson remains close with several UW alumni students, former Cowboy athletes and many others from that time in his life. He attended the Cowboy basketball alumni game, which raised funds for the cancer fund.

Many players who knew about Wilson’s illness played in the game. The alumni game was one of the most memorable experiences of Wilson’s life.

“The atmosphere was one which truly displayed a rich culture of tradition and lifelong relationships built,” he said.

Wilson’s main support and foundation is from his family. He and his wife, Sandy, have two grown daughters and one teenage son.

“While I know each and every day brings something new to each of them,” Wilson said, “they continue to unwaveringly stand by me aiding me on this day to day fight.”

He is proud that they continue to attend school and deal with daily life in the midst of one of the most difficult times of their lives.

“They are truly amazing and awesome and I honestly can say I couldn't imagine life without them,” he added.

Wilson hopes to be able to attend the Super Stars and Sports Cards event, but takes things one day at a time.

“Every morning I am afforded the opportunity to see another day on earth, I consider myself to be highly blessed and favored by the Lord,” he said.

Always striving to be an example for others, he stresses cancer prevention and early screening. He recommends that people learn preventive measures and “just do it." 

While most research indicates people should start getting checked for cancer at age 50, “if you are an African American male, don’t wait until your’e 50,” Wilson said. “Critically examine your family history when it comes to cancer and other life threatening illnesses.”

When asked about what advice he could give from his experience, he said, “The best advice I could give to others dealing with cancer is to store somewhere in your mind that God will not give you more than you can handle.”

It gets difficult, but true to the character Wiggins described of his friend, Wilson never has given up.

“I continue to fight because I feel I am truly a living testimony and an answer to many prayers out there,” Wilson said. “And, if you didn't know, Cowboys are some of the best fighters ever. Last, I will continue to fight for myself and for my family.”

To find out more about Oliver Wilson or to donate, visit www.owcancerfund.org.

If you go …

Super Stars and Sports Cards

University of Wyoming and NBA stars Theo Ratliff and Fennis Dembo will sign autographs for a donation to the Oliver Wilson Cancer Fund.

There also will be surprise appearances from other athletes.

Saturday, July 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information, call 265-2133.

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