Nineteen Years Later, Former Gators Slugger Wilkerson Finishes What He Started
Friday, December 19, 2014 | Baseball, Scott Carter
More: Wilkerson one of 27 UF student-athletes to participate in Fall Commencement
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- His days as the most dominant two-way player in the history of Florida's baseball program remain vivid for those who saw him play.
There was nothing Brad Wilkerson could not do on the diamond. He could hit for average and power. He could throw a 90-mph fastball and cast a menacing presence on the mound. He possessed the baseball IQ of a 10-year big-league veteran.
“He was going to make something happen,'' said Ann Hughes, a longtime academic adviser for the baseball team and an assistant director at UF's Office of Student Life. “He was really the real deal.”
When Wilkerson became the first UF player to be inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012, former Gators coach Andy Lopez said he could have used the left-handed Wilkerson at shortstop if needed. He was that talented.
After Wilkerson rewrote Florida's record books from 1995-98, he began a professional career highlighted by eight years in the major leagues. Wilkerson finished second in voting for National League Rookie of the Year in 2002 and hit 32 homers for the Expos in 2004.
He played his final game in the majors on Sept. 28, 2008, his final at-bat an RBI single for Toronto in a 10-1 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards.
View image | gettyimages.comThree years later, out of baseball and ready to open the next chapter in life with his wife and three young children, Wilkerson began to ponder the future.
If he ever wanted to pursue a college coaching job like he tossed around in his head occasionally, Wilkerson knew he would need to earn his college degree, which he completed this fall.
“The running joke is that it took me 19 years to finish college,'' Wilkerson said Thursday.
“He put himself in a position to do what he loves,'' said Hughes, who has known Wilkerson since he arrived on campus in 1995 from Owensboro, Ky. “He said he wanted to finish and he did.”
Wilkerson had not taken a class since his final semester at UF in 1998, right before he was drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft by Montreal.
Since then the requirements for a UF sports management degree have changed. Wilkerson talked with Hughes and devised a plan to earn his degree. He needed around 40 credit hours and started by taking a couple of prep courses at Palm Beach State near his home in Palm Beach Gardens.
Determined to earn his degree from UF and not another school, Wilkerson enrolled full-time in the spring of 2012 and began taking online classes. Wilkerson stayed with it, knocking out classes while balancing his busy family life. The last hurdle was an internship Wilkerson didn't see coming.
“We were going back and forth, 'I'm not doing this internship, come on.' I was going one way and obviously the school was going another,'' he said. “I didn't win that battle. It was a blessing in disguise because it allowed me to go to USA Baseball. It really rekindled the drive to be on the field again.”
Wilkerson's internship reminded him of his passion for the game and opened his eyes to the future. He shared the experience with former Gators teammate David Eckstein, who is involved with USA Baseball and like Wilkerson, reconnected with UF to finish his degree after his playing career concluded.
Wilkerson completed the internship more certain of his future plans. He is currently involved with a travel baseball program in South Florida to stay involved in the game.
“I think I want to go the college route as far as coaching,'' he said. “I really enjoy being on the field and I feel like that's where I'm going to be in the future. After I retired, I had young kids and I wanted to be around them as long as I can. That's why I've waited a little bit.
“I'm probably going to wait a little bit longer. I'm getting my feet wet in this travel program.”
While Wilkerson is familiar with the cheers of fans from his accomplished baseball career, the ones he'll hear Saturday at the O'Connell Center will sound different.
Wilkerson's wife and kids will be there along with several other family members. Wilkerson's parents, Mike and Lynn, are making the drive down from Owensboro, where Wilkerson grew up and developed into a young phenom at Apollo High School.
Mike Wilkerson is a retired school teacher and the first person in Wilkerson's family to graduate from college. Brad will be the third, joining his father and an uncle.
“It means a lot, setting a precedent for our generation behind us,'' Wilkerson said. “It's very important to get an education and obviously I wanted my parents to see me do it. It's a tribute to all the people who have helped me.
“When I get in the O'Dome and I see all those people, I think it's going to hit home a little bit."
