After graduating from the State Normal school, Wilson enrolled at the University of Michigan as a law student. He played for the University of Michigan football team as a reserve in 1899 and as the starting center in 1900. He was the starting right guard on the 1901 Michigan Wolverines football team that won the national championship and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 550 to 0. After the 1901 season, the Michigan Daily-News wrote of Wilson: "He has a great many qualities which combine to make a good guard, but there is one that stands out above all the rest and that is -- strength." He was also the University of Michigan's champion heavyweight wrestler and an expert boxer. At the end of the 1901 season, Wilson was selected as an All-Western player by Rhinehart.