Member Biography

"Lighthorse Harry" Wilson got a fantastic nickname when he was compared to "Lighthorse Harry" Lee, an American hero of the Revolutionary War. Walter Camp wrote in 1923, "Wilson on his good days has no peer." He was a runner with startling acceleration and great balance in the open field. Wilson played seven varsity years with Penn State 1921-1923 and Army 1924-1927 and was Army captain in 1927. The magazine Athletic World named him All-America in 1923. The All-America Board and International News Service did the same in 1926. For Penn State in 1923, he had touchdown runs against Navy of 95, 80 and 55 yards and against Pennsylvania of 49, 45 and 25 yards. Wilson was born August 6, 1902 in Mingo Junction, Ohio, and attended high school in Sharon, Pennsylvania. After graduating from West Point, he entered the Army Air Corps and flew 45 missions as a bomber pilot in World War II. He died October 26, 1990, in Rochester, New York.