Sports
Former Tinley Park Standout Wise Grateful for Athletic Success
After helping Titans win the Class 4A state football championship in 1986, Brian Wise shined at Iowa and got to tryout with Minnesota Vikings.
Brian Wise got his opportunity and has absolutely no regrets.
After helping the Tinley Park football team capture the Class 4A state championship in 1986, Wise went on to have a successful career at the University of Iowa. Despite not getting drafted by the NFL, he received a tryout with the Minnesota Vikings, only to get cut.
“I was very much OK with that,” Wise said. “I had dreams of playing in the NFL, but I had one shot and got banged up a little in camp and got released. I made the conscious decision at the time that I didn’t want to bounce around and try to put my foot in the door with another team. I went back home and into the real world and started working.”
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Wise, who works for BP in sales and marketing, is grateful for his athletic experiences.
While playing for the Hawkeyes, he got to play in three bowl games, including the Rose Bowl in 1991.
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“I think I had a successful career,” Wise said. “I was recruited as a wide receiver, but moved to strong safety and pretty much started for 3½ years. I got the chance to play in the Rose Bowl, Holiday Bowl and Peach Bowl. Growing up in the Midwest, the Big Ten was the predominant conference, and when it came time to make a decision, I wanted to go somewhere that was far enough from home where I could have my own life, but close enough for family and friends to get to the games. My family didn’t miss many of my games. Playing in the Rose Bowl was a thrill.”
Wise caught 47 passes for 1,155 yards as a receiver his senior season at Tinley Park and earned all-state honors as a defensive back.
Taylor Bell, who covered high school sports in Illinois for more than 40 years, once ranked Wise as one of the top-11 defensive players he ever saw.
“I think my athletic background helps in life,” said Wise, who lives in Montgomery and still plays softball with a few of his former Tinley Park teammates. “It helps when you’re dealing with pressure situations, when you’re working in a group atmosphere and overcoming objections. There’s nothing specific in sports that translates into my working career, but playing in front of 100,000 people (at the Rose Bowl) certainly helps when you get up in front of people for a meeting.”
