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Panthers vs. Packers game marks holiday homecoming for Charlotte native

Green Bay running back Emanuel Wilson played at North Meck High School

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Sunday, Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson steps on to the NFL field he grew up just down the street from.

"It's gonna feel amazing, really," Wilson said. "We used to be like 'one day, we're gonna be able to play in that stadium.' And now it's coming true."

That truth is still hard to believe for Wilson's family, who proudly wear his No. 31 Packers jersey.

"It's very surreal to have a grandson that's in the NFL," Darryl Wade, Wilson's grandfather said. "You see people around town with Green Bay Packer paraphernalia on and you just want to go up to them and say, 'Excuse me, sir (that's my grandson's jersey)."

Added Wilson's grandmother, Dacota Wade: "It's my grandson's (jersey). We're proud."

Emanuel and his brother Sha'Quan spent most of their childhood in Charlotte, but their dad Manuel taught them the game in their birthplace of Roanoke, Virginia.

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"He used to let us hit trees with our shoulder pads to make us tough," Emanuel Wilson said. "My dad was a great coach."

Sha'Quan, who is older, remembers the moment he knew his brother might have what it takes to be a football star.

"He just ran me over," he said. "I remember it like it was yesterday. So I knew he was going to be something special ever since then."

But tragedy struck the Wilson boys when Emanuel was just 10, when Manuel, the boys' father, died.

"After he passed I didn't want to play football anymore," Emanuel said. "But my mom just told me you can't stop playing just because he's gone."

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Emanuel went on to become a star at North Meck High School, rushing for nearly 2,000 yards in his senior season. 

He began his college career at Johnson C. Smith before transferring to Fort Valley State. 

Wilson went undrafted last spring but caught on with the Broncos, only to be cut in rookie minicamp.

"He called me and said, 'Sha'Quan I don't want to play anymore.' But I just let him know don't lose faith. You worked this hard to get here," Sha'Quan said. "Just continue to have faith in God and continue to work hard."

Soon, Emanuel Wilson signed with the Green Bay Packers.

The team already features a few established backs, so it would take something special for Wilson to stick around. 

And that something special happened on August 11.

"We just jumped and started screaming," Dacota Wade said.

Wilson had his breakout moment in a preseason game, scoring two touchdowns, including one run of 80 yards.

"We hopped up out of bed," Darryl Wade said. "Man, you are you kidding me?"

August 11 also marked the 14th anniversary of his father's death.

"He's always been with me since they day he died," Emanuel Wilson said that night. "I can't even explain it, I just know he was always here for me."

Emanuel has appeared in seven games this season, establishing himself as a reliable, and explosive running back in the NFL.

On Christmas Eve, he'll walk into the NFL stadium he grew up dreaming of playing in. 

Carrying the name Wilson for himself, his brother, his father, and his family.

"I can't really believe like he's on a (Madden video) game, and I've got a jersey of him," Sha'Quan Wilson said. "It's really a dream come true. And he worked so hard to get to this point."

Contact Nick Carboni at ncarboni@wcnc.com and follow him on FacebookX and Instagram.

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