Philip Wheeler’s roots still strong as Super Bowl appearance awaits

Phyllis Dent, the mother of Atlanta Falcons linebacker Philip Wheeler, can’t help but think back to her oldest son’s childhood as he prepares for the biggest game of his career.

When talk of Wheeler playing in Super Bowl LI comes up, she laughs as she remembers how he almost gave up the game as a 13-year-old.

Wheeler loved football from the time he was 6, but he loved being a Boy Scout just as much. Football practice and the Scouts caused schedule conflicts while Wheeler was at Blackmon Road Middle School, so a compromise was made. Wheeler alternated between the two on Tuesday nights.

The decision didn’t sit well with some.

“One of the coaches had started calling him ‘Girl Scout’ because he couldn’t come every other Tuesday night,” Dent said. “That led to some of the other boys to start teasing him. He didn’t want to deal with it anymore, so he wanted to quit. I told him, ‘No, you don’t quit.’ I had to deal with that coach. That was a trying time.”

Wheeler’s professional career is one that many in the sport dream of. After spending four years at Georgia Tech, he was a third-round draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 2008. Since that time, he’s built a career that spans nine seasons with five teams, 345 tackles and an appearance in Super Bowl XLIV.

But in truth, Wheeler’s road to his second Super Bowl and first as a Falcon has its first few mile markers in Columbus. Wheeler grew into his own as a youth in Muscogee County. He also put together an impressive career at Shaw High School, which included a state championship in his sophomore season.

The shot at a professional football championship is one that could cement the 32-year-old Wheeler’s career. For his mother and others back home, it’s another chance to show their pride in a man who’s evoked that emotion time and time again.

Follow the leader

Dent said she never could have fathomed the career Wheeler has made for himself. Then again, she did hint at it many years ago.

Since Wheeler and his younger brother, Chad Smith, grew up playing football, Dent often participated in various fundraisers the teams would hold. Now in her 31st year at Aflac, Dent recalls different sales pitches she lightly peppered her co-workers with in order to raise the money.

One in particular stands out among the rest.

“I would tease my co-workers, ‘One day we’re going to the Super Bowl, and I’ll give whoever buys the most candy a Super Bowl ticket,’” Dent said. “I had no idea we’d make it to a Super Bowl — twice at that.”

Wheeler spent his early years as a busy young man thanks in large part to his mother. As a single parent, Dent stressed the importance of keeping her children out of trouble, which in her mind meant numerous extracurricular activities. Along with sports and Scouts, Wheeler attended St. Mary’s Road United Methodist Church and participated in the choir and Sunday school.

“I was scared because the odds were stacked against me being a single mother raising two black boys,” Dent said. “Many of my friends thought I was too hard and overprotective. I was criticized for not allowing them to talk on the phone after 9 p.m., even in high school. They didn’t have time.”

Dent’s influence on her son came in various ways, which Wheeler has displayed throughout his life.

When Wheeler stopped doing schoolwork in a social studies class in middle school because he knew he’d already passed, Dent raced from work, picked him up before a basketball banquet and let him know he couldn’t be rewarded while slacking in class. While Wheeler was in high school, Dent said she’d put up $1,000 for his first car, a 1988 Chevy Blazer, if he provided $1,000 from his job bagging groceries at Winn Dixie. And Wheeler remains thrifty with his money today.

But above all else, Wheeler’s own sense of determination stems from his mother. He was described as an independent person by several people, including Alton Pitts, who taught English at Shaw and was the Raiders defensive line coach. Pitts explained some students said things in class to impress teachers or to be liked by other students; Wheeler just said what he believed no matter the reaction.

Wheeler’s professional career has had its share of bumps, and at his age most players have already hung up their cleats. Wheeler, however, keeps going strong, just as Dent did in trying to raise her sons.

“I had to make all the decisions, and I tried to make the best decisions that I could,” Dent said. “I have strong children, and we have strong genes, and Philip is just so dedicated.”

Something special at Shaw

From a personal standpoint, Wheeler had plenty of uncertainty that could have clouded his path. As far as football was concerned, though, there was very little Wheeler didn’t pick up on while at Shaw.

“The good thing about Philip was wherever you played him, he was going to excel, because he was athletic and he had a lot of instinct,” former Shaw head coach Charles Flowers said. “Not only could he play the game, but he had the ability to get other people in line and recognize what was going on. It was like having a coach on the field.”

That ability to understand helped Wheeler establish himself as one of the most reliable defenders for the Raiders. He played a major role in the team’s state title in 2000 as a defensive lineman, then followed that up his senior year by being named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Class AAAA All-State first team.

As talented as he was at finding ways to the football, Wheeler didn’t always follow his coaches’ leads on how to do it. That sometimes left Wheeler pleading his case on the sideline, trying to demonstrate what was going through his head when he didn’t stick to his assignment.

Pitts referred to those responses from his young defensive player as “Wheelerisms,” which were strange explanations that were only acceptable if Wheeler made the play.

More often than not, he had.

“We butted heads a little bit, but he was still very coachable,” Pitts said. “He just knew his own path, and he was blessed with great ability. A lot of times, he did it his way and it always worked out. He knew if he didn’t do it the right way and it didn’t work out, he was in for a butt-chewing.”

In Pitts’ mind, one game in Wheeler’s catalog stands out above the rest. It was 2002, Wheeler’s senior season. Tucker came into Columbus as a 12-0 team looking to take care of Shaw and advance to the state championship game. Instead, the Tigers headed back north with a humbling 37-7 loss.

“We beat them badly, and it was primarily because of Philip,” Pitts said. “He was just a one-man wrecking crew. There was no solution to him.

“That game right there showed us all that he was going to be something special.”

Rising up to the occasion

A lot has changed for Wheeler since he suited up in Shaw’s silver and black, but his sense of purpose is not among them. Despite leaving Columbus for the NFL, he constantly gives back to the community, whether it’s through donations, speaking engagements or football camps.

“He’s always ready to assist someone in need,” said Kathy Fluellen, Wheeler’s first cousin once removed. “My son, Michael, was murdered, and they named a center after him right down the street from Carver High. I give away bikes around Christmas time for the needy kids, and Philip donates. He’s always willing to help, come out, speak at churches and uplift the kids.”

That mentality on life is one Flowers tried to impress upon all of his players. It’s certainly been a constant for Wheeler, which has proven influential considering where his athletic ability has taken him.

“We constantly reiterated, ‘Your character will always precede you,’ ” Flowers said. “Who you are outside football ultimately decides how successful you’re going to be in life. It’s rewarding to see him and other athletes I’ve coached perform at the level they are and are still doing those things we taught them in high school.”

Wheeler and the Falcons are on the verge of winning their first title in franchise history and Atlanta’s second professional championship. But to the people who saw Wheeler grow up firsthand, what happens on the field Sunday is more secondary than necessary.

Win or lose in Houston, they all understand what it took for Wheeler to even reach this stage, and that alone is rewarding enough.

“I told him his entire football career had gone full circle,” Dent said. “He started here, and now he’s back here. It’s amazing. Never in your wildest dreams would you think that he would come back home and play in a Super Bowl (for) Atlanta. It’s unbelievable.”

This story was originally published February 4, 2017 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Philip Wheeler’s roots still strong as Super Bowl appearance awaits."