Longtime Rockford news anchor Eric Wilson begins new career with Crusader Community Health

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Longtime news anchor Eric Wilson began a new career off air on Monday as director of the Crusader Community Health Foundation.

Wilson, whose television news career spanned nearly 30 years in Rockford, said he was taken off the anchor desk at WTVO/ABC 17 and WQRF/FOX 39 in late February after the stations opted not to renew his contract. Wilson did not discuss the reasons he was given for the decision.

He said it was important to him and his wife, Marla, that his next job be someplace where he could make an impact on the community. Crusader, which provides primary health care for people in need, does just that.

“This is our home, and I want to feel like I’m making a difference,” Wilson said in an interview with the Rock River Current. “This will let me do that.”

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Wilson had a connection to Crusader in the past, including co-emceeing its Spirit of Caring awards last year. As director of the nonprofit Crusader Community Health Foundation, he’ll oversee the charitable organization’s daily operations and work to secure potential donations and giving opportunities.

“I am excited to welcome Eric into the role of director of the Crusader Community Health Foundation. He is a longtime supporter of our mission with strong community relationships, and he cares about Rockford and northern Illinois,” said Sam Miller, president and CEO of Crusader Community Health.

Wilson will also continue to teach at Rock Valley College, where he has worked as an adjunct faculty member since 2017.

You’ll also be able to see him this summer performing at Starlight Theatre, playing the role of Professor Aaron Callahan in the production of “Legally Blonde.” The play opens June 5. Wilson has moonlighted as a local actor for years, and this summer he’ll share the stage with his daughter, Allison.

“It’s kind of cool to be able to share the stage with your kid,” he said. “Not too many dads have the same interests as their daughters. I cherish those moments where we can do theater together.”

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Wilson is a native of Chicago’s southwest suburbs and started his broadcast career here in 1993 as a disc jockey with WZOK radio. Two years later he was hired as a weather forecaster for the local NBC affiliate 13 WREX. He became a news anchor in 1999 and worked at WREX until he was fired in 2014. He filed a lawsuit against WREX shortly after his termination and the case was settled before trial.

Wilson joined WTVO in May 2016 to co-anchor its evening newscasts alongside Mimi Murphy. He also anchored FOX 39’s hourlong newscast and hosted Stateline Quiz Bowl, a half-hour TV game show that pits contestants from area schools against each other in a battle of wits.

“That is truly the part of the job I’m going to miss the most. For the dozens (hundreds?) of students who played over the seven and a half years I hosted, it was a privilege to interact with you, and it was fun to watch you grow up,” Wilson wrote on Facebook. “Hopefully those are amazing experiences you will carry with you for the rest of your life. Don’t ever be afraid or embarrassed to let people know how smart you are.”

He announced his new role with Crusader over the weekend in a message to followers and friends on social media. It generated thousands of reactions and hundreds of comments.

“It brings tears to your eyes to see that reaction,” Wilson said. “You get that sense that they felt like I was that much a part of their lives that they had to take the time to at least respond.”

He said the support given was unexpected and overwhelming.

“Posts like that they seem self-serving a little bit — maybe in a way it was and maybe it was kind of a way for me to have a little bit of closure — I never expected that reaction to it and I don’t think I could properly put into words what all those responses mean to me and my family,” he said.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas