NFL playoffs season is upon us, with Super Bowl LX just three weeks away. Today (Saturday, Jan. 17), four teams are looking to get one step closer to the Lombardi trophy as the divisional playoffs heat up. Beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern, the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks will go head-to-head with the San Francisco 49ers on their home turf as both teams vie for a conference championship game bid. And of course, no U.S. sports event can kick off without a seasoned performer leading the crowd in our national anthem. Taking the stage today at Seattle’s Lumen Field is retired U.S. Navy Petty Officer Generald Wilson.
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Generald Wilson Has Performed at Nearly 1,000 Events
With a conference championship and potential Super Bowl bid at stake, the NFL playoffs are a time for seasoned pros—and that’s certainly true of Generald Wilson. The St. Louis resident is no stranger to centerfield (or court), having sung “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” at nearly 1,000 events. Wilson’s resume includes NFL playoff games, the World Series, NHL Stanley Cup Finals and NCAA championships.
He Started Singing in the Military
Generald Wilson joined the U.S. Navy in 1989 as a “radio man,” now called an information systems technician, at the Naval base in San Diego. His singing career began in the military, and soon, admirals were personally requesting him to perform at their retirement ceremonies.
In 1998, Wilson’s clear, melodic tenor caught the attention of Georgia Frontiere, the late owner of the St. Louis Rams.
“She came up to me on a Friday and said, ‘How would you like to sing for the Rams?’ I said, ‘Wow,’” Wilson recalled. “She said, ‘Great, the game is on Sunday.’”
He most definitely is. Always my favorite.
— brittany (taylor’s version) ✨💫 (@brittanyconk17) October 22, 2025
Two days later, he made his stadium debut. And Wilson has continued his music career since retiring from the Navy in 2010 after 21 years of service. In fact, Kansas City Chiefs fans may recognize him as the longtime national anthem performer at Arrowhead Stadium.
[RELATED: The 9 Best Super Bowl National Anthem Performances That Aren’t Whitney Houston]
“When people listen to or sing the anthem together, you put away your differences for a minute and a half,” Wilson said. “That’s unity to me.”
Regardless of other divides, NFL fans seem to universally agree on Wilson’s patriotic performances, with one X/Twitter user writing, “Generald Wilson might be the best national anthem singer.”
Featured image by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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