Pittsburgh Steelers running backs coach Kirby Wilson was rushed to the hospital on Friday after his home caught on fire and he was believed to be severely burned.
According to local officials the fire broke out at approximately 3 a.m. ET in the coaches kitchen. Wilson lives in the Seven Fields suburb just 30 minutes north of the city.
Wilson, 50, was rushed to UPMC Mercy Hospital for treatment and doctors did not make his condition immediately known. In the meantime investigators are not sure what caused the flame and an investigation is ongoing.
The coaches injuries are bad enough that he will not travel with the Steelers on Sunday when they face off against the Denver Broncos in the first round of the AFC playoffs.
Speaking about his running backs coach Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement on the Pittsburg Steelers website:
“We know that he has the best medical care in the country treating him,” and “The entire organization is praying for Kirby to have a full recovery and we will be by his side through this difficult time.”
Thankfully for Kirby Wilson’s sake UPMC Mercy offers a comprehensive burn center, it’s also the same facility that treated team quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after his 2006 motorcycle crash.
Before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers organization in 2007 Kirby Wilson served as running backs coach in New England, Washington, Arizona and Tampa Ba
Under his tutelage running back Rashard Mendenhall has managed to pull over consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Offensive assistant Harold Goodwin stepped in on Friday to work with the teams running backs.
