Wilbur was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round of the 1965 AFL Draft with a future draft pick, which allowed the team to draft him before his college eligibility was over. In 1966, he chose to sign with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys as a free agent in 1966. As a rookie, he quit training camp and had to be convinced to come back. He was tried at guard. defensive end and offensive tackle. He played mainly as the wedge-buster on special teams and as backup offensive tackle. He was a part of the 1967 NFL Championship Game famously known as "The Ice Bowl". In 1968, he became the starter at right guard when Leon Donohue didn't recover from offseason surgery and was placed on the injured reserve list. Blocking for quarterback Don Meredith and playing with Peter Gent, Wilbur was an anti-hero, outspoken against the "racists elements" on the team and in the city. Part of the "Wild Rebel Bunch" contingency, he infamously organized a group of Cowboys to be security guards at the Texas International Pop Festival. He was also a Player Representative in the National Football League Players Association for the Cowboys. On June 5, 1970, he was initially traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for a third round draft choice, but after threatening to retire, the Cardinals traded him to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for guard Mike Lahood. He was replaced by Blaine Nye, who was moved from defensive tackle to offensive guard.
Los Angeles Rams
Wilbur was a backup right guard for the Rams and played mostly on special teams under the auspices of hall of fame coach George Allen. On January 28, 1971, he was traded to the Washington Redskins along with Maxie Baughan, Diron Talbert, Jack Pardee, Myron Pottios, Jeff Jordan and a fifth round pick in exchange for Marlin McKeever, first round pick, third round pick, fourth round pick, fifth round pick, sixth round pick and a seventh round pick.
Washington Redskins
Wilbur reunited with Allen and became a starter at right guard with the Washington Redskins from 1971 to 1973. He helped the team reach Super Bowl VII against the Miami Dolphins. He is credited with being one of the first players to sew the sleeves of his jerseys tight, later adopted by the League. In 1972, Nixon was on his way up and the Vietnam War was raging. Wilbur was one of the Redskins players to support George McGovern and his anti-war platform. He became good friends with both McGovern and a young reporter, Hunter S. Thompson, who would later write Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. He also was named the treasurer for the NFLPA.
On May 17, 1976, he signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles. He retired before the start of the season on September 6.
Personal life
Wilbur earned a masters in business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles while playing for the Dallas Cowboys. Through his time at Stanford, Wilbur developed a keen appreciation for rugby football. As his years in the NFL wound down Wilbur became a ringleader of the Hawaii Harlequins Rugby Football Club, and continued to enjoy the social aspects of rugby long after hanging up his boots. Wilbur was a "regular" at the Aspen Ruggerfest until the end. He died on December 9, 2013. He had three children Nathan Wilbur, Dione Wilbur, Lindsea Kemp-Wilbur and four grandchildren. Postmortem research showed Wilbur suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
