East Texas born and raised, Charles "Wade" Wilson was a standout quarterback at Commerce High School and earned a football scholarship to his hometown East Texas State University. He was a three-year starter at quarterback and served as the team punter as a freshman. He played in 39 games for the Lions. He completed 338 passes for 4,616 and 34 touchdowns. He also rushed for 177 yards and seven touchdowns.

As a senior, Wilson was named an NAIA First Team All-American in 1980 and was a three-time All-America selection in his career. He was named LSC Outstanding Back of the Year in 1980 and was a two-time First Team All-Conference selection. He graduated with a degree in business management in 1981.

Wilson was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the eighth round of the 1981 NFL Draft. He went on to have a long NFL career, playing in 125 games over 17 seasons, throwing for 17,283 yards and 99 touchdowns. He played for the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders. He was selected to the 1988 Pro Bowl, leading the league in completion percentage. He was part of the Super Bowl XXX Championship team for the Dallas Cowboys, serving as the backup quarterback to Troy Aikman.

After his playing career, Wilson started his coaching career. He has served as a quarterback coach for both the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears. He was inducted into the Lion Hall of Fame in 2002 and the LSC Hall of Honor in 2003.