Raheem Wilson loves to dream big, so it made perfect sense when people started calling him 'Raheem the Dream' and Wilson says he loves the nickname.
“Heem Dream, Dream the Heem you know whatever you want to go with but I love it man,” he said.
Wilson is from Desoto, Texas. That’s near the same hometown of Josh Bell and the Stamps defensive backs coach says the families have known each other for years.
“I found out in training camp that he actually played for the little league organization in Desoto, Texas that my father was the owner and founder of,” he said. “So he was on the same team as my baby brother.”
Wilson played the last couple of seasons in Germany and won back to back championships with the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns.
He tried out for the Stamps last season but didn’t make the team. Bell says he’s a different looking player this time around.
“He did not make our team, but was humble enough to come back, was humble enough to go through the same process again and make the team this year,” Bell said. “I think he was a lot better for it in the starting lineup.”
The Dream says it’s all about confidence.
“You know after getting a feel for the league, you know, it’s obviously a little different from the States,” he said. “I mean I knew what I needed to do and what I needed to work on. I worked on those things and I think I came this year knowing I was ready and able to play in this league.”
Head Coach Dave Dickenson says there’s a lot to like about Wilson, but there’s one thing that could make him even better.
“I was kind of hoping we could get him as a Global, guess that didn’t work out,” Dickenson laughed. “He went and showed that he’s a football player, had him back at our Florida camp this year and I just thought that familiarity with the system gave him an edge up on the other guys.”
Wilson will try to make more big dreams happen on Saturday when the Stamps kick-off the regular season against the Ottawa RedBlacks. Kickoff at McMahon Stadium is at 5 p.m.
