DAVIDSON Zenus Wilson says there are two different kinds of people.

"There are people who shy away and there are people who want to get in there and help. I like to say I'm the latter," he said.

Whether helping to provide medical care to patients with tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in Kenya or anchoring the offensive line of Davidson's football team, Wilson is willing to take the lead.

The 20-year-old former Charlotte Christian standout is one of 15 starters returning for Davidson this season and the only returning offensive lineman to play in every game last year.

Wilson, a 6-foot-3, 295-pound senior biology major, will anchor a line that helped the Wildcats rush for 146.1 yards a game last season, fourth-best in the Pioneer League.

As he prepares for Davidson's season-opener on Saturday against Georgetown, Wilson also has other priorities on his mind, such as narrowing a list of prospective medical schools, which has now reached 11.

While Wilson has played football since he was 6, growing up with parents who were both nurses also left him with a desire to help others.

"I mean, I basically grew up in a hospital," said Wilson, who has been working part time at Presbyterian Hospital this summer.

"I didn't know I would end up a doctor, but I figured I'd be working in the sciences."

For now, he has dual objectives: Graduate from Davidson and enroll in a medical school and help the Wildcats' football team establish itself as Pioneer League title contender.

He already has tasted success in both fields.

Wilson got an up-close look into the medical field when his parents allowed him to remove a growth off the family's pet Labrador retriever, Buddy. "It was a success," he said.

Last summer, Wilson took part in the "Davidson in Kenya" program and spent three weeks in Nairobi, working with residents in rural areas who needed medical care.

"It was really disheartening to see, with nearly half the patients having tuberculosis or HIV/AIDS," Wilson said. "It was an invaluable experience getting to take part in an operating room, if only in a minor way.

"That experience persuaded me, much more than anything else dissuaded me, that this is what I wanted to do with my life."

On the football field, Wilson also has stood apart, even if the team has struggled in recent seasons.

He has started 12 straight games on the offensive line and is scheduled to start at right guard again this season. The continued development of Davidson's offense, including its running game, will key the Wildcats' success this season.

"There's not a lot of glory in the offensive line, but as a team, we have a lot of dedication. I think that's what pushes us forward and makes us succeed," Wilson said.

"We have teammates that are all-league in football, some that are interns at Bank of America and some that have been recognized for their community service.

"It's not just a bunch of people. We motivate each other. We are inspired by each other."

They also have worked over the summer to establish an identity as a football team. The result was the creation of T-shirts with the motto, "Never A Doubt," emblazoned on the back.

"We're not the fastest, or the strongest, but we are the smartest," Wilson said. "With that said, we are also the most hard-working."

Of that, Wilson intends to leave no doubt.