The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number.

No. 2: Jack Wilson

In Jack Wilson’s nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, they lost 100 games once, dropped at least 90 games on five other occasions and had a high-water mark of 75 wins and a fourth-place finish.

Still, it was a bittersweet day for Wilson when he was sent to the Seattle Mariners at the 2009 trading deadline, leaving a cellar dweller and joining a team that was in a playoff race and would finish with 87 wins.

“It’s a sad day for me,” Wilson said on the day he was traded. “You start thinking, ‘I’m never going to put on a Pirates uniform anymore. I’m going to miss these guys.’ You think about all your old teammates, all the years at PNC Park. It’s a lot to take in all at once.”

Wilson, picked by the Tribune-Review sports staff as the best athlete in Pittsburgh history to wear No. 2, was an upbeat presence on those bad Pirates teams at the turn of the century. He also was one of the best defensive players in franchise history, his wizardry earning the nickname “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”

2 minutes worth of ridiculous Jack Wilson plays (via @OfTheAllegheny on Twitter) from r/buccos

A slick-fielding shortstop, Wilson helped the Pirates lead the majors in double plays turned in the 2004-05 seasons. His play up the middle was a blessing for a pitching staff that relied on ground balls to get out of jams.

By one advanced metric — defensive wins above replacement — Wilson was the third-best defensive player in Pirates history, trailing only Hall of Famers Bill Mazeroski and Honus Wagner. The great Robert Clemente ranked fifth on the list.

In all-time DWAR, Wilson ranks No. 47, tied with another Hall of Fame infielder, Nellie Fox.

Wilson also had some pop for a middle infielder, hitting 60 home runs with the Pirates. His best season was in 2004 when he was named to the All-Star team and won the National League Silver Slugger award.

Wilson batted .308 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs. He led the NL with 12 triples and finished third with 201 hits, matching Wagner for the most ever by a Pirates shortstop in a season. His 41 doubles that year were the most for a shortstop since Arky Vaughan had 41 in 1934.

Other Pittsburgh athletes to wear No. 2 include:

• Pitt point guard Levance Fields almost singlehandedly lifted the Panthers to the Elite 8 of the 2009 NCAA Tournament in the final minute with a 3-pointer and a layup after a steal that fueled a comeback win against Xavier. A three-year starter, Fields scored 1,245 points and had 645 assists, third-most in program history. He also holds the program single-season record with 270 assists as a senior.

• Dorin Dickerson began his Pitt football career as a wide receiver, moved to linebacker and finished as an All-American tight end. Dickerson caught 49 passes for 529 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior. A seventh-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Dickerson appeared in 23 career games for the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions.

• Dave MacKenzie, a durable defender, played in 267 games for the Pittsburgh Spirit, the most in franchise history. He also was the only player to suit up for the team in all seven seasons of its existence in the Major Indoor Soccer League.

• Duane Rupp, also a defenseman, closed out his NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins and played five seasons overall with the organization. He totaled 21 goals and 84 points and, in 1971, he became the first defenseman in franchise history to record a hat trick.

Check out the entire ’Burgh’s Best to Wear It series here.

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