As a player, he won the League Cup with both Luton Town in 1988 and Sheffield Wednesday in 1991. His equaliser for Luton against Arsenal with seven minutes remaining in the 1988 final is arguably the most famous match-saving goal in the club's history. He was also a runner-up in both domestic cup finals with Sheffield Wednesday in 1993. He also won 24 caps for Northern Ireland, scoring one goal.

In 1993 he joined Barnsley on a free transfer. 12 months later his management career began, becoming player-manager of Barnsley whose previous manager Viv Anderson had been appointed assistant manager to Bryan Robson at Middlesbrough. Anderson had brought Wilson to Barnsley.

In 1994-95, Barnsley finished sixth in Division One. In an ordinary season this would have meant occupying a playoff place, but due to the Premier League reducing from 22 to 20 clubs, only two teams would be promoted (with fifth placed club occupying the final playoff place) and Barnsley missed out. The following season was a disappointment as the club finished mid-table, but in 1996-97 Wilson guided Barnsley to the Premiership as Division One runners-up. It was the first time that the 110-year-old Barnsley Football Club had won promotion to the top division of English football. Although their stay lasted only a single season before relegation, Wilson's side reached the FA Cup quarter final and in the fifth round knocked out favourites Manchester United.

In the summer of 1998, Wilson returned to his old club Sheffield Wednesday as manager and was hopeful of revitalising the club's fortunes. They had just finished 16th in the Premiership and five seasons earlier, when Wilson was still on the club's playing staff, they had reached both domestic cup finals and finished sixth in the first ever Premiership. In 1998-99, Wilson guided Sheffield Wednesday to a respectable 12th place in the Premiership and had hopes for a top half finish the following season. But he was sacked the following March, having led the club only toward relegation. Four Sheffield based MPs including David Blunkett called for his head in January 2000 (he picked up Premiership's Manager of the Month award in January 2000) following some poor results like losing 8-0 to Newcastle United. Bassetlaw MP Joe Ashton said after his sacking: "(Danny was a) Lovely fellow, but he couldn't do it (manage Sheffield Wednesday).

In June 2000, Wilson was appointed manager of Division Two Bristol City on a four-year contract. His contract expired at the end of the 2003-04 season, and was not renewed because he had failed to achieve promotion after several seasons, despite guiding them into the play-offs.

In December 2004, Wilson took over from Stuart Murdoch as the new manager of the controversial Coca Cola League One side Milton Keynes Dons. In his first season, he managed to save the club from relegation - they would have gone down had it not been for a 10-point penalty imposed on Wrexham who had gone into receivership.

Wilson was unable to save MK Dons from relegation to League Two at the end of the 2005-06 season, and he was sacked on May 10, 2006.

On June 13, 2006, Wilson was appointed manager of Hartlepool United. Wilson takes over from Youth Team Coach Paul Stephenson who took temporary charge of the First Team for the late stages of the 2005-06 season. Hartlepool United were relegated alongside MK Dons to League Two.

In the 2006-07 season, he has brought Hartlepool to second from top of League 2 and has won promotion back to League 1.

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