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OL/DL Bill Willis (National Champion, OSU HOF, CFB HOF, NFL HOF, R.I.P.)

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Dispatch

Willis' number to be retired

Friday, October 5, 2007 10:33 AM

BuckeyeXtra.com
Former Ohio State lineman Bill Willis will have his number retired in ceremonies at the OSU-Wisconsin game Nov. 3, the university announced today.
Willis was a three-year starter on offense and defense from 1942 to '44. A Columbus native, he was named All-America in 1943 and '44 and was a key part of the 1942 national championship team.
Willis, who played at 6 foot 2, 215 pounds at Ohio State, went on to a distinguished career with the Cleveland Browns (1946-53). He is considered to be the first African-American starter in professional football.
"Bill Willis is the ultimate Buckeye. His record of accomplishment on the field and the class and dignity he exudes exemplify the qualities of Ohio State. He is the consummate gentleman," said Gene Smith, Ohio State director of athletics. "Recognizing his career and legacy as an athletics pioneer by retiring his jersey number is a way to salute not just the Willis family, but the Buckeye program overall."

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DDN

Buckeyes to honor a pioneer

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By Kyle Nagel
Staff Writer

Friday, November 02, 2007
COLUMBUS ? Ohio State fans are about to learn a lot more about one of the team's former greats: Bill Willis.
"Who, we always say, may have been the finest player that ever played here," said OSU football coach Jim Tressel.


That's a significant compliment, but one that might be warranted and will be celebrated Saturday when the Buckeyes retire Willis' No. 99 in a ceremony during the game against Wisconsin. The occasion sparked memories Thursday from Tressel.



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Link

Buckeye Football Legend's Championship Rings Stolen



news_billwillis110107.jpg
COLUMBUS, Ohio - When thieves recently broke into Ohio State football legend Bill Willis' home on the city's east side, they took more than just his car. They also stole his 1942 National Championship ring.
Willis, who starred at Ohio State and was an All-American lineman in 1942 and 1943, was the first black player at Ohio State to earn All-American status, 10TV's Dan Fronczak reported.



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Dispatch

Bob Hunter commentary: Willis was true pioneer at Ohio State

Saturday, November 3, 2007 3:45 AM
By Bob Hunter


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Once upon a time, the jersey number of a black player wouldn't have been retired in a halftime ceremony in Ohio Stadium as Bill Willis' will today. Once upon a time, a black wasn't welcome on the Ohio State football team.
This is no fairy tale. Ohio State will retire Willis' number 99 during the Wisconsin game because he was a tremendous football player -- as coach Jim Tressel said this week, maybe "the finest player who ever played here." But Willis' courage as a pioneer for his race has as much to do with the honor as what he did on the field.
When Willis arrived in 1941, he was the first black to play Ohio State football since 1930. That year, coach Sam Willaman had two black players, Bill Bell and Russell Embrey, and it didn't end well. Embrey was an academic casualty, and Bell wasn't allowed to travel to Baltimore for a game with Navy because Northern schools just didn't use blacks against Southern schools.

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The-Ozone, Ohio State Football, Basketball, Hockey, Baseball and More

Article published Sunday, November 4, 2007
BUCKEYES NOTEBOOK
OSU AD: Willis the ultimate Buckeye
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

COLUMBUS - Ohio State honored former great Bill Willis by formally retiring his No. 99 in a ceremony during yesterday's game against Wisconsin.

Willis was a two-way lineman for the Buckeyes from 1942-44, a three-year starter on both sides of the ball, and an All-American in both 1943 and 1944.

"It's a special day for the Ohio State fans to recognize Bill Willis, who we always say may have been the finest player who ever played here," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.

"Anyone that is in all the hall of fames that he is in - the high school, the college, the Ohio State, the Pro football one, and the ones for the teams he was on, and the extraordinary records and so forth - I am not sure that we have talked enough about Bill Willis, so to add that honor of retiring his jersey I think is special."

Willis, who attended the halftime ceremony, was part of the Ohio State national championship team in 1942, starting as a lineman despite being just 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds.

He was widely regarded as a standout blocker on offense, and the team's leading tackler on defense.

Willis was the first African-American player to win All-America honors at Ohio State, and then he broke the color barrier in the National Football League a year before Jackie Robinson made his historic debut in baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

"He was to football what Jackie Robinson was to baseball, and he did it before Jackie Robinson," Tressel said.

Willis played for the Cleveland Browns (1946-53) and is considered the first African-American starter in professional football.

"Bill Willis is the ultimate Buckeye," Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said.

"His record of accomplishment on the field and the class and dignity he exudes exemplify the qualities of Ohio State.

"He is the consummate gentleman."

A large placard recognizing Willis and his retired No. 99 joins those of Archie Griffin (45), Vic Janowicz (31), Howard "Hopalong" Cassady (40), Les Horvath (22), Eddie George (27) and Charles "Chic" Harley (47) inside the north end of Ohio Stadium.
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toledoblade.com -- OSU AD: Willis the ultimate Buckeye
 
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