How much of an impact did Bill Willis have in the sport of football? He has a permanent place in both of the sports prominent halls of fame - the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He was the first African-American All-American to come out of Ohio State and had his number retired in the Horseshoe earlier this season. He went on to star with the Cleveland Browns where he dominated

I'm too young to have seen him play, but like many Browns fans I saw plenty of the scratch B&W footage.

Here's what OSU Coach Jim Tressel had to say about Wills' death:
"Bill Willis made a profound impact on the game of football throughout his lifetime. Even as recently as this fall, Mr. Willis was serving as a powerful role model for our players and coaches.
Number 99 will be missed greatly, but we will draw strength from his life, accomplishments, and his Ohio Stadium recognition. Our thoughts are with the Willis family at this difficult time."

From Browns Coach Romeo Crennel:
"Bill Willis was one of the pioneers of the game of football," said Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel. "Everyone associated with the Cleveland Browns is saddened by his loss. His hard-nosed play on the field, coupled with the manner in which he conducted himself off it, epitomized what it is to be a Cleveland Brown. We send our thoughts, prayers and condolences to the Willis family."

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 28th, 2007 at 11:09 am and is filed under Bill Willis, Cleveland Browns, college, football, the Ohio State Buckeyes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.