Patrick Willis
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| San Francisco 49ers — No. 52 | |
| Linebacker | |
| Date of birth: January 25, 1985 | |
| Place of birth: Bruceton, Tennessee | |
| Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | Weight: 242 lb (110 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
|---|---|
| 2007 for the San Francisco 49ers | |
| Career history | |
| College: Mississippi | |
| NFL Draft: 2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11 | |
Teams:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season) |
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| Tackles | 174 |
| Sacks | 4.0 |
| Interceptions | 0 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Patrick L. Willis (born January 25, 1985 in Bruceton, Tennessee) is an American football linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers 11th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Mississippi.
During Willis' senior season at Ole Miss, he won the 2006 Butkus Award. A year later during his rookie season with the 49ers, Willis led the NFL in tackles, was voted to the Pro Bowl and was named the 2007 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.[1]
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[edit] Early years
Willis attended Hollow Rock - Bruceton Central High School in Bruceton, Tennessee. He was a two-time All-State selection, Regional Most Valuable Player, and West Tennessee Player of the Year. He earned 4 letters in football and basketball, and 3 in baseball. He was also the first person in Tennessee state history to be nominated for both the Mr. Football Award for a Lineman (as a linebacker) and the Mr. Football Award for a Back (as a tailback) in the same season. According to signonsandiego.com, Willis' high school basketball coach, Chris Finley, and his wife, Julie, became his parental guardians when he was 16, after years of neglect by his biological father. Willis' brother, Detris, drowned in 2006 while swimming with his friends.[citation needed]
[edit] College career
In 2003, Willis played in all 13 games as a freshman, making 20 stops. He received the Scholar-Athlete Award from the Ole Miss Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.
As a sophomore in 2004, he appeared in every game, earning honorable mention All-SEC honors from The Associated Press, and recorded 70 tackles with 11 for a loss of yardage.
In 2005, as a junior, he was named a First Team All-America by College Football News and the All-American Football Foundation. He also earned First Team All-SEC honors from Associated Press, SEC coaches, CollegeFootballNews.com and Rivals.com. He was rated as college football's #-8 overall player by CollegeFootballNews. He recorded 128 tackles (90 solo), in 10 games started.
In his senior season in 2006, he totaled 137 tackles (87 solo). Before the season, he received the Chucky Mullins Courage Award. He was named pre-season first team All-American by Athlon, Lindy's, Nationalchamps.net, Rivals.com, Blue Ribbon College Yearbook, Phil Steele, The Sporting News, and The Kickoff. For his efforts, he was awarded SEC Defensive Player of the Year, first team All-SEC, consensus first-team All-American, and the winner of the prestigious Dick Butkus Award, given to the most outstanding linebacker in college football for the year 2006. He also won the Conerly Trophy, voted upon by the media in Mississippi and awarded to the best college football player in the state.
During his college day at Ole Miss, Willis twice ran a 4.37 40-yard dash. However, at the 2007 NFL Combine he ran a 4.49 40 yard dash; still a remarkable time for a player at his position, and good for any position on the field.
[edit] Professional career
Willis was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 11th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, re-uniting him with the staff that coached his South Squad at the 2007 Senior Bowl. He is coached directly by Hall of Fame Middle-Linebacker Mike Singletary, and starts at inside linebacker, specifically the "mike" position, in the 49ers' 3-4 Defense. Willis wears the number 52 jersey in honor of his boyhood hero, Ray Lewis.[citation needed]
In his first NFL game, Willis recorded 11 tackles, including 9 solo, and a forced fumble as the 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals in dramatic fashion by a score of 20-17. For his effort, he won the Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week Award. One of Willis' strongest performances came against the Minnesota Vikings, as he led the 49ers defense in containing Offensive Rookie of the Year Adrian Peterson, who managed just 3 yards on 14 carries. "I got hit pretty hard and glad that he's (Patrick Willis) on the NFC team in the Pro Bowl", Peterson stated in the post-game press conference. Willis' most impressive statistical performance came in week 16 at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In this game he recorded 20 total tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 pass deflected in a 21-19 victory, earning Rookie of the Week honors for the fourth time. In addition to receiving the award in weeks 1 and 16, Willis took home the award in weeks 2 and 12. He was also awarded the GMC Defensive player of the Week twice.
Willis finished the 2007 campaign with an NFL-leading 174 total tackles, along with 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 5 passes deflected. As a result, Willis was one of two 49ers selected to the Pro Bowl along with punter Andy Lee. Other honors earned at the conclusion of his first professional season included being named the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year, NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and First Team All-Pro by the Associated Press. He was the only rookie in the NFL to make the AP All-Pro squad and the first Defensive Rookie from the 49ers to make the Pro Bowl since Ronnie Lott in 1981. His season was capped by being named one of ESPN The Magazine's "NEXT" athletes of 2008, alongside Yankee Joba Chamberlain and Trailblazer Brandon Roy.
Willis is sponsored by Under Armour and is featured in many of the company's advertisements.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Ole Miss Rebels bio
- San Francisco 49ers bio
- Scout.com profile
- Interview with Michael Tillery of "The Starting Five"
- [1] Article with SignonSanDiego.com
| Preceded by Paul Posluszny |
Butkus Award Winner 2006 |
Succeeded by James Laurinaitis |
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