Hall Of Famer Willis Passes Away

Posted by Matt Loede on November 28th, 2007 filed in News

Willis

Former Browns Hall of Fame guard Bill Willis passed away on Tuesday night after battling a short illness.  Willis, who was Ohio State’s first black football All-American, dies at the age of 86.  Willis, who was an All-American in 1943 and 1944, had his number-99 jersey retired by the Buckeyes earlier this month during the Ohio State game against Wisconsin.  Willis went on to play for the Browns from 1946 through 1953 as he helped break the color barrier in professional football.



One Response to “Hall Of Famer Willis Passes Away”

  1. Dawg Pound Says:
    November 28th, 2007 at 11:12 am

    I didn’t know about the color barrier thing until I heard it on Rizzo’s show this morning. He helped football cross over even before Jackie Robinson did it in baseball.

    Thanks for everything, Mr. Willis!

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