Leonard Willis
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| Position: | Wide receiver, kick returner | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | March 4, 1953 Washington, D.C., U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 183 lb (83 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Roosevelt (Washington, D.C.) | ||||||||
| College: | Ohio State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1976 / round: 4 / pick: 118 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Leonard Leroy Willis (born March 4, 1953) is a former American football player. He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 4th round of the 1976 NFL draft.[1] He was a wide receiver and kick returner for the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills from 1976 to 1979.[2]
College career
[edit]Willis played for the Ohio State Buckeyes in 1974 and 1975 after transferring from junior college.[3][4] His teammates with the Buckeyes included 2-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, fellow wide receiver Brian Baschnagel, fullback Pete Johnson and safety Tim Fox, and his quarterback was Cornelius Greene.[5] In 1974, he was clocked as the fastest Buckeye football player ever until that time, running the 100-yard dash in 9.3 seconds.[5] Besides playing as a receiver he also returned kicks and even played some free safety for the Buckeyes.[6] In 1974, he did not catch a pass, but ran 11 times for 146 yards, a 13.3 yards per rush average.[3] In 1975, he caught 17 passes for 350 yards, a 20.6 yards per catch average, with 2 touchdowns.[3] His receiving yards and touchdowns were each good enough to rank 8th in the Big Ten Conference.[3] The Buckeyes won the Big Ten Conference championship in both his years with the team, but lost in the Rose Bowl each season.
Professional career
[edit]Willis was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 118th pick in the 4th round of the 1976 NFL draft.[7] Willis played in all 14 regular season games for the Vikings in 1976, primarily as a kick returner.[2] He returned 24 kickoffs for 552 yards, a 23.0 yard average.[2] He also returned 30 punts for 207 yards, a 6.9 yard average.[2] He also played in all 3 playoff games for the Vikings, as the Vikings won the NFC Championship, primarily returning punts and kickoffs.[2] In Super Bowl XI against the Oakland Raiders Willis returned 3 kickoffs for 57 yards (a 19.0 yard average) and 3 punts for 14 yards (a 4.7 yard average).[8]
In 1977 Willis played for both the New Orleans Saints and the Buffalo Bills, again primarily as a kick returner. In 1978, playing for Buffalo, he only played in 4 games and returned just 1 kickoff. But he also had his only 2 professional receptions that year, gaining 41 yards for a 20.5 yard average on those receptions. He finished his career with Buffalo in 1979, playing 7 games and returning 4 kickoffs for 92 yards that season.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Wallace, W.N. (September 1, 1976). "Vikings Depend on White to Make the Big Plays". Wilmington Morning Star. p. 3-D. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Leonard Willis". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Lenny Willis". Sports Reference/College Football. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ Loomis, T. (September 23, 1974). "Buckeye Powerhouse Swamps Oregon State". Toledo Blade. p. 1. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ a b Missildine, H. (October 12, 1974). "Bucks Potent in All Areas". The Spokesman-Review. p. 12. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ Missildine, H. (October 3, 1974). "Twice Over Lightly". The Spokesman-Review. p. 9. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ Boyles, B.; Guido, P. (2009). The USA Today College Football Encyclopedia. Skyhorse Publishing. p. 330. ISBN 9781602396777.
- ^ "Super Bowl XI". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 3, 2015.