Hall of Fame
Position: Linebacker
Years: 2003-06
Place of Birth: Bruceton, Tennessee
Date of Birth: Jan 25, 1985
Jersey Number: 49
Height: 6-2
Weight: 230
High School: Bruceton Central HS (Bruceton, TN)
Patrick Willis compiled one of the best careers in Ole Miss history capped by winning the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker. He becomes the ninth Rebel player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
A consensus First Team All-American in 2006, Willis took home both the Butkus Award and the Jack Lambert Award as the best linebacker in the country. The 2006 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and SEC Most Valuable Lineman was also a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player. A two-time First Team All-SEC selection, Willis also earned honorable mention laurels in 2004, and he led the conference in tackles as both a junior (128) and senior (137). As a junior, his 9.0 solo tackles per game led the nation while his 12.8 total tackles per game ranked sixth. During his senior campaign, he averaged 11.4 tackles per game, which also ranked sixth in the nation, while his 7.25 solo tackles per game were the third best. As a freshman in 2003, Willis helped the Rebels to a share of the SEC West title, a victory in the 2004 Cotton Bowl and a No. 13 final ranking.
The senior team captain ranks sixth all-time at Ole Miss with 355 career tackles, and he is tied for fifth with 33 career tackles for loss. Willis was the recipient of the 2006 Conerly Trophy as the best college football player in the state of Mississippi and the Ole Miss Chucky Mullins Courage Award. The Bruceton, Tennessee, native ended his collegiate career as the Defensive MVP for the South Team in the 2007 Senior Bowl. Willis matched his on-field success in the classroom, earning Academic All-SEC honors and receiving the 2007 Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award. A 2015 inductee into the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame, he was selected to SI.com’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s.
The 11th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, Willis played eight seasons for the San Francisco 49ers. The 2007 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and seven-time Pro Bowl selection twice led the NFL in tackles and won the professional Butkus Award in 2009.
Overcoming adversity, Willis was able to find success on and off the field despite an unstable upbringing where he was forced to raise his three younger siblings. A member of the 2006 SEC Community Service Team, he was active in reading, mentorship and food drive programs during his time at Ole Miss. Since his retirement from the NFL, Willis has been a technology investor in Silicon Valley and remains active with local charities.
