Former Hollow Rock-Bruceton football standout Patrick Willis and 11 others were inducted into the NFHS National High School Hall of Fame last Monday.
Willis was one of the Tennessee’s top multi-sport athletes and two-way football players during his high school career. In his senior season, Willis was the first and only person in Tennessee history to be nominated for the Mr. Football Award for a lineman, and the Mr. Football Award for a back. He holds multiple school records.
Willis played college football at the University of Mississippi from 2003 to 2006. As a junior, he led the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in total tackles, and he was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year. As a senior, he led the SEC in tackles again, repeated as Defensive Player of the Year and was named consensus first-team All-American. He was the recipient of both the Dick Butkus Award, given to the most outstanding linebacker in college football, and the Jack Lambert Award.
In the 2007 NFL draft, Willis was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 11th pick in the first round. In his first season, he led the NFL with 174 total tackles, along with four sacks and two forced fumbles and was selected to the Pro Bowl. Other honors in his first year included NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, first-team all-pro and Linebacker of the Year.
Willis was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times, was first-team all-pro five times and made the 2010s All-Decade Team. He has been selected to the San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, the Carroll County Sports Hall of Fame, and last year he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
