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TO HONOR THE LIFE OF WILLIAM "BILL" WILLIS, SR.
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WHEREAS, BILL WILLIS is well known for his football career at Columbus East High School, The Ohio State University, the Cleveland Browns, and as a coach and athletic director at Kentucky State University; and
WHEREAS, BILL WILLIS was Ohio State's first black football All-American, and his jersey, number 99, was retired at halftime during the Wisconsin-Ohio State football game on November 3, 2007; and
WHEREAS, BILL WILLIS was to football what Jackie Robinson was to baseball and he integrated football in 1946, the year before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball; and
WHEREAS, BILL WILLIS played both offense and defense for both Ohio State and the Cleveland Browns, and won acclaim as a middle guard on a five-man defensive front; and
WHEREAS, BILL WILLIS was selected as a first-team all league player three times in the All-American Football Conference and four times in the NFL, which the Browns joined in 1950; and
WHEREAS, BILL WILLIS and the Browns advanced to the championship game in each of Willis' eight pro seasons and captured the AAFC title four times and won the 1950 NFL Championship; and
WHEREAS, BILL WILLIS' distinguished career with the Cleveland Browns was from 1946-1953 and BILL WILLIS has been inducted into four Football Halls of Fame - Columbus East High School, The Ohio State University, the College and the Pro Football Halls of Fame; and
WHEREAS, besides a great love for football BILL WILLIS also had a heart for youth and after retirement from football worked with the Cleveland Recreation Department; and
WHEREAS, BILL WILLIS served as Deputy Director and then Director of the Ohio Department of Youth Services for 20 years, retiring in 1983; and
WHEREAS, BILL WILLIS dedicated his energy and passion in those years to implementing new approaches to treating and rehabilitating troubled youth, many of whom have become productive c...
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