Former Ole Miss and San Francisco 49ers standout Patrick Willis is officially a member of the Pro Sports Hall of Fame.
The collegiate All-American and five-time first-team All-Pro linebacker was introduced as a member of the 2024 class during the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio on Thursday night. On Friday, he was presented with the ceremonial gold jacket given to Hall of Fame members and was officially inducted into the prestigious group of the most outstanding professional football players in history.
Welcome to the Hall of Fame!@PatrickWillis52 | @ProFootballHOF pic.twitter.com/rXtkNnDjEM
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) August 3, 2024
The 11th overall selection of the 2007 NFL Draft, Willis won Defensive Rookie of the Year during his debut season with the 49ers — where he spent all eight years of a professional career. He was the first rookie named first-team All-Pro since Dick Butkus. Willis went on to appear in seven Pro Bowls and was featured in the 2013 Super Bowl where San Fransisco ultimately came up just short.
Willis finished his action-packed NFL career with 950 combined tackles (732 solo, 218 assisted), 20.5 sacks, 16 forced fumbles, five fumbles recovered, eight interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns. Though some argue that he hung up the cleats early, a lingering foot injury prompted Willis to announce his retirement from football in 2015.
During his college days in Oxford, Willis was a consensus All-American as a senior in 2006 and won the Butkus Award and Lambert Trophy as the nation’s best linebacker.
A gridiron gladiator, Willis twice led the SEC in tackles and was selected to the most first-team All-American squads (13) ever by a Rebel player in a single season. A first-team All-American in 2005 and 2006, he was also a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
The star linebacker recorded 355 career tackles, 33 of them for a loss. Willis was the recipient of the 2006 Conerly Trophy as the best college football player in the state of Mississippi. He also earned the Ole Miss Chucky Mullins Courage Award during his stint in college.
Willis was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019 and now sits among some of the most legendary players in the sport’s professional ranks.
Willis joins Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers, Randy Gradishar, and Steve McMichael in this year’s class.
