James Willis (American football) facts for kids
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||
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| Born: | September 2, 1972 Huntsville, Alabama, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 237 lb (108 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Huntsville (AL) Johnson | ||||||||||
| College: | Auburn | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1993 / Round: 5 / Pick: 119 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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James Edward Willis III, born on September 2, 1972, is a former American football player and coach. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He also coached for college teams and in the NFL.
Willis was chosen by the Green Bay Packers in the 1993 NFL draft. He played college football at Auburn. Before that, he played high school football at J.O. Johnson High School in Huntsville, Alabama. He was a defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the New Orleans Saints until 2017.
Besides the Packers, Willis played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, and the Birmingham Thunderbolts. The Thunderbolts were part of the XFL, which is no longer active.
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Playing in the NFL
Willis was picked by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL draft. He was the 119th player chosen overall.
Record-Breaking Play
Willis holds a special record with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 1996, he made a 104-yard interception return against the Dallas Cowboys. He caught a pass from Troy Aikman in the end zone. Willis ran 14 yards and then passed the ball to Troy Vincent. Vincent ran the rest of the 90 yards to score a touchdown. This play is one of the longest interception returns in Eagles history.
Coaching Career
After the XFL ended, Willis stopped playing football. He went back to Auburn University to finish his college degree. In 2001, he became a student assistant for the Auburn Tigers football team. By 2003, he was a defensive graduate assistant.
Coaching at Rhode Island
In 2004, Willis got his first coaching job. He became the linebackers coach for the Rhode Island Rams.
Coaching at Temple
The next year, in 2005, Willis moved to Temple. He coached linebackers there as well.
Returning to Auburn
In 2006, Tommy Tuberville, the head coach at Auburn, hired Willis. Willis returned to his old college as the linebackers coach. He worked under the new defensive coordinator, Will Muschamp. When Muschamp left, the new defensive coordinator, Paul Rhoads, kept Willis on the coaching staff.
After Coach Tuberville left Auburn in 2008, the new head coach, Gene Chizik, kept Willis on the team. Willis continued to coach linebackers.
Coaching at Alabama
In 2009, Willis joined the Alabama coaching staff. Head coach Nick Saban hired him as the associate head coach. He also coached the outside linebackers. During his time at Alabama, the team won the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. They defeated the Texas Longhorns.
Coaching at Texas Tech
In 2010, Willis joined Tommy Tuberville again. He became the new defensive coordinator for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team. Willis left the program before the 2011 TicketCity Bowl for personal reasons.
Coaching at Louisiana
In 2013, Willis became the new defensive coordinator for the Ragin' Cajuns.
Coaching in the NFL with the Saints
In 2015, Willis left the Ragin' Cajuns to coach for the New Orleans Saints. He worked as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach. He was no longer with the Saints after January 2017.
High School Coaching
In 2019, it was announced that James Willis became the head football coach at Northlake Christian High School.
