James Willis (American football) facts for kids
| No. 56, 50, 95 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | September 2, 1972 Huntsville, Alabama, U.S. |
||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
James Edward Willis III (born 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 in the NCAA and for NFL teams. The Green Bay Packers chose him in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL draft. James Willis played college football at Auburn University. He went to J.O. Johnson High School in Huntsville, Alabama. He was a defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL.
Willis also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, and the Birmingham Thunderbolts. The Thunderbolts were part of the XFL, which was a football league that no longer exists.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
James Willis was picked by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL draft. He was the 119th player chosen overall.
He holds a special record for the Philadelphia Eagles. In 1996, he was part of the longest interception return in the team's history. He intercepted a pass from Troy Aikman and ran it out of the endzone. Then, he lateraled (passed sideways) the ball to Troy Vincent. Vincent ran the rest of the way for a 104-yard touchdown!
Coaching Journey
After the XFL league 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 football team. By 2003, he was a defensive graduate assistant.
Coaching at Rhode Island
In 2004, Willis got his first official coaching job. He became the linebackers coach for the Rhode Island Rams.
Coaching at Temple
The next year, in 2005, Willis moved to Temple University. He coached the linebackers there too.
Returning to Auburn
In 2006, James Willis went back to his old college, Auburn. The head coach, Tommy Tuberville, hired him to be the linebackers coach. He worked under the new defensive coordinator, Will Muschamp. When Muschamp left, Willis stayed on staff. Even when coach Tuberville left Auburn in 2008, Willis was kept on to coach linebackers again.
Time with Alabama
In 2009, Willis joined the Alabama team. Head coach Nick Saban hired him as an associate head coach and outside linebackers coach. In his one season with Alabama, the team won the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. They defeated the Texas Longhorns in that big game.
Coaching at Texas Tech
On January 13, 2010, Willis joined coach Tommy Tuberville again. He became the new defensive coordinator for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team. He later left the program to explore other career chances.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
In 2013, Willis became the new defensive coordinator for the Ragin' Cajuns. He helped lead their defense.
Coaching for the New Orleans Saints
In 2015, Willis moved to the NFL. He became a defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the New Orleans Saints. He coached for the Saints until 2017.
Northlake Christian High School
In 2019, it was announced that James Willis would become the head football coach at Northlake Christian High School.
