Willie Gault facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Willie Gault

Gault at the Inaugural Dignity Gala on October 18, 2013
No. 83
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1960-09-05) September 5, 1960 (age 64) Griffin, Georgia, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	178 lb (81 kg)
Career information
High school:	Griffin
College:	Tennessee
NFL Draft:	1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18
Career history
Chicago Bears (1983–1987) Los Angeles Raiders (1988–1993)
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XX) PFWA All-Rookie Team (1983) 100 greatest Bears of All-Time First-team All-American (1982) First-team All-SEC (1982)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 333 Receiving yards: 6,635 Touchdowns: 44 Kickoff returns: 45 Kickoff return yards: 1,088
Player stats at PFR

Willie James Gault (born September 5, 1960) is a former American football player. He was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played for the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Raiders.

Many people thought Gault was one of the fastest NFL players ever. He was part of the Chicago Bears team that won Super Bowl XX. Before his NFL career, Gault was also a member of the U.S. Olympic team. He was supposed to compete in the 1980 Olympics, but the U.S. team did not go.

Gault played college football at the University of Tennessee from 1979 to 1982. He was a top player, leading his team in all-purpose yards for three years. In 1982, he was named to the All-American team. He still holds many school records for kickoff returns.

Gault married Dainnese Mathis Gault in 1983. They were married until 2002 and have two children.

After football, Gault started acting. He also stayed active in masters athletics. He set world records in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. He achieved these records in the 45–49, 50–54, and 55–59 age groups.

Early Life and High School Sports

Willie Gault was born and grew up in Griffin, Georgia. His parents both worked in a textile factory. He was named after his mother, Willie Mae.

Gault played football and ran track at Griffin High School. In his junior year, he helped his team tie for the AAAA State Championship. As a senior, he caught 33 passes and scored 7 touchdowns. He was named All-State in both his junior and senior years.

College Football Journey

Gault played college football at the University of Tennessee. This school was known for producing great wide receivers. Many of Gault's teammates also went on to play in the NFL. During his four years at Tennessee, Gault caught 89 passes for 1,482 yards. He also returned 78 kickoffs for 1,854 yards and four touchdowns. He returned 78 punts for 659 yards and one touchdown.

In his first year (1979), Gault scored a 69-yard touchdown against Utah. His big year was 1980. He returned three kickoffs for touchdowns, which tied a national record. One of these was a 100-yard kickoff return. He also had a 92-yard return and a 98-yard return in back-to-back games.

In 1981, Gault continued to be a dangerous return man. He had a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown against Ole Miss. He also caught a 75-yard touchdown pass against Alabama. In a bowl game, he returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown.

By his senior year in 1982, Gault was a Preseason All-American. He caught 50 passes for 668 yards and four touchdowns. He also had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against LSU. Gault helped his team beat Alabama, ending an 11-year losing streak. He was named an All-American at the end of the season.

As of 2012, Gault's 1,854 kickoff return yards are still a school record. His total of 4,035 career all-purpose yards is the second-highest in school history.

Track and Field Achievements

Willie Gault

Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  United States
Olympic Boycott Games
Gold	1980 Philadelphia	4 × 100 m relay
Bronze	1980 Philadelphia	100 m
World Championships
Gold	1983 Helsinki	4 × 100 m relay
Bronze	1983 Helsinki	110 m hurdles

Willie Gault was a very talented track and field athlete. He qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team. However, the United States decided not to send its athletes to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Gault was one of 461 athletes who received a Congressional Gold Medal because of this.

Gault set records in the 110-meter high hurdles at the SEC track and field championships in 1981 and 1982. In 1983, he won the 60-yard hurdles and the 60-yard dash at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Gault was part of a team that set a world record in the 4 × 100 meter relay at the 1983 World Championships. He also competed in the 110 meter hurdles. In 1988, he was an alternate for the Winter Olympics bobsledding team. His fastest times were 13.26 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and 10.10 seconds in the 100 meters.

Personal Best Times

Playing in the NFL

The Chicago Bears picked Willie Gault in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft. He made an impact right away in his first season. He was known for his incredible speed, which made him a "speed merchant" on the field.

During the Bears' amazing 1985 season, Gault led the team with 704 receiving yards. In Super Bowl XX, where the Bears beat the New England Patriots 46–10, Gault had 129 receiving yards, the most in the game. He also helped organize the famous "Super Bowl Shuffle" song and music video, which raised money for charity. He even sang a part in the song!

In 1986, Gault had 42 catches for 818 yards. Sometimes, people wondered why the quarterback didn't throw to him more. It was often because Gault was so fast that two defenders would try to cover him at once.

Before the 1988 season, Gault was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders. He continued to have strong games, including a 147-yard game on just two catches in 1989. He also helped the Raiders beat his old team, the Bears, in 1990. The Raiders did not re-sign Gault after the 1993 season.

Even though he was super fast, Gault never won the NFL's "Fastest Man" competition. He often competed against another very fast player, Darrell Green. They had many exciting matchups when their teams played each other. Gault would sometimes beat Green for long touchdowns, showing off his speed.

Willie Gault finished his 11 seasons in the NFL with 333 catches for 6,635 yards. He scored 45 touchdowns in total.

NFL Career Statistics

What Willie Did Next

After retiring from football in the early 1990s, Willie Gault started an acting career in Hollywood. He played Willie the Sweeper in the TV show The Pretender. He also appeared as himself in the sitcom Still Standing and Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide.

Gault joined other members of the 1985 Chicago Bears to bring back the Super Bowl Shuffle for a commercial.

He has also been very successful in Masters athletics, which is for older athletes. In 2006, Gault set a world record in the 100 meters for athletes aged 45 to 49. In 2008, he set a new world record for the 200 meters in the same age group. In 2011, he set world records for the 50–54 age group in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.

Willie Gault has been honored for his achievements. In 2016, he was inducted into the 2017 class of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. In 2019, Gault was inducted into the USATF Masters Hall of Fame.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Willie Gault para niños