An Obituary Barely Mentioned in the News

Yesterday on Tuesday, pro football hall of famer Bill Willis passed away at the age of 86. A passing is sad no matter who is involved, but this one hits hard because Bill Willis was an historic man in an historic time. You see, Bill Willis was the first black collegiate All-American player for THE Ohio State University, and was also the "first" black professional football player to cross the color line and keep it integrated.

And this barely made the national news outlets.

Granted he wasn't the "first", but according to this post on the Pro Football Hall of fame's website back in September 2006,

In its earliest days, American pro football was technically an integrated sport. Four African Americans played pro football prior to the founding of the National Football League in 1920. During the NFL's first 14 seasons, 13 African Americans played, but most managed only brief careers. However, from 1934 through 1945, there were no African Americans playing pro football. Then in 1946, a full year before baseball great Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, Paul Brown signed two African American players he knew from earlier coaching days, a bruising lineman named Bill Willis, and a powerful fullback Marion Motley. Brown and his two players went on to Hall of Fame careers, but more importantly; Motley and Willis' appearance in Browns uniforms and their eventual successes were the first steps in the permanent integration of professional football.

The Associated Press released a modest obituary:

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Bill Willis, a Hall of Fame guard with the Cleveland Browns who also was Ohio State's first black football All-American, has died. He was 86.

Willis, who had been battling a short illness, died Tuesday evening, said school spokesman Steve Snapp, who was notified of the death by one of Willis' sons. No other details were released.

Willis, an All-American in 1943 and 1944, had his No. 99 jersey retired at halftime of the Wisconsin-Ohio State game on Nov. 3 at Ohio Stadium. He had a distinguished career with the Browns (1946-53), helping to break the color barrier in professional football.

Willis was inducted into both the college and pro football Halls of Fame. Willis played both offense and defense for the Browns but won acclaim as a defensive middle guard on a five-man front. He made a touchdown-saving tackle in a playoff game against the New York Giants that allowed the Browns to advance and eventually win the 1950 championship game in their first year in the NFL.

With the Buckeyes, Willis was a devastating blocker on offense and a punishing, relentless tackler on defense, despite his 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame. The Columbus native was a key part of the Buckeyes' 1942 national championship squad.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer had the following stories in the newspaper:
Bill Willis Dies and Browns Reaction to the Death of Bill Willis

Baseball's Jackie Robinson is canonized and virtually made into an outright deity. Rightly so. The contributions of Marion Motley and Bill Willis in football follow a parallel path. The passing of Bill Willis should have garnered more national notoriety than it did. Here's hoping this modest blog post gave you pause to consider what he had to go through in his professional sporting life. Rest in peace.