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NASHVILLE — Bruceton native and former Ole Miss and San Francisco 49ers star Patrick Willis was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame along with a star-studded class Saturday night, June 15.
Willis’ journey began as an outstanding football player for the Bruceton Tigers from 1999-2002 where he became the first player in Tennessee history to be nominated for both Mr. Football Awards for lineman and back in the same season and was named All-State at Linebacker. He earned a scholarship to Ole Miss where he was coached by fellow Hall of Fame inductee David Cutcliffe. Willis became an All-SEC performer and two-time SEC Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He was a first-team All-American in 2005 and 2006 while winning the Butkus and Lambert Awards in 2007 that go to the top linebacker in the country. Willis was also named South Team Defensive MVP at the 2007 Senior Bowl.
Willis was drafted 11th in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft by San Francisco where he played for eight seasons before retiring in 2015. He was the AP’s NFL Rookie of the Year leading the league in tackles in his first season.