The man in the picture to the left in Bill Willis. Willis had a hard childhood with his father passing away when he was at the tender age of 4. His mother and grandfather raised him due to the financial difficulties that the great depression had brought.
In high school Bill was a sprinter on the track team and played football. His older brother was an all-state fullback and he feared being compared to him which prompted Bill to choose to play defensive end and defensive tackle.
While there were African-American players as early as 1927, Bill Willis made the biggest name for himself. Playing for the Cleveland Browns from 1946-1953 who then were part of the AAFC (All-American Football Conference). For four consecutive years the browns won the AAFC championship and Willis was named to the all-AAFC team every year.
The Cleveland Browns were absorbed into the NFL following the collapse of the AAFC in 1949. Willis' play style was unique for the day, sometimes he would line up with the line and other times he would drop back and defend the pass. Willis was the precursor to today's NFL linebackers.
While the Browns were very successful Willis and his African-American teammate Marion Motley received threats and endured racism every step of the way. These threats even went so far to keep them from playing in a game against the Miami Seahawks in 1946 due to threatening letters and also Miami officials would enact laws disallowing African-Americans from competing with whites, effectively having them arrested if they played.
Willis was one of 7 Browns players to be selected to the first ever Pro-Bowl in 1950. Some of his career highlights include, being selected to the Pro-Bowl 3 times from 1950-52'. Winning a NFL championship in 1950 and being named an all-pro 8 times.
He was honored by the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971 and in 1977 he was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame as well as the NFL Hall of Fame. In 2007 this great man passed away. Along with Jackie Robinson and three other African-American football players (Marion Motley, Kenny Washington and Woody Strode) in 1946 Bill Willis paved the way for change. These men's names should be just as recognizable as Robinson's.