Patrick Willis

Patrick L. Willis (born January 25, 1985) is a retired American football linebacker who played his entire eight-year career with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the 49ers in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Mississippi ("Ole Miss") and received consensus All-American honors.

During Willis' senior season at Ole Miss, he received the Butkus Award and the Jack Lambert Award as the nation's top linebacker. A year later as a member of the 49ers, Willis led the NFL in tackles, earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors while being named the 2007 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Willis made the Pro Bowl in his first seven seasons in the NFL, and earned All-Pro honors in his first six years. He won the college Butkus Award in 2006 while at Ole Miss and in 2009, he won the professional Butkus Award while with the San Francisco 49ers.

Early life

Born in Bruceton, Tennessee, Willis grew up in abject poverty and had to take care of his younger siblings. By the age of 10, he worked full-time in cotton fields. At age 17, he left his home, a double-wide in a trailer park just outside Bruceton, with his brothers, Orey and Detris, and sister, Ernicka, when his alcoholic father turned increasingly violent. The siblings moved in with Willis' high school basketball coach.

Patrick Willis (judge)

Patrick (“Pat”) Lee Willis (born February 1, 1950 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin), is a Circuit Court judge in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. Willis gained national recognition when he presided over the highly publicized Steven Avery homicide trial in 2007; his rulings regarding the admissibility of certain key pieces of evidence were frequent sources of news stories.

Early life

Willis grew up in Manitowoc, Wisconsin He graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1972 with an honors degree in history. Willis attended law school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, graduating with a law degree in 1975. During law school, he served as an editor of the Wisconsin Law Review.

Legal career

Willis was admitted to the state bar of Wisconsin in June 1975. He first worked as an attorney for the law firm of Muchin & Muchin in Manitowoc. In May 1977 he was hired as the City Attorney for the city of Manitowoc. His tenure as city attorney involved serving as a legal advisor to the mayor and the common council. Willis helped bring the S.S. Badger car ferry back to Manitowoc and was instrumental in the revival of the Burger Boat Company.