| No. 56, 50, 95 | |||||||||||||
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| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1972-09-02)September 2, 1972 (age 53) Huntsville, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 237 lb (108 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Johnson (Huntsville) | ||||||||||||
| College | Auburn | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1993: 5th round, 119th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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James Edward Willis III (born September 2, 1972) is an American former professionalfootball player who was alinebacker in theNational Football League (NFL). He was selected by theGreen Bay Packers in the fifth round of the1993 NFL draft. He playedcollege football for theAuburn Tigers. He playedhigh school football atJ.O. Johnson High School inHuntsville, Alabama.[2]
Willis also played for thePhiladelphia Eagles,Seattle Seahawks, andBirmingham Thunderbolts of the now defunctXFL. After his playing career, he coached in theNCAA and in the NFL
Willis was selected in the fifth round (119th overall) by theGreen Bay Packers in the1993 NFL draft.[3] Willis shares the record for the longest interception return inPhiladelphia Eagles history after scoring on a 104-yard interception against theDallas Cowboys in1996; after interceptingTroy Aikman four yards into the end zone, Willis returned the pick 14 yards beforelateraling toTroy Vincent, who returned the remainder 90 yards for the score.[4]
Upon the dissolution of the XFL, Willis decided to retire as a player and returned to Auburn to work towards completing his college degree. He became a student assistant for theAuburn Tigers football team in 2001 and became a defensive graduate assistant in 2003 under defensive coordinatorGene Chizik.
In 2004, Willis took his first coaching job as thelinebackers coach of theRhode Island Rams.
In 2005, Willis was hired for the same position byTemple University.
In 2006, Auburn head coachTommy Tuberville hired Willis to return to his alma mater as the linebackers coach under newdefensive coordinatorWill Muschamp. When Muschamp left forTexas, his replacementPaul Rhoads kept Willis on staff. When coach Tuberville resigned from Auburn in 2008, the entire staff was initially released by new head coachGene Chizik, however on December 26, 2008, Willis was retained to again coach linebackers.[5]
Although initially thought to return to Auburn, Willis was hired byAlabama's head coachNick Saban to be the Crimson Tide's associate head coach and outside linebackers coach on January 21, 2009.[6] During his one season with Alabama, the Crimson Tide defeated theTexas Longhorns in the2010 BCS National Championship Game.
On January 13, 2010, Willis agreed to join head coachTommy Tuberville to serve as the new defensive coordinator for theTexas Tech Red Raiders football team.[7] Prior to the2011 TicketCity Bowl, Willis allegedly left the program to pursue other career opportunities after a domestic disturbance call at his home.[8][9]
On February 7, 2013, Willis agreed to become the new defensive coordinator for the Ragin Cajuns.[10]
On February 11, 2015, it was reported that Willis left the Ragin' Cajuns to become a defensive assistant/linebackers coach for the Saints. He was fired from the Saints on January 5, 2017[11]
In 2019 it was announced that James would be the head football coach at Northlake Christian high school.[12]