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| Position: | Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1970-09-05)September 5, 1970 (age 54) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 193 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Linsly School (Wheeling, West Virginia) | ||||||||
| College: | Georgia Tech | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1992: 8th round, 221st pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Willie James Clay (born September 5, 1970) is an American former professionalfootballsafety in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He was selected in the eighth round (221st overall) of the1992 NFL draft by theDetroit Lions.[1]
Clay was also a member of theNew England Patriots andNew Orleans Saints.
Clay, who was born inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, attendedLinsly High School inWheeling, West Virginia where he earned twelvevarsity letters playingfootball,basketball, andbaseball.
While in college atGeorgia Tech, he made 16 careerinterceptions to break the school record (formerly 14)[2] and was part of the1990 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team that won theNCAA national championship.
Clay was drafted in the eighth round (221st overall) of the1992 NFL draft by theDetroit Lions. He played for the Lions until 1995, after which he spent three seasons with theNew England Patriots, and his final season with theNew Orleans Saints. During his time with the Patriots, he earned the nickname"Big Play" for his interception during the Patriots victory over theJacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship that sent the Patriots to the secondSuper Bowl in franchise history.
In March 2009, he was named a member of theNew England Patriots 1990s All-Decade Team.
Clay is the nephew of Dwight Clay who was a basketball player for the University of Notre Dame. Dwight Clay was nicknamed "The Iceman" and is famous for hitting the game winning jump shot that ended UCLA's NCAA all-time record 88-game winning streak on January 19, 1974.