Leonard Willis

Leonard Leroy Willis (born March 4, 1953) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL draft. He played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills from 1976 to 1979.

College career Willis played at Ohio State University for the Buckeyes in 1974 and 1975 after transferring from junior college. His teammates with the Buckeyes included 2-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, fellow wide receiver Brian Baschnagel, fullback Pete Johnson and safety Tim Fox, and his quarterback was Cornelius Greene. Besides playing as a receiver he also returned kicks and even played some free safety for the Buckeyes. In 1974, he did not catch a pass, but ran 11 times for 146 yards, a 13.3 yards per rush average. Willis played in all 14 regular season games for the Vikings in 1976, primarily as a kick returner.

In 1977 Willis played for both the New Orleans Saints and the Buffalo Bills, again primarily as a kick returner. In 1978, playing for Buffalo, he only played in 4 games and returned just 1 kickoff. But he also had his only 2 professional receptions that year, gaining 41 yards for a 20.5 yard average on those receptions. He finished his career with Buffalo in 1979, playing 7 games and returning 4 kickoffs for 92 yards that season.