California Athletics Hall of Fame
One of the most prolific tacklers in Cal history, Willard was a two-time first-team All-Pac- linebacker who paced the Bears in tackles four straight seasons from 1991-94. When he completed his career, he had set a school record with 54.0 tackles for loss (since broken) and stood third all-time with 469 total tackles. He accumulated 147 tackles as a junior and 133 as a senior – both of which rank among Cal’s single-season top 10. Willard posted 22 tackles vs. USC in 1993 – a number no Bear has surpassed since. The Bears’ team captain as a senior, he was a two-time team MVP who played on a pair of bowl-winning squads – the 1991 club that went 10-2 and beat Clemson, 37-13, in the Citrus Bowl and the 1993 team that posted a 9-4 mark and downed Iowa, 37-3, in the Alamo Bowl. He returned an interception 61 yards for a score in the contest vs. Iowa. Following his Cal career, Willard was taken in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
