BEREA, Ohio -- Not long after Romeo Crennel was hired as Cleveland's first black head coach, he was visited by an elderly man whose strength, courage and sacrifice decades earlier changed the NFL.
Bill Willis sat in Crennel's office that day and talked about football, the Browns and his special life, one that inspired generations of players, many of whom were unaware of his lasting legacy.
"Bill was a pioneer," Crennel said Wednesday. "He blazed a trail for guys like myself."
Willis, a two-time All-American at Ohio State and Hall of Famer with the Browns who helped break down pro football's color barrier in the 1940s, died Tuesday night in Columbus from multiple illnesses. He was 86.
More than 60 years ago, Willis, a two-way star from 1946-53 with the Browns as an offensive lineman and middle guard, was among a group of players who desegregated pro football a full year before Jackie Robinson stepped across baseball's racial divide.
Yet, Willis' story and those of Cleveland teammate Marion Motley and Woody Strode and Kenny Washington of the Los Angeles Rams are not well known.
"It went under the radar," said Cincinnati Bengals president Mike Brown, whose legendary father, Paul, coached Willis with the Buckeyes and Browns. "Everyone knew the Jackie Robinson story, but Bill Willis and Marion Motley were every bit as important to the world of football and it was overlooked."
Willis is recognized as the first black full-time starter in pro football's modern era. He was also Ohio State's first black All-American, and the school recently honored him by retiring his No. 99 jersey. He was also inducted into the college football Hall of Fame.
"He may have been the finest player that ever played here," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said.
At halftime of a Nov. 3 game against Wisconsin, Willis, who suffered a stroke a few years back, was driven to the 50-yard line in a golf cart for an emotional ceremony that concluded with his name and number being unveiled on a permanent sign at one end of Ohio Stadium.
Surrounded by family and friends, Willis tipped his cap in thanks. Watching him were thousands of fans oblivious to his enormous imprint on football's history in Ohio and beyond.
After joining the Browns in 1946, Willis endured unspeakable bigotry and hatred on the field. He was subjected to physical abuse and taunted with profane racial slurs by white players.
Hard to imagine now, but there were hotels that wouldn't allow blacks to stay as guests. So Paul Brown would call ahead to make sure the entire Cleveland team would be accommodated.
