DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS — Ohio State fans are about to learn a lot more about one of the team's former greats: Bill Willis.

"Who, we always say, may have been the finest player that ever played here," said OSU football coach Jim Tressel.

That's a significant compliment, but one that might be warranted and will be celebrated Saturday when the Buckeyes retire Willis' No. 99 in a ceremony during the game against Wisconsin. The occasion sparked memories Thursday from Tressel.

"He spoke to our high school coaches clinic last year, and we had clinic speakers for three days who talked 35, 40 minutes, and Bill Willis talked for five minutes, and you could hear a pin drop," Tressel said. "And he probably made more impact on the importance of what a high school coach means than any one of the speakers that weekend."

That comes from experience. Willis, whose number will be the seventh retired by the Buckeyes, was Ohio State's first black All-American in 1943 and '44. The lineman then played a distinguished career for the Cleveland Browns and is part of the Ohio high school, OSU athletics, college football and pro football halls of fame.

Along with his on-field accomplishments, Willis also helped break the color barrier in professional football.

"When I got to Syracuse I was reading a little history of Syracuse football, and we had an African-American quarterback back in the day, and they didn't want him to play in Texas at a Cotton Bowl or something," Tressel said. "That's when I started to think, wow ... and of course you hear about Jackie Robinson, and that's more publicized to the general public.

"I'm sure what Bill Willis went through was extraordinary."

He even helped jump-start other careers. "I remember talking to (pro football hall of famer) Marion Motley," Tressel said, "and Marion said the only reason he got a chance to go to training camp with the Cleveland Browns was because they needed to have an African-American roommate for Bill Willis."