The Pro Football Hall of Fame revealed its class of 2024 during NFL Honors on Thursday night, with former 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis adding his name to the list of NFL greats.
Willis was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss. He started all 16 games his rookie season, recording 174 tackles and 4.0 sacks, earning First-Team AP All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. At the close of the 2007 season, Willis was named the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and became a member of the 2007 PFWA All-Rookie Team.
A seven-time Pro Bowl selection, Willis was the first 49ers player since safety Ronnie Lott to be selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons. He also became the first player in franchise history to be selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first seven seasons. Willis, along with Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas, are the only defensive players since the merger in 1970 to be selected to the Pro Bowl in each of their first seven seasons.
The linebacker also became the first player in 49ers history to be selected as an All-Pro in each of his first six seasons (First Team – 2007, 2009-12; Second Team – 2008). In 2020, Willis was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2010s All-Decade Team. The following year, Willis was cemented in franchise records when he was inducted into the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame.
