There are 35 days that separate us from Ohio State's march to Blacksburg. To help pass the time until the Buckeyes put the Sandman to bed I will countdown Ohio State's top 100 players according to the rubric* listed at the bottom of this article.

Bill Willis became the first African-American to be named an All-American at Ohio State. 

No. 35 BILL WILLIS DEFENSIVE TACKLE / MIDDLE GUARD (1942-44)
Born: 1921 (Columbus)
High School: East
Died: 2007 (Columbus)

OHIO STATE CAREER

• The Buckeyes went 21-7 with Willis on the team.
• 1942 National Champion.
• 1942 Big Ten Title.
• 1944 Big Ten Title The Buckeyes went 53-12 with Mewhort on the team.
• Went undefeated (9-0) in 1944.
• Went 2-1 against That Team.

HONORS

• 1943 All-American
• 1943 All-Big Ten
• 1944 All-American
• 1944 All-Big Ten
• Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
• Inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1977.
• The No. 99 was retired in his honor November 3, 2007.

NFL DRAFT
Not selected in the NFL draft.

Bill Willis is in the NFL Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Browns' Ring of Honor.

MISCELLANEOUS

• All-Pro in 1946, '47, '48, '49, '50, '51, '52, '53.
• NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1940s.
• Cleveland Browns Ring of Honor.
• Inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1977.
• Ran track at Ohio State (60-yard and 100-yard dash).
• Chairman of the Ohio Youth Commission.
• Married Odessa Porter and had three sons: William Jr., Clement and Dan.

Bill Willis' Ohio State Career per 0http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/guide-2013.html:

Considered one of the all-time great athletes ever to play for Ohio State, Bill Willis was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes between 1942 and 1944, playing both offense and defense.

A willowy 6-2 and 215 pounds, he was a devastating blocker on offense and a punishing, relentless tackler on defense. A member of the Buckeyes’ 1942 national championship squad, Willis earned All-America honors in 1943 and 1944, becoming the first African-American All-American at Ohio State.

A Columbus native, he went on to a distinguished career with the Cleveland Browns after college; he was one of four African-Americans to reintegrate professional football. He was a member of five championship teams and was named all-pro eight times with the Browns.

A member of the Pro Football (1977), College Football (1971), Ohio High School Football and Ohio State University Athletics halls of fame, his jersey number “99” was retired Nov. 3, 2007. He passed away Nov. 27, 2007, in Columbus.
 

Bill Willis helped Ohio State win its first national championship in 1942.

Ohio State Career per Wikipedia:

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Willis attended Ohio State University, where he joined the track and football teams. He was part of a Buckeyes football team that won the school's first national championship in 1942.

Willis was small for a lineman at 202 pounds, and despite signing up to play for Brown he was initially expected to focus on track and the 60-yard and 100-yard dashes. Brown, however, brought him onto the football team as a sophomore in 1942. Willis played middle guard, a defensive position opposite the center. That year, the Buckeyes posted a 9–1 record, won the Big Ten Conference and the national championship.

For more information on other players who wore No. 99 go here.

Source- The Ohio State Media Guide and Wikipedia

ALL PLAYERS COVERED TO DATE