Willie Gault
No. 83 | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Griffin, Georgia, U.S. | September 5, 1960||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 178 lb (81 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | Griffin | ||||||||||||
College: | Tennessee | ||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 1983 / round: 1 / pick: 18 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Willie James Gault (born September 5, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Raiders. Considered one of the fastest NFL players of all time,[1] Gault was a member of the Bears team that won Super Bowl XX. He was also a member of the U.S. Olympic team that boycotted the 1980 Olympics.
Gault played college football at the University of Tennessee from 1979 to 1982. He led the Vols in all-purpose yardage as a sophomore, junior and senior,[2] and was named to the All-American team in 1982. He still holds numerous school kickoff return records.[3]
Gault married his high school sweetheart, writer/author/actress Dainnese Mathis Gault in 1983. They were married from 1983 to 2002 and have two children.
Gault is currently pursuing a career as an actor. He also remains active in masters athletics, setting world masters records in the 100 metres and 200 metres dashes for the 45–49, the 50–54, and the 55–59 age groups.
Early life
[edit]Gault was born and raised in Griffin, Georgia.[4] He was named for his mother, Willie Mae. Both of his parents worked in a textile mill. He later recalled that his classmates considered him a "teacher's pet."[5]
Gault played football and ran track for Griffin High School. He had two receptions for 19 yards in Griffin's 7–7 tie against Valdosta in the AAAA State Championship Game during his junior year.[6] He had a 48-yard touchdown catch for the North team in the 1979 GACA North/South Game (a preseason all-star game).[7] During his senior year, he caught 33 passes and scored 7 touchdowns, averaging 19 yards per catch. He was named All-State following his junior and senior seasons.[8]
University of Tennessee
[edit]Football
[edit]Gault played football at Tennessee during an era when the school was acquiring its reputation as "Wide Receiver U." Three of Gault's teammates— Anthony Hancock, Clyde Duncan, and Tim McGee— would be first-round NFL Draft picks, and three others— Mike Miller, Lenny Taylor and Darryal Wilson— would be drafted in later rounds. During his four years at UT, Gault caught 89 passes for 1,482 yards and 10 touchdowns, returned 78 kickoffs for 1,854 yards and four touchdowns, and returned 78 punts for 659 yards and a touchdown.[9]
During the regular season of his freshman year in 1979, Gault caught three passes for 95 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown in Tennessee's 51–18 win over Utah. He had a team-leading four catches for 22 yards in the Vols' 27–22 loss to Purdue in the 1979 Bluebonnet Bowl.[10]
Gault's breakout year came during the 1980 season. Though he caught a relatively modest 14 passes for 240 yards while splitting time with Miller at receiver, he returned 24 kickoffs for 662 yards, and tied a national single-season record by returning three kickoffs for touchdowns. He returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to provide Tennessee's lone score in the team's 30–6 loss to Pittsburgh. He then returned kickoffs for touchdowns in back-to-back games at the end of the season: a 92-yarder against Kentucky and a 98-yarder against Vanderbilt.[11] Calling the latter play for the Vol Network, long-time broadcaster John Ward shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, Willie Gault has run all the way to the State Capitol."[12] Gault added a 48-yard touchdown catch in the Kentucky win.[13]
During his junior year in 1981, Gault caught 22 passes for 479 yards and four touchdowns while continuing to split time with Miller.[14] He added to his reputation as a dangerous return man, with 28 kickoff returns for 606 yards, and 31 punt returns for 381 yards and a touchdown. In Tennessee's 28–20 win over Ole Miss, Gault had a 54-yard kickoff return, a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown, and a 49-yard punt return. He returned a punt 66 yards for an apparent touchdown against Auburn, but it was called back on a penalty. He caught a 75-yard touchdown pass in the Vols' loss to Alabama, and registered a 49-yard touchdown catch against Memphis State. He had 217 receiving yards against Vanderbilt, including an 80-yard touchdown catch and a 72-yard reception.[15] In Tennessee's 28–21 win over Wisconsin in the 1981 Garden State Bowl, Gault returned a kickoff 87 yards for the Vols' first touchdown of the game.[16]
Gault entered his senior year a Preseason All-American.[15] As part of an explosive receiving corps that included Mike Miller, Lenny Taylor and Darryal Wilson, Gault registered a team-leading 50 catches for 668 yards and four touchdowns. He also registered 23 kickoff returns for 549 yards and a touchdown, and 20 punt returns for 145 yards.[17] He caught touchdown passes of 78 yards and 38 yards in Tennessee's 24–14 loss to Auburn,[18] and returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown in the Vols' 24–24 tie against LSU.[19] Gault caught a 52-yard touchdown pass in Tennessee's 35–28 win over Alabama, helping the Vols break an 11-year losing streak to the Tide.[20] He caught a 19-yard touchdown pass in Tennessee's 28–22 loss to Iowa in the 1982 Peach Bowl.[21] He was named an All-American at the end of the season.[22]
As of the 2012 season, Gault's 1,854 kickoff return yards and 2,513 total return yards remain school records. His 27.6 yards per kickoff return in 1980 and his 987 total return yards in 1981 remain school single-season records.[23] Gault's mark of 4,035 career all-purpose yards is the second-highest tally in school history, trailing only Stanley Morgan's 4,642. His 273 all-purpose yards against Auburn in 1982 and 268 against Vanderbilt in 1981 remain the second and third-highest single game tallies in school history, trailing only Chuck Webb's 294 yards in the 1989 Ole Miss game.[24]
Track and field
[edit]Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Men's athletics | ||
Representing United States | ||
Olympic Boycott Games | ||
1980 Philadelphia | 4 × 100 m relay | |
1980 Philadelphia | 100 m | |
World Championships | ||
1983 Helsinki | 4 × 100 m relay | |
1983 Helsinki | 110 m hurdles |
Gault qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team and would have participated in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow had the United States not boycotted the event. He was one of 461 athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal.[25] Gault set a record in the 110-meter high hurdles at the SEC track and field championships in May 1981.[26] At the 1982 SEC championships, he again set the 110-meter high hurdles record, and won the Commissioner's Trophy for the highest overall score.[27] He won the 60-yard hurdles event at the 1983 SEC indoor championships with a time of 7.05.[28] At the 1983 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Gault won the 60-yard high hurdles and the 60-yard dash with times of 6.98 and 6.18, respectively.[29] At the 1983 NCAA outdoor championships, Gault placed third behind Roger Kingdom and Reggie Towns in the 110-meter high hurdles.[30]
Gault was part of a world record-setting 4 × 100 meter relay team (1. Emmit King, 2. Willie Gault, 3. Calvin Smith, 4. Carl Lewis) at the 1983 World Championships.[31] He also competed in the 110 meter hurdles and attended the Liberty Bell Classic, where he won a bronze medal in the 100 meter race). He made the 1988 Winter Olympics bobsledding team as an alternate. His official personal bests are 13.26 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles and 10.10 seconds in the 100 meters.[32]
Personal bests
[edit]Event | Time (seconds) | Venue | Date |
---|---|---|---|
100 meters | 10.10A | Provo, Utah | June 5, 1982 |
200 meters | 20.68 | Tempe, Arizona | March 20, 1982 |
Event | Time (seconds) | Venue | Date |
---|---|---|---|
50 metres hurdles | 6.56 | Los Angeles, California | February 15, 1992 |
55 metres hurdles | 6.96 | Dallas, Texas | February 5, 1983 |
60 metres hurdles | 7.67 | Louisville, Kentucky | January 29, 1981 |
110 metres hurdles | 13.26 | Indianapolis, Indiana | July 25, 1982 |
Professional football career
[edit]Gault was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round (18th overall pick) in the 1983 NFL draft, and had an immediate impact during his rookie season.[33] He caught four passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in the Bears' loss to New Orleans,[34] five passes for 130 yards and a touchdown in the Bears' loss to Baltimore,[35] and four passes for 129 yards and an 87-yard touchdown in the Bears' loss to Green Bay.[36] Gault was the prototypical "speed merchant", meaning his greatest asset was his pure straight line swiftness.
During the Bears' dominant 1985 season, Gault caught 33 passes for a team-leading 704 yards[37] His best game of the season came in the Bears' 33–24 win over Minnesota, when he caught six passes for 146 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown.[38] In the Bears' 46–10 victory over New England in Super Bowl XX,[39] Gault had four receptions for a game-leading 129 yards, and four kickoff returns for 49 yards.[40] At the end of the 1985 regular season, Gault helped organize teammates to perform the "Super Bowl Shuffle", a rap song and music video that raised money for a local charity.[41] He sang one verse in the song.[5]
By the 1986 season, friction had developed between Gault and Bears quarterback Jim McMahon. In his autobiography published that year, McMahon suggested that Gault was undependable, and only put forth his best effort if the game was on national television.[5] Gault stated in an interview with Sports Illustrated that he wasn't sure why McMahon seemed hesitant to throw it to him more often (the Sports Illustrated article's author, Bruce Newman, suggested that Gault didn't get as many throws because he was frequently double-teamed).[5] In spite of this squabble, Gault finished the 1986 season with 42 catches for 818 yards, including 7 catches for 174 yards against Cincinnati, and four catches for 116 yards against Tampa Bay.[42][43][44]
Prior to the 1988 season, Gault was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders.[45] He caught four passes for 102 yards in the Raiders' loss to Cincinnati on October 2, 1988.[46] He caught four passes for 131 yards and a touchdown in the 1989 season opener against San Diego, and had 147 yards on just two catches in the Raiders' win over Cincinnati on November 5, 1989.[47][48] He caught four passes for 103 yards to help the Raiders defeat his former team on September 30, 1990.[49] In the 1991 season, he had 20 receptions for 346 yards and four touchdowns.[50] In the 1992 season, he had 27 receptions for 508 yards and five touchdowns.[51] The Raiders did not re-sign Gault following the 1993 season.[52]
In spite of his speed, Gault never won the NFL's "Fastest Man" competition over 60 yards (outdoors). He placed second behind frequent winner Darrell Green in 1986, having defeated fellow Olympic sprinter Ron Brown in the semifinals.[53] In the 1990 competition, Gault again placed second, losing to Brown in the finals (Green was recovering from an injury and didn't compete).[54] Green (a cornerback) would frequently cover Gault when their respective teams played. In the Bears' 23–19 win over Washington in the 1984 playoffs, Gault beat Green for a 75-yard touchdown reception after getting held without a catch in the first half.[55] In the Bears' loss to the Redskins in the 1986 playoffs, Gault had five catches for 82 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown, while going head to head with Green.[56] In the Redskins' 21–17 win over the Bears in the 1987 playoffs, Green held Gault without a catch before leaving the game with an injury.[57] In the Raiders' 21–20 win over the Redskins in 1992, Gault went without a reception for most of the game before beating Green for a 50-yard catch that set up the winning touchdown.[58]
Gault finished his 11 NFL seasons with 333 receptions for 6,635 yards. He also returned 9 punts for 60 yards, rushed for 154 yards, returned 45 kickoffs for 1,088 yards, and scored 45 touchdowns (44 receiving and 1 kickoff return).[59]
NFL career statistics
[edit]Legend | ||
---|---|---|
Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | Receiving | Kickoff returns | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rec | Yds | Y/G | Avg | Lng | TD | KR | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
1983 | CHI | 16 | 40 | 836 | 52.2 | 20.9 | 87 | 8 | 13 | 276 | 21.2 | 38 | 0 |
1984 | CHI | 16 | 34 | 587 | 36.7 | 17.3 | 61 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 |
1985 | CHI | 16 | 33 | 704 | 44.0 | 21.3 | 70 | 1 | 22 | 577 | 26.2 | 99 | 1 |
1986 | CHI | 16 | 42 | 818 | 51.1 | 19.5 | 53 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 20 | 0 |
1987 | CHI | 12 | 35 | 705 | 58.8 | 20.1 | 56 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
1988 | LA | 15 | 16 | 392 | 26.1 | 24.5 | 57 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
1989 | LA | 16 | 28 | 690 | 43.1 | 24.6 | 84 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 16 | 0 |
1990 | LA | 16 | 50 | 985 | 61.6 | 19.7 | 68 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
1991 | LA | 16 | 20 | 346 | 21.6 | 17.3 | 59 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
1992 | LA | 16 | 27 | 508 | 31.8 | 18.8 | 53 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
1993 | LA | 15 | 8 | 64 | 4.3 | 8.0 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 187 | 26.7 | 60 | 0 |
Career | 170 | 333 | 6,635 | 39.0 | 19.9 | 87 | 44 | 45 | 1,088 | 24.2 | 99 | 1 |
After retiring as a player
[edit]Gault retired in the early 1990s and is pursuing an acting career in Hollywood. He portrayed Willie the Sweeper in the NBC series The Pretender.[60] Willie also had an appearance on the sitcom Still Standing playing himself as the father of Tina's friend. He had a few appearances on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide playing himself alongside sportscaster Van Earl Wright and most recently was featured in the series finale.[61] He also was in an episode of MTV's Parental Control. In Season 4 Episode 8 of Friday Night Lights, the Dillon Lions radio color-man is named Willie Gault as a tribute.
Gault joined other members of the 1985 Chicago Bears in resurrecting the Super Bowl Shuffle in a Boost Mobile commercial for Super Bowl XLIV.[62]
Gault has been active at the highest levels of Masters athletics. On June 24, 2006, Gault set a world record of 10.72 seconds in the master's 100 meters, in the division for athletes aged 45 to 49. On April 26, 2008, Gault (at age 47) set a new world record of 21.80 seconds in the M45-49 age-group for 200m.[63][64] In May 2011, he set world records for the 50–54 age group in the 100-meter (10.88) and 200-meter (22.44) dashes.[65]
In April 2016, Gault was ordered to pay $206,571 to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit regarding his actions in a scheme to inflate share prices of the medical device company Heart Tronics Inc, for which he had been co-CEO. Gault was cleared of the most serious fraud charges.[66]
In November 2016, Gault was inducted into the 2017 class of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.[67]
Gault was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, in Macon, Georgia, as a member of the 2017 class.[68]
Gault was inducted into the USATF Masters Hall of Fame in 2019.[69]
Filmography
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | Sporting Chance | Football Player | TV movie |
1990s | Tales from the crypt (TV series) | Police Officer | Episode:"Two for the show" |
1992 | Bodies of Evidence (TV series) | Melissa Thompson | Episode:"Nearest and Dearest " |
1993 | In the Heat of the Night (TV series) | Troy Davis | Episode:"Singin' the Blues" |
1996 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (TV series) | Clifford | Episode:"True Confessions" |
1996 | Baywatch (TV series) | Season 7 Episode 5 | |
1997–2000 | The Pretender (TV series) | Willie the Sweeper | Recurring; 19 Episodes |
1997 | Grounded for Life (TV series)[70] | Hugh | Episode:"Don't Fear the Reefer" |
2004 | Still Standing (TV series)[71] | Himself | Episode:"Still Champions" |
2021 | Family Reunion (TV series)[72] | Himself | Episode: Remember Mazzi's First Love? |
References
[edit]- ^ Brodess, Doug (April 16, 2011). "The Top 25 Fastest Players in NFL History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Individual Career Records Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, UTSports.com, p. 342. Retrieved: August 8, 2013.
- ^ Individual Career Records Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, UTSports.com. Retrieved: August 8, 2013.
- ^ Lidz, Franz (June 6, 1983). "Will Willie go for the gold or gold?". Sports Illustrated Vault. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Newman, Bruce (November 24, 1986). "GAULT IS DIVIDED INTO MANY PARTS". Sports Illustrated Vault. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ 1978 GHSA AAAA State Championship Game Archived March 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Georgia High School Football Historians Association. Retrieved: August 8, 2013.
- ^ 1979 GACA North/South Archived March 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Georgia High School Football Historians Association. Retrieved: August 8, 2013.
- ^ "1979 Signees Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine", 1979 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 56.
- ^ "Willie Gault College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "1980 Squad Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine", 1980 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 43.
- ^ "1981 Squad Archived December 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine", 1981 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 43.
- ^ Glennon, John (June 2, 2017). "Former Vol Gault Sprints Into State Sports Hall of Fame". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Life Becomes Cheery As Streak Ends Archived October 13, 2016, at the Wayback Machine", 1981 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 87.
- ^ Calhoun, Caleb (June 4, 2020). "Tennessee football: Top 10 Vols who played for Johnny Majors". All for Tennessee. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ a b "1982 Squad Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine", 1982 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, pp. 45–46.
- ^ White Jr., Gordon S.; Times, Special To the New York (December 14, 1981). "VOLS WIN IN GARDEN STATE BOWL, 28 TO 21". The New York Times. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ "1982 Offensive Statistics", 1983 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 89.
- ^ "First Jackson, Then James, Too Much for Vols in SEC Opener Archived May 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine", 1983 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 84.
- ^ "Gault Kickoff Return Ignites Vols Against LSU Archived May 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine", 1983 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 85.
- ^ "Hungry Vols Put End to Alabama 11-year String Archived May 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine", 1983 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 85.
- ^ "Rally Falls Short As Vols Bow to Iowa in Peach Bowl Archived May 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine", 1983 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 88.
- ^ "Willie Gault - Football". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Individual Football Records Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, UTSports.com, pp. 325–326. Retrieved: August 11, 2013.
- ^ Individual Football Records Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, UTSports.com, p. 342.
- ^ Caroccioli, Tom; Caroccioli, Jerry (2008). Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Highland Park, IL: New Chapter Press. pp. 243–253. ISBN 978-0942257403.
- ^ "UT Leads Field, Daily News (Bowling Green, Kentucky), 15 May 1981, p. 13-A.
- ^ "Vols Win SEC Track Title", Ocala Star-Banner, May 16, 1982, p. 2C.
- ^ "SEC Indoor Results", The Tuscaloosa News, February 28, 1983, p. 11.
- ^ "Gault Achieves Rare Twin Sprint Triumph", The Courier (Prescott, Arizona), March 13, 1983, p. 4B.
- ^ Bob Smizik, "NCAA Champ Kingdom Comes Up to a Big Decision", The Pittsburgh Press, June 6, 1983, p. C-5.
- ^ "IAAF: 4x100 Metres Relay Result - 1st IAAF World Championships in Athletics - iaaf.org". iaaf.org.
- ^ "Profile of Willie GAULT - All-Athletics.com". www.all-athletics.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
- ^ "1983 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints – September 18th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Chicago Bears at Baltimore Colts – September 25th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers – December 4th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Willie Gault 1985 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings – September 19th, 1985". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Bears Trounce Patriots, 46–10, in Super Bowl". Los Angeles Times. January 27, 1986. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
- ^ "Super Bowl XX – Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots – January 26th, 1986". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ Cohen, Rich (December 11, 1985). "Surviving The Shuffle". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals – September 28th, 1986". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – November 9th, 1986". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Willie Gault 1986 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ LaMarre, Tom (July 18, 2022). "Raiders Went Deep With Branch, Gault". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Raiders - October 2nd, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "San Diego Chargers at Los Angeles Raiders - September 10th, 1989". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Raiders - November 5th, 1989". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Raiders - September 30th, 1990". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Willie Gault 1991 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Willie Gault 1992 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ White, Lonnie (July 15, 1994). "PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Rathman Set to Sign for Two Years". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Green's the Fastest", The Pittsburgh Press, April 27, 1986, p. D2.
- ^ "Brown Outraces Gault in Fastest Man Event", Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas), p. 2B.
- ^ George Vecsey, "Bears' Speedy Gault Turns on the Juice for the Fans", Lakeland Ledger, December 31, 1984, p. 6D.
- ^ Dave van Dyck, "Gault Off and Running vs. Redskins' Green", Chicago Sun-Times, January 4, 1987, p. 102.
- ^ "Redskins' Darrell Green Could See Action Against Minnesota", The Vindicator (Youngstown, Ohio), January 12, 1988, p. 13.
- ^ "Raiders 21, Redskins 20". UPI. December 26, 1992. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Willie Gault Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ Epstein, David (July 2, 2007). "Willie Gault". Sports Illustrated Vault. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Dutch, Taylor (May 12, 2016). "Willie Gault Could Still Put NFLers to Shame in a Sprint". FloTrack. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Greenberg, Jon (January 15, 2010). "Shuffling down memory lane". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- ^ "Masters World Records". World-masters-athletics.org. June 10, 2012. Archived from the original on August 3, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- ^ "Tommie "Tiny" Lister Classic". Flash Results. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
- ^ "Gault named Athlete of the Week". USA Track & Field. May 22, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
- ^ "Ex-NFL star, Heart Tronic exec Gault ordered to pay fine in SEC fraud case". MassDevice. April 15, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ "5 Vols Named To Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame 2017 Induction Class". WJHL-TV. November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
- ^ "CLASS OF 2017". GSHF. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "USATF announces 2021 Hall of Fame class". USA Track & Field. November 9, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Lay, Ken (March 28, 2020). "Tennessee football: Players who wore No. 26". Vols Wire. USA Today. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Today on TV". Deseret News. January 15, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Mauch, Ally (March 8, 2021). "Family Reunion Will Feature 3 Real Housewives Guest Stars in the New Season — Watch the Trailer!". People.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Willie Gault at World Athletics
- Willie Gault at IMDb
- Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame bio
- Tennessee Volunteers bio
Additional References: USATF Masters Hall of Fame
- 1960 births
- Living people
- African-American track and field athletes
- American male bobsledders
- American football wide receivers
- American male hurdlers
- American male sprinters
- Chicago Bears players
- Legends Football League coaches
- Los Angeles Raiders players
- American masters athletes
- Tennessee Volunteers football players
- Players of American football from Griffin, Georgia
- World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States
- World Athletics Championships medalists
- World record holders in masters athletics
- Track and field athletes from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Congressional Gold Medal recipients
- Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)
- FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States
- World Athletics Championships winners
- Medalists at the 1983 Summer Universiade
- 21st-century African-American sportspeople
- 20th-century African-American sportspeople
- American Masters Athlete that competed in Olympics
- NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
- Tennessee Volunteers men's track and field athletes
- NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
- All-American college football players