Wilson Whitley
| No. 75 | |||||||||
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| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | April 28, 1955 Brenham, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | October 27, 1992 (aged 37) Marietta, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
Listed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Brenham (TX) | ||||||||
| College | Houston (1973–1976) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1977: 1st round, 8th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Wilson Carl Whitley Jr. (May 28, 1955 – October 27, 1992) was an American professional football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars, where he was named a consensus All-American under defensive coordinator Don Todd. He led the Cougars to the Southwest Conference championship in during Houston's first season as a conference member and won the 1976 Lombardi Award as the nation's top lineman. Former President Gerald Ford presented him the award. He was later named to the 1970s Southwest Conference All-Decade Team.
Professional career
Whitley was drafted in the first round of the 1977 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals and started alongside another Lombardi Award winner, Ross Browner, for 6 seasons.
Death
Whitley died at the age of 37, due to a heart attack.
Honors
He is a 1998 inductee into University of Houston's Hall of Honor and was a perennial candidate for the College Football Hall of Fame until his selection in 2007.
References
- ↑ "Former UH Great Wilson Whitley To Be Inducted Into The College Football Hall of Fame". University of Houston.
- ↑ "Cincinnati Bengals History, 1981". Cincinnati Bengals.
- ↑ "1977 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Wilson Whitley, Football Player, 37". The New York Times.
- ↑ "'70s UH standout Whitley to enter College Hall of Fame". Houston Chronicle.
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