Gold Jacket Spotlight: Willie Roaf’s road from State Capital to Hall of Fame

As a seventh-grader, WILLIAM (WILLIE) LAYTON ROAF worked as a page in the Arkansas State Capital for then-Gov. Bill Clinton. A fitting position for a young man whose family lineage included grandparents, parents and siblings with advanced degrees and histories of service to others. 

Willie’s mother, Andree, the first Black woman to serve on the Arkansas Supreme Court, told Gary Smith of Sports Illustrated, “I assumed my child would be like me.”

Traveling a route to success that was foreign to his family, Willie achieved his greatest triumphs on the gridiron and not in the court room, classroom or medical office.

“Son, you better be glad I’m not God,” Andree Roaf once reportedly told Willie, “because I would wave a wand over you and football would be history. You would be a nuclear physicist instead.”

Willie’s ascension to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career rather than an occupation in physics is the subject of this week’s Gold Jacket Spotlight.

Louisiana Tech University head coach Joe Raymond Peace noticed skills others neglected as few colleges expressed an interest in recruiting Willie from Pine Bluff (Ark.) High School.

Peace’s assistant coach, Jerry Baldwin, provided film of Willie’s high school games, prompting Peace to tell ArkansasOnline.com: “Jerry said he was probably a better basketball player than a football player. I looked at about eight plays, and I could tell he had great feet and hips.”

Peace successfully recruited Willie, and that move paid dividends for Louisiana Tech.

Willie’s blocking ability and considerable speed for his size earned him four-year letterman status while becoming the school’s first consensus All-American. He was named a finalist for the Outland Trophy his senior season.

A dominating performance against two-time All-American defensive end Eric Curry in a contest against eventual national champion Alabama solidified Willie’s opportunity at being a high NFL Draft choice. 

Willie held Curry without a sack or a tackle that day.

Fearing their resolve to draft Willie would be hindered by their 20th position in the opening round of the 1993 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints parted ways with Pat Swilling, the Associated Press NFL Player of the Year in 1991, to move up to the eighth slot. 

A unanimous All-Rookie team selection in 1993, Willie earned All-Pro status a year later and that year also became the fourth offensive lineman in franchise history to be selected to a Pro Bowl.

“There were a lot of expectations of me, especially because I was the guy Pat Swilling was traded for,” Willie said. “Most people did not know who I was or where I came from, and they questioned my selection. I did not want to come in and let anybody down. I’m the type of guy who wants to make everyone happy.”

 “I really believe he will be a 10-time Pro Bowler,” Curry, then a defensive end for Tampa Bay, proclaimed early in Willie’s career.

Curry slightly underestimated Willie’s future success.

Throughout his 13 NFL seasons, Willie was selected to 11 Pro Bowls. He earned first-team All-Pro honors from the Associated Press four times and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s (first team) and the 2000s (second team).

“Best young tackle I’ve seen come into the league in my 31 years,” acknowledged Chuck Knox, at that time head coach of the Los Angeles Rams.

In 2012, Willie was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I didn’t go to a big college. I’ve had to fight for what I’ve accomplished, which makes me appreciate success a little more. I also give my parents a lot of credit for making me successful,” Willie told Gameday Magazine. “I think deep down, my mom enjoyed the fact that I could be a professional football player.”

And deep down, Willie appreciated the lessons Andree Roaf instilled in him. Following their distinct paths to success, Willie and Andree Roaf shared the honor of induction into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.