// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Wilson Whitley a good tennis player? He's an ace at 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.[1] He was later named to the 1970s Southwest Conference All-Decade Team.
Professional career
[edit]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.[2][3]
Death
[edit]Whitley died at the age of 37, due to a heart attack.[4]
Honors
[edit]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.[5]
References
[edit]- ↑ "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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- 1955 births
- 1992 deaths
- All-American college football players
- American football defensive tackles
- Cincinnati Bengals players
- Houston Cougars football players
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Players of American football from Brenham, Texas
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- American football defensive lineman, 1950s birth stubs
- Texas people stubs