1. Willie Gault was a member of the US Olympic team that boycotted the 1980 Olympics.
42 Facts About Willie Gault
1. 2.
Willie Gault played college football at the University of Tennessee from 1979 to 1982.
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Willie Gault led the Vols in all-purpose yardage as a sophomore, junior and senior, and was named to the All-American team in 1982.
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Willie Gault played football and ran track for Griffin High School.
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Willie Gault was named All-State following his junior and senior seasons.
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Willie Gault 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.
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Willie Gault 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.
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Willie Gault returned a punt 66 yards for an apparent touchdown against Auburn, but it was called back on a penalty.
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Willie Gault caught a 75-yard touchdown pass in the Vols' loss to Alabama, and registered a 49-yard touchdown catch against Memphis State.
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Willie Gault had 217 receiving yards against Vanderbilt, including an 80-yard touchdown catch and a 72-yard reception.
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Willie Gault registered 23 kickoff returns for 549 yards and a touchdown, and 20 punt returns for 145 yards.
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Willie Gault was named an All-American at the end of the season.
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Willie Gault was one of 461 athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal.
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Willie Gault set a record in the 110-meter high hurdles at the SEC track and field championships in May 1981.
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Willie Gault won the 60-yard hurdles event at the 1983 SEC indoor championships with a time of 7.05.
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At the 1983 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Willie Gault won the 60-yard high hurdles and the 60-yard dash with times of 6.98 and 6.18, respectively.
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At the 1983 NCAA outdoor championships, Willie Gault placed third behind Roger Kingdom and Reggie Towns in the 110-meter high hurdles.
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Willie Gault made the 1988 Winter Olympics bobsledding team as an alternate.
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Willie Gault was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round in the 1983 NFL draft, and had an immediate impact during his rookie season.
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Willie Gault caught four passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in the Bears' loss to New Orleans, five passes for 130 yards and a touchdown in the Bears' loss to Baltimore, and four passes for 129 yards and an 87-yard touchdown in the Bears' loss to Green Bay.
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Willie Gault was the prototypical "speed merchant", meaning his greatest asset was his pure straight line swiftness.
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Willie Gault stated in an interview with Sports Illustrated that he wasn't sure why McMahon seemed hesitant to throw it to him more often.
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In spite of this squabble, Willie 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.
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Willie Gault caught four passes for 102 yards in the Raiders' loss to Cincinnati on October 2,1988.
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Willie Gault 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.
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Willie Gault caught four passes for 103 yards to help the Raiders defeat his former team on September 30,1990.
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The Raiders did not re-sign Willie Gault following the 1993 season.
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In spite of his speed, Willie Gault never won the NFL's "Fastest Man" competition over 60 yards.
29.
Willie Gault placed second behind frequent winner Darrell Green in 1986, having defeated fellow Olympic sprinter Ron Brown in the semifinals.
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Willie Gault finished his 11 NFL seasons with 333 receptions for 6,635 yards.
31.
Willie Gault returned 9 punts for 60 yards, rushed for 154 yards, returned 45 kickoffs for 1,088 yards, and scored 45 touchdowns.
32.
Willie Gault retired in the early 1990s and is pursuing an acting career in Hollywood.
33.
Willie Gault portrayed Willie the Sweeper in the NBC series The Pretender.
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Willie Gault had an appearance on the sitcom Still Standing playing himself as the father of Tina's friend.
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Willie Gault 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.
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Willie Gault was in an episode of MTV's Parental Control.
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Willie Gault joined other members of the 1985 Chicago Bears in resurrecting the Super Bowl Shuffle in a Boost Mobile commercial for Super Bowl XLIV.
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Willie Gault has been active at the highest levels of Masters athletics.
39.
On June 24,2006, Willie Gault set a world record of 10.72 seconds in the master's 100 meters, in the division for athletes aged 45 to 49.
40.
In November 2016, Willie Gault was inducted into the 2017 class of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
41.
Willie Gault was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, in Macon, Georgia, as a member of the 2017 class.
42.
Willie Gault was inducted into the USATF Masters Hall of Fame in 2019.