The wait continues: 49ers great Patrick Willis not part of Hall of Fame Class of 2023
The wait continues for one San Francisco 49ers great. In his fourth year of eligibility and his second consecutive year being named among the 15 finalists, former linebacker Patrick Willis wasn’t among those named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
The 49ers selected Willis out of Ole Miss with the No. 11 overall draft pick in 2007, and he spent eight seasons with San Francisco before retiring after the 2014 season. He was named to seven Pro Bowls and is a five-time first-team All-Pro.
Willis finished his career with 950 tackles, 60 tackles for a loss, 41 quarterback hits, 20.5 sacks, eight interceptions, two scores, 53 passes defensed, and 16 forced fumbles. He racked up over 100 tackles during six of his eight seasons and twice led the league in tackles, once as a rookie in 2007 and again in 2009.
Willis was named to the NFL All-Decade team of the 2010s. He was enshrined into the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. 49ers Hall of Fame during a 2021 ceremony at Levi’s Stadium and inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
