Matt Willis
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Receiving Stats (WR / TE)
| Year | Team | Games | Rec | Targets | Rec Yds | TDs | YAC | 1st Downs | Fumbles | Fantasy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | DEN | 12 | 10 | 22 | 90 | 0 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| 2011 | DEN | 14 | 18 | 36 | 267 | 1 | 93 | 15 | 0 | 33 |
| 2010 | DEN | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2007 | BAL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Career Summary
Matt Willis is a former NFL wide receiver who played 43 regular-season games with Baltimore and Denver.
NFL statistics credit Willis with 30 receptions for 385 yards and one touchdown. His career also included eight kickoff returns for 163 yards.
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Early Life
Willis was born in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in La Palma, California.
UCLA's football biography lists Dallas as his birthplace and La Palma as his hometown.
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High School
Willis attended Servite High School, where track and field became his primary focus after his sophomore football season.
UCLA records that he won the CIF Division III 300-meter hurdles championship and placed second at the California State meet, while also earning second-team All-Orange County soccer honors.
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College Career
Willis competed in both football and track at UCLA.
He joined the football team in 2005 after two years on the track team, playing receiver and returning kickoffs. His track record included a 400-meter hurdles NCAA West Regional appearance.
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Path to the NFL
Willis began his NFL career with Baltimore in 2007 before moving to Denver.
A UCLA media guide lists his professional sequence as Baltimore in 2007 and 2008 on the practice squad, followed by Denver from 2009 through 2012.
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NFL Career
Willis played five NFL seasons, including four with Denver.
His statistical record includes 18 receptions for 267 yards and a touchdown in 2011, followed by 10 receptions in 15 games for Denver in 2012.
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Career Accomplishments
Willis set his NFL career high with 267 receiving yards in 2011.
That Denver season also included his only NFL touchdown reception, a 42-yard long catch and three receptions of at least 20 yards.
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Playing Style
Willis combined receiver work with return and special-teams duties.
NFL statistics record eight kickoff returns in 2011 and 15 defensive tackles across his career. UCLA described him as a receiver with speed, hands, toughness and field-stretching potential.
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Legacy
Willis's football path connected a successful hurdling background at Servite and UCLA with five NFL seasons.
His 43 NFL appearances and 385 receiving yards followed a multi-sport UCLA career that included football, hurdles and sprinting.
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21542, 00-0024756, 1984-04-13, Matt Willis, Matt, Willis
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