2013 Inductee
WILLIE TULLIS A Kodak All-American and a two-time All-Gulf South selection, Willie Tullis still ranks among the all-time greats in the history of Troy football. The National Football League draft pick had a successful eight-year NFL career and now has one more accolade to add to his resume, as a new member of the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame. Tullis came to Troy State in 1978 after spending two years at Southern Mississippi and made an immediate impact. In his three seasons in Troy, the Trojans went 21-7-1, including an 8-2 mark during his senior season. He lost just one game at home in his entire career, winning 13. “Willie was one heck of a quarterback,” said former teammate Kelvin Murdock. “He could run and he could throw the ball a country mile. He was good, he was great, as a quarterback, but he was also a good person.” Murdock was Tullis’s go-to wide receiver during the 1980 season, grabbing 33 balls for 837 yards and seven scores, as both were named to the All-Gulf South first team. Murdock played for one more season after Tullis moved on, again earning first team accolades, but playing without Tullis was no easy task. “He left after my junior season,” Murdock said. “It was a big difference. We lost a great quarterback. It was a big loss.” In 1980, Tullis became just the fifth Trojan to earn NCAA All-America honors, the first to do so as a quarterback. He threw for 1,880 yards and 14 touchdowns that season, while amassing 450 rushing yards and six scores on the ground. His 63-yard run against UT-Martin was the longest of the season for any Trojan. He was also the only Trojan to eclipse “Willie was one heck of a quarterback ... He was good, 100 yards on the ground in a single game that season, rushing for he was great, as a quarterback, but he was also a good 102 yards in a 35-7 win over Delta State at home. person.” He still ranks in the top-10 in many statistical categories at Troy. His 15.5 yards per completion ranks seventh in the history of the program. His 3,456 passing yards, 438 passing attempts and 25 - Kelvin Murdock Troy State football player (1978-81) passing touchdowns are ninth all-time, while his 223 completions are 10th most. His 15 rushing touchdowns are 12th most all-time, fourth most among quarterbacks. Following his time at Troy State, Tullis was selected by the Houston Oilers in the eighth round of the 1981 NFL Draft. He would play four years with the Oilers, followed by two years each with both the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts. Tullis made an immediate impact in the NFL, returning a kickoff 95 yards for a score in his first game, helping to lift his Oilers to a 27-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Although he joined the league primarily as a kick-returner, Tullis would go on to start 31 of a possible 32 games for the Oilers at corner back during the 1983 and 1984 seasons. After retiring from the NFL, Tullis returned to Houston, where he currently resides. An active member in the community, Tullis tried his hand in coaching high school before becoming a counselor. He currently runs his own business, buying and remodeling homes for rent. Tullis has one child, Willie Jr., who is 23 years old.
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