Willie James Gault (born September 5, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Raiders. Considered one of the fastest NFL players of all time, Gault was a member of the Bears team that won Super Bowl XX. He was also a member of the U.S. Olympic team that boycotted the 1980 Olympics.
Gault played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers from 1979 to 1982. He led the Vols in all-purpose yardage as a sophomore, junior and senior, and was named to the All-American team in 1982. He still holds numerous school kickoff return records.Individual Career Records , UTSports.com. Retrieved: August 8, 2013.
Gault married his high school sweetheart, writer/author/actress Dainnese Mathis Gault in 1983. They were married from 1983 to 2002 and have two children. His youngest child is rising painter, artist, Gabe Gault
Gault is currently pursuing a career as an actor. He also remains active in masters athletics, setting world masters records in the 100 meter and 200 meter dash for the 45–49, the 50–54, and the 55–59 age groups.
Early life Gault was born and raised in Griffin, Georgia. He was named for his mother, Willie Mae. Both of his parents worked in a textile mill. He later recalled that his classmates considered him a "teacher's pet".
Gault played football and ran track for Griffin High School. He had two receptions for 19 yards in Griffin's 7–7 tie against Valdosta in the AAAA State Championship Game during his junior year.1978 GHSA AAAA State Championship Game , Georgia High School Football Historians Association. Retrieved: August 8, 2013. He had a 48-yard touchdown catch for the North team in the 1979 GACA North/South Game (a preseason all-star game).1979 GACA North/South , Georgia High School Football Historians Association. Retrieved: August 8, 2013. During his senior year, he caught 33 passes and scored seven touchdowns, averaging 19 yards per catch. He was named All-State following his junior and senior seasons."1979 Signees ", 1979 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 56.
University of Tennessee
Football Gault played football at the University of Tennessee during an era when the school was acquiring its reputation as "Wide Receiver U." Three of Gault's teammates—Anthony Hancock, Clyde Duncan, and Tim McGee—would be first-round NFL Draft picks, and three others—Mike Miller, Lenny Taylor and Darryal Wilson—would be drafted in later rounds. During his four years at UT, Gault caught 89 passes for 1,482 yards and 10 touchdowns, returned 78 kickoffs for 1,854 yards and four touchdowns, and returned 78 punts for 659 yards and a touchdown.
During the regular season of his freshman year in 1979, Gault caught three passes for 95 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown in Tennessee's 51–18 win over Utah. He had a team-leading four catches for 22 yards in the Vols' 27–22 loss to Purdue in the 1979 Bluebonnet Bowl."1980 Squad ", 1980 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 43.
Gault's breakout year came during the 1980 season. Though he caught a relatively modest 14 passes for 240 yards while splitting time with Miller at receiver, he returned 24 kickoffs for 662 yards, and tied a national single-season record by returning three kickoffs for touchdowns. He returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to provide Tennessee's lone score in the team's 30–6 loss to Pittsburgh. He 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."1981 Squad ", 1981 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 43. Calling the latter play for the Vol Network, long-time broadcaster John Ward shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, Willie Gault has run all the way to the State Capitol." Gault added a 48-yard touchdown catch in the Kentucky win."Life Becomes Cheery As Streak Ends ", 1981 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 87.
During his junior year in 1981, Gault caught 22 passes for 479 yards and four touchdowns while continuing to split time with Miller. He 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. In Tennessee's 28–20 win over Ole Miss, Gault had a 54-yard kickoff return, a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown, and a 49-yard punt return. He returned a punt 66 yards for an apparent touchdown against Auburn, but it was called back on a penalty. He caught a 75-yard touchdown pass in the Vols' loss to Alabama, and registered a 49-yard touchdown catch against Memphis State. He had 217 receiving yards against Vanderbilt, including an 80-yard touchdown catch and a 72-yard reception."1982 Squad ", 1982 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, pp. 45–46. In Tennessee's 28–21 win over Wisconsin in the 1981 Garden State Bowl, Gault returned a kickoff 87 yards for the Vols' first touchdown of the game.
Gault entered his senior year a Preseason All-American. As part of an explosive receiving corps that included Mike Miller, Lenny Taylor and Darryal Wilson, Gault registered a team-leading 50 catches for 668 yards and four touchdowns. He also registered 23 kickoff returns for 549 yards and a touchdown, and 20 punt returns for 145 yards."1982 Offensive Statistics", 1983 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 89. He caught touchdown passes of 78 yards and 38 yards in Tennessee's 24–14 loss to Auburn,"First Jackson, Then James, Too Much for Vols in SEC Opener ", 1983 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 84. and returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown in the Vols' 24–24 tie against LSU."Gault Kickoff Return Ignites Vols Against LSU ", 1983 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 85. Gault caught a 52-yard touchdown pass in Tennessee's 35–28 win over Alabama, helping the Vols break an 11-year losing streak to the Tide."Hungry Vols Put End to Alabama 11-year String ", 1983 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 85. He caught a 19-yard touchdown pass in Tennessee's 28–22 loss to Iowa in the 1982 Peach Bowl."Rally Falls Short As Vols Bow to Iowa in Peach Bowl ", 1983 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 88. He was named an All-American at the end of the season.
As of the 2012 season, Gault's 1,854 kickoff return yards and 2,513 total return yards remain school records. His 27.6 yards per kickoff return in 1980 and his 987 total return yards in 1981 remain school single-season records. Gault's mark of 4,035 career all-purpose yards is the second-highest tally in school history, trailing only Stanley Morgan's 4,642. His 273 all-purpose yards against Auburn in 1982 and 268 against Vanderbilt in 1981 remain the second and third-highest single game tallies in school history, trailing only Chuck Webb's 294 yards in the 1989 Ole Miss game.
Track and field
Gault qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team and would have participated in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow had the United States not boycotted the event. He was one of 461 athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal. Gault set a record in the 110-meter high hurdles at the SEC track and field championships in May 1981."UT Leads Field, Daily News (Bowling Green, Kentucky), 15 May 1981, p. 13-A. At the 1982 SEC championships, he again set the 110-meter high hurdles record, and won the Commissioner's Trophy for the highest overall score."Vols Win SEC Track Title", Ocala Star-Banner, May 16, 1982, p. 2C. He won the 60-yard hurdles event at the 1983 SEC indoor championships with a time of 7.05."SEC Indoor Results", The Tuscaloosa News, February 28, 1983, p. 11. At the 1983 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Gault won the 60-yard high hurdles and the 60-yard dash with times of 6.98 and 6.18, respectively."Gault Achieves Rare Twin Sprint Triumph", The Courier (Prescott, Arizona), March 13, 1983, p. 4B. At the 1983 NCAA outdoor championships, Gault placed third behind Roger Kingdom and Reggie Towns in the 110-meter high hurdles.Bob Smizik, "NCAA Champ Kingdom Comes Up to a Big Decision", The Pittsburgh Press, June 6, 1983, p. C-5.
Gault was part of a world record-setting 4 × 100 meter relay team (1. Emmit King, 2. Willie Gault, 3. Calvin Smith, 4. Carl Lewis) at the 1983 World Championships. He also competed in the 110 meter hurdles and attended the Liberty Bell Classic, where he won a bronze medal in the 100 meter race. He made the 1988 Winter Olympics bobsledding team as an alternate. His official personal bests are 13.26 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles and 10.10 seconds in the 100 meters.
Personal bests EventTime (seconds)VenueDate100 meters10.10Provo, UtahJune 5, 1982200 meters20.68Tempe, ArizonaMarch 20, 1982
EventTime (seconds)VenueDate50 metres hurdles6.56Los Angeles, CaliforniaFebruary 15, 199255 metres hurdles6.96Dallas, TexasFebruary 5, 198360 metres hurdles7.67Louisville, KentuckyJanuary 29, 1981110 metres hurdles13.26Indianapolis, IndianaJuly 25, 1982
Professional football career Gault was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round (18th-overall pick) in the 1983 NFL draft, and had an immediate impact during his rookie season. He 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. Gault was the prototypical "speed merchant", meaning his greatest asset was his pure straight-line swiftness.
During the Bears' dominant 1985 season, Gault caught 33 passes for a team-leading 704 yards His best game of the season came in the Bears' 33–24 win over Minnesota, when he caught six passes for 146 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown. In the Bears' 46–10 victory over New England in Super Bowl XX, Gault had four receptions for a game-leading 129 yards, and four kickoff returns for 49 yards. At the end of the 1985 regular season, Gault helped organize teammates to perform the "Super Bowl Shuffle", a rap song and music video that raised money for a local charity. He sang one verse in the song.
By the 1986 season, friction had developed between Gault and Bears quarterback Jim McMahon. In his autobiography published that year, McMahon suggested that Gault was undependable, and only put forth his best effort if the game was on national television. Gault stated in an interview with Sports Illustrated that he wasn't sure why McMahon seemed hesitant to throw it to him more often (the Sports Illustrated article's author, Bruce Newman, suggested that Gault didn't get as many throws because he was frequently double-teamed). In spite of this squabble, 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.
Prior to the 1988 season, Gault was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders. He caught four passes for 102 yards in the Raiders' loss to Cincinnati on October 2, 1988. He 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. He caught four passes for 103 yards to help the Raiders defeat his former team on September 30, 1990. In the 1991 season, he had 20 receptions for 346 yards and four touchdowns. In the 1992 season, he had 27 receptions for 508 yards and five touchdowns. The Raiders did not re-sign Gault following the 1993 season.