Willis Stands Tall Despite Shortfall at Azusa Pacific

Dreamers, like dreams, come in all sizes. Caleb Willis is the compact kind.

At 5 feet 8 and 160 pounds, Willis aspired to play NCAA Division I football out of Valencia High.

And there were at least two schools that were initially interested.

“I was recruited by the University of San Diego and by San Jose State,” Willis said. “But that fell through.”

Willis then visited Azusa Pacific, a Christian school with a solid NAIA football tradition, and was smitten.

For a youngster with deep religious convictions, whose Sunday mornings were spent in church, there was no need to search further. The dream had been reshaped.

“I love football and I love God,” Willis said. “It’s a little school and it’s perfect for me.”

It has worked well for Willis and Azusa Pacific, the defending NAIA Division I champion.

Willis, a junior, is second on the team with 46 receptions for 648 yards and five touchdowns.

He caught two touchdown passes from Neo Aoga, Azusa Pacific’s 275-pound quarterback, to help the Cougars defeat Doane College, 31-12, last week in a first-round playoff game.

Azusa Pacific (8-2), ranked No. 7, hosts Hastings (11-0), ranked No. 3, in a quarterfinal game Saturday at 6 p.m.

“We have started to come together,” Willis said. “We really like our chances.”

Willis has become a significant contributor for the Cougars after biding his time the last two seasons.

He was a two-way starter at Valencia but made the largest impact at receiver and kicker. His 34 receptions for 606 yards and seven touchdowns in 1996, his senior season, were career highs.

Willis kicked 16 extra points, scored one touchdown rushing and one on an interception. He was Valencia’s offensive most valuable player and an All-Foothill League selection.

“He was one of a very few good athletes in our first couple of years [of playing football],” Valencia Coach Brian Stiman said. “He was one of the best athletes to come through this school.”

As a child, Willis followed the steps of his father, Skip, a multifaceted athlete at Monroe who played baseball at Pepperdine. The son played several sports until football became his passion.

“After one year of football, I said, ‘No more baseball,’ ” Willis said.

It was his parents, divorced since Willis was 7, who encouraged him to consider Azusa Pacific. Willis calls them his biggest supporters and is close to both. He visits his mother, Mary Fischer, in Valencia on Sundays and his father hardly misses a game.

“My dad flew out to Tennessee to watch the championship game [last year],” Willis said. “That was totally awesome.”

The Cougars defeated Olivet Nazarene, 17-14, at Savannah, Tenn., to claim their first national title. Willis, who had 10 receptions for 180 yards in the regular season, did not have a catch in the game, but it was all the same to him.

“It was fantastic, especially being able to start as a sophomore,” Willis said. “The atmosphere was overwhelming, with all the TV cameras and all the attention.”

Willis emerged this season under first-year Coach Peter Shinnick, who took over the program after Vic Shealy left to become an assistant at Air Force.

“He’s so quick,” Shinnick said. “He does a great job of using his explosiveness,” Shinnick said. “We are really excited about how well he’s come along.”

The unassuming Willis, a biochemistry major who plans to become a dentist, said it’s partly because of the element of surprise.

“I like my height,” Willis said. “I use it to my advantage. I hide between linebackers and they underestimate me. They don’t take me seriously.”