Boston College Athletics
Myles Willis: A Leader among Leaders
September 24, 2016 | Football
While being named captain is a huge honor as a Boston College Eagle, Willis has been considered a leader long before he was ever handed the title of captain.
Senior running back Myles Willis has a lot to be proud of.
Through 36 career games, Willis has been credited almost 3,000 all-purpose yards, including 1,725 kick return yards, ranking him fourth all time in BC record books. In his career, he has found the end zone seven times and has received numerous awards and nominations.
As a senior, he currently sits on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and was named one of four team captains.
While being named captain is a huge honor as a Boston College Eagle, Willis has been considered a leader long before he was ever handed the title of captain.
What most people aren't aware of is that Willis is not just another football player. When he is away from football, classes and his own school work, he is an active member of the Boston College community.
When Willis was a sophomore, he decided that he wanted to be a member of BC's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
"I got involved in BC's SAAC just to meet other athletes. When you play football, you can get stuck in the Yawkey Center bubble and you don't get to know anyone from the other sports who work out and pass you every day in Conte (Forum)."
While just meeting athletes was his initial goal, Willis wanted more. In his junior year, he took on the position as one of the chairs in the marketing division. A position that was once filled by former teammate Justin Simmons.
As he entered his junior year, Willis took advantage of every opportunity that was placed in front of him. More and more he became involved with the group, so much so that Director of Athletics Brad Bates suggested he apply for a seat in the NCAA Division I SAAC.
"We're very fortunate to have an extraordinary leader in Myles. He epitomizes the ideology of being a Boston College student-athlete and he will only continue to be a leader here at BC," Bates said.
According to the NCAA, "The mission of the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by protecting student-athlete well-being, fostering a positive student-athlete image and inclusive student-athlete environment, and promoting student-athlete engagement at the national, conference and local levels."
With the national committee only accepting one representative from each conference, his chances of getting the position as a junior were very slim.
"The first year I applied I didn't get in. The second year I did more off the field and I think that helped me be more of a desirable candidate," Willis said.
As he continued to help around campus, Willis was determined to get accepted. This determination is what best describes his character and his roommate Tyler Rouse can attest to his work ethic.
"He is always determined to do something or find a way to be better not only for himself but others too. That is a testament to who he is and what he believes in. He is always trying to find ways to help someone or pick someone up."
At the end of his junior year, Willis applied again. After a long wait, he received the email that he had been hoping for. He was accepted as the ACC representative of the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
In his new position, Willis flew to Indianapolis in July to the annual conference meeting. While there, he was able to meet the other 30 members of the group and sat in on some of the NCAA's most important topics.
This included Willis taking a seat on the Football Oversight Committee. A voting committee devoted to player safety, student-athlete guidelines, restrictions and more. Willis' commitment to this group has made him the only student-athlete to be able to vote on these matters.
Now assisting on the national level, many would think that this would be good enough, but no.
Willis still makes time for other campus activities, including co-facilitating the Dialogues on Race group, a peer-led discussion group on campus that focuses on issues surrounding race, identity and racial justice. Â
Away from campus, he continues to use his limited free time to assist in a variety of community projects.
Willis has volunteered at Camp Harbor View, a youth camp that teaches kids the importance of respect, character and leadership. He has worked with Habitat for Humanity, a group dedicated to revitalizing communities by building homes. Willis has even volunteered packaging and delivering food to people of less fortune.
A wise man once said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." That man was John Quincy Adams, and while those may just be words from the past, it is also what defines Myles Willis.
A humble student who doesn't want to be remembered as just a football player, but a student who positively impacted any person he crossed paths with.
A true leader.
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Through 36 career games, Willis has been credited almost 3,000 all-purpose yards, including 1,725 kick return yards, ranking him fourth all time in BC record books. In his career, he has found the end zone seven times and has received numerous awards and nominations.
As a senior, he currently sits on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and was named one of four team captains.
While being named captain is a huge honor as a Boston College Eagle, Willis has been considered a leader long before he was ever handed the title of captain.
What most people aren't aware of is that Willis is not just another football player. When he is away from football, classes and his own school work, he is an active member of the Boston College community.
When Willis was a sophomore, he decided that he wanted to be a member of BC's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
"I got involved in BC's SAAC just to meet other athletes. When you play football, you can get stuck in the Yawkey Center bubble and you don't get to know anyone from the other sports who work out and pass you every day in Conte (Forum)."
While just meeting athletes was his initial goal, Willis wanted more. In his junior year, he took on the position as one of the chairs in the marketing division. A position that was once filled by former teammate Justin Simmons.
As he entered his junior year, Willis took advantage of every opportunity that was placed in front of him. More and more he became involved with the group, so much so that Director of Athletics Brad Bates suggested he apply for a seat in the NCAA Division I SAAC.
"We're very fortunate to have an extraordinary leader in Myles. He epitomizes the ideology of being a Boston College student-athlete and he will only continue to be a leader here at BC," Bates said.
According to the NCAA, "The mission of the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by protecting student-athlete well-being, fostering a positive student-athlete image and inclusive student-athlete environment, and promoting student-athlete engagement at the national, conference and local levels."
With the national committee only accepting one representative from each conference, his chances of getting the position as a junior were very slim.
"The first year I applied I didn't get in. The second year I did more off the field and I think that helped me be more of a desirable candidate," Willis said.
As he continued to help around campus, Willis was determined to get accepted. This determination is what best describes his character and his roommate Tyler Rouse can attest to his work ethic.
"He is always determined to do something or find a way to be better not only for himself but others too. That is a testament to who he is and what he believes in. He is always trying to find ways to help someone or pick someone up."
At the end of his junior year, Willis applied again. After a long wait, he received the email that he had been hoping for. He was accepted as the ACC representative of the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
In his new position, Willis flew to Indianapolis in July to the annual conference meeting. While there, he was able to meet the other 30 members of the group and sat in on some of the NCAA's most important topics.
This included Willis taking a seat on the Football Oversight Committee. A voting committee devoted to player safety, student-athlete guidelines, restrictions and more. Willis' commitment to this group has made him the only student-athlete to be able to vote on these matters.
Now assisting on the national level, many would think that this would be good enough, but no.
Willis still makes time for other campus activities, including co-facilitating the Dialogues on Race group, a peer-led discussion group on campus that focuses on issues surrounding race, identity and racial justice. Â
Away from campus, he continues to use his limited free time to assist in a variety of community projects.
Willis has volunteered at Camp Harbor View, a youth camp that teaches kids the importance of respect, character and leadership. He has worked with Habitat for Humanity, a group dedicated to revitalizing communities by building homes. Willis has even volunteered packaging and delivering food to people of less fortune.
A wise man once said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." That man was John Quincy Adams, and while those may just be words from the past, it is also what defines Myles Willis.
A humble student who doesn't want to be remembered as just a football player, but a student who positively impacted any person he crossed paths with.
A true leader.
Â
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