Willie Roaf

William Layton Roaf, known as "Nasty," spent 13 seasons as an NFL offensive tackle. He played college football at Louisiana Tech, where he was a consensus All-American, and entered the NFL as a first-round pick in 1993. Over his career with the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs, he earned 11 Pro Bowl selections and nine All-Pro nods. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

Roaf was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and attended Pine Bluff High School, where he played football and basketball for the Zebras. He wasn’t heavily recruited and nearly chose basketball over football in college. His father, Clifton George Roaf, was a dentist, and his mother, Andree Layton Roaf, was the first Black woman on the Arkansas Supreme Court. His sister, Phoebe Alison Roaf, became the Episcopal bishop of West Tennessee in 2019.

At Louisiana Tech, Roaf played for the Bulldogs from 1989 to 1992, earning consensus All-American honors and becoming a finalist for the Outland Trophy as a senior. He also appeared in the Hula Bowl and East–West Shrine Game.

The New Orleans Saints selected Roaf with the eighth overall pick in the 1993 draft, a choice acquired from the Detroit Lions in exchange for Pat Swilling. He played nine seasons for the Saints, making seven Pro Bowls and earning spots on both the NFL 1990s and 2000s All-Decade Teams—the most decorated player in Saints history. After a season-ending injury in 2001, he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in March 2002 for a conditional draft pick. He played four more seasons with the Chiefs, making the Pro Bowl each year, bringing his total to 11 selections. Roaf was a key blocker on an offense that led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in back-to-back seasons, ranking first, fourth, and fifth in league history.

On July 28, 2006, Roaf told the Kansas City Star he was retiring. Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson hoped he would reconsider, but Roaf said his decision was final. In 2009, he took his first coaching job as offensive line coach at Santa Monica College.

Roaf has been inducted into multiple halls of fame: Louisiana Tech Athletics (2003), Arkansas (2007), Louisiana (2009), Greater New Orleans (2012), the New Orleans Saints (2008), the East–West Shrine Game (2018), the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Honor (2011), and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame (2022). He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility (2012), entered the Saints Ring of Honor (2013), and was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame alongside his mother as a legacy inductee (2013). He was also a finalist for the NFL 100th Anniversary Team (2019).

Roaf has two sisters and one brother. His sister Phoebe Alison Roaf is the Episcopal bishop for the Diocese of West Tennessee. He has four children and one stepdaughter, and is married to Angela Hernandez Roaf.