Herb Wills
Herb Wills
Full Name:  Herbert Wills, IV
   School:  Leon High School in Tallahassee, Florida

Legacy Bricks:  Legacy Walk Map Link
   1981 Cross Country AA - Loc 51
   2006 Cross Country HOF - Loc 78
   2006 Track & Field HOF - Loc 78
   1980 Track & Field AA - Loc 85


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FSU Career
Cross Country
Year  Hgt  Wgt  Cl  Ltr  Hometown
1978  6-0  125  Fr   *   Tallahassee                             
1979  6-0  125  So   *   Tallahassee                             
1980  6-0  130  Jr   *   Tallahassee                             
1981  6-1  140  Sr   *   Tallahassee                             
Track & Field
Year  Pos     Hgt  Wgt  Cl  Ltr  Hometown
78-79 D       6-0  125  Fr   *   Tallahassee                     
79-80 D       6-0  125  So   *   Tallahassee                     
80-81 D       6-0  130  Jr   *   Tallahassee                     
81-82 D       6-1  140  Sr   *   Tallahassee                     


Conference Awards
Cross Country
Year  Award
1978  Metro Conference - Champion
      Metro Conference - All-Conference
1979  Metro Conference - All-Conference
1980  Metro Conference - All-Conference
1981  Metro Conference - Champion
      Metro Conference - All-Conference
Track & Field
Year  Award
1979  Metro Conference - Indoor - 5000 Meters - Champion
      Metro Conference - Outdoor - 5000 Meters - Champion
      Metro Conference - Outdoor - 10000 Meters - Champion
1981  Metro Conference - Outdoor - 5000 Meters - Champion
      Metro Conference - Outdoor - 10000 Meters - Champion
1982  Metro Conference - Outdoor - 5000 Meters - Champion


All-American Awards
Cross Country
Year  Award
1981  NCAA - All-American - 16th place
Track & Field
Year  Award
1980  NCAA Championships - 10000 Meters (4th) - Outdoor
1981  NCAA Championships - 10000 Meters (11th) - Top 8 US-born
1982  NCAA Championships - 10000 Meters (11th) - Outdoor


Member of the FSU Hall of Fame
Elected into the FSU Hall of Fame in 2006
Homegrown track star Herb Wills was one of the most accomplished distance runners in Florida State high school history and he wasted no time in getting his Seminole career started. Wills won four individual Metro Conference Championships as a freshman in 1978 in one of the most dominating perfomances in Metro track history. He followed that by winning FSU's Outstanding Distance Runner honors in 1979 along with the title of U.S. Junior 10,000 meter cross country champion.

Wills would go on to set school records in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter outdoors and 3,000 and 5,000 meters and 2-mile indoors. He placed fourth in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA national championships in 1980 and followed that with a 16th place individual finish at the NCAA cross country championships in 1981.

He finished his FSU career having earned All-American honors four times over the span of three years. However, his competitive career was not over as he became one of the top amateur distance runners in the country. He just missed making the U.S. Olympic Team as a marathoner in 1984, but bounced back at age 28 in 1989 to become the first American finisher at the Boston Marathon.

Wills' name can still be found throughout the FSU record books including his school records in the indoor 3,000 meters (8:04.10) and 5,000 meters (14:00.10) that have stood for over 25 years.

He has continued his close connection to both Florida State and Tallahassee over the years by combining his passion for mathematics and athletics as a tutorial specialist to current FSU student-athletes.



FSU Statistics
Cross Country
   Date    Opponent/Meet                  Distance         Place   Time   Points
---------- ------------------------------ ---------------- ----- -------- ------
            1978 Season
09/23/1978 Valdosta State Coll            4-Mile              1  25:26        1
09/30/1978 Florida State Invitational     5-Mile              2  24:34        2
10/14/1978 Azalea Invitational            5-Mile              6  24:36        6
10/21/1978 Florida Invitational           10K                 5  31:19        5
11/04/1978 Metro Championship             5-Mile              1  24:05.2      1
            1979 Season
09/22/1979 Troy State                     10K                 1  32:01        1
09/29/1979 Florida State Invitational     10K                 1  31:11.0      1
11/03/1979 Metro Championship             5-Mile              9  25:20        9
            1980 Season
10/18/1980 Florida Invitational           5-Mile              4  25:48        4
11/01/1980 Metro Championship             5-Mile              2  23:52        2
11/15/1980 NCAA Regional                                     32  30:48       32
            1981 Season
09/07/1981 Macon Telegraph and News                           1  29:59.7      1
09/26/1981 Florida State Invitational                         1  30:17        1
10/10/1981 Notre Dame                                         1  30:16        1
10/23/1981 Florida Invitational           5-Mile              1  24:33        1
11/01/1981 Metro Championship             5-Mile              1  23:52        1
11/14/1981 Region III Championship                            3  29:27        3
11/23/1981 NCAA Championship                                 16  29:44.9     11
Track & Field
   Date    Opponent/Meet                  Event                         Place      Results       Points   Comment
---------- ------------------------------ ----------------------------- ----- ------------------ ------ ---------------
            1979 Season
01/14/1979 East Tennessee Invitational    Three-Mile Run (I)                  14:04.5                                        
02/18/1979 LSU Indoor Invitational        Two-Mile Run (I)                2    8:55.89             4                         
02/24/1979 Metro Indoor Championship      5000 Meters (I)                 1   14:42.2              5                         
03/17/1979 Winter Haven Track Classic     5000 Meters                     5   14:29.39             1                         
04/07/1979 Tennessee                      5000 Meters                     2   14:28.3              3                         
04/14/1979 Louisiana State                5000 Meters                     1   14:24.05             5                         
04/16/1979 South Alabama Invitational     10000 Meters                    1   31:12.56             5                         
04/28/1979 Domino Classic                 5000 Meters                     1   14:15.3              5                         
05/05/1979 Florida                        5000 Meters                     1                        5                         
05/12/1979 Metro Outdoor Championship     5000 Meters                     1   14:25.10            10                         
05/12/1979 Metro Outdoor Championship     10000 Meters                    1   30:05.1             10                         
            1980 Season
02/24/1980 Metro Indoor Championship      Two-Mile Run (I)                4                        3                         
02/24/1980 Metro Indoor Championship      Three-Mile Run (I)              3                        4                         
03/15/1980 FAMU Relays                    5000 Meters                     1   14:24.1              5                         
03/30/1980 Florida Relays                 10000 Meters                    8                                                  
04/12/1980 Florida                        5000 Meters                     1   14:12.3              5                         
04/26/1980 Domino Classic                 5000 Meters                     1   14:11.3              5                         
05/03/1980 Florida                        5000 Meters                     1   14:19.7              5                         
06/07/1980 NCAA Outdoor Championship      10000 Meters                    4   30:06.01             4                         
            1981 Season
01/31/1981 4-Way Indoor Meet              Two-Mile Run (I)                2    8:59.51             4                         
03/22/1981 Sunshine Relays                10000 Meters                    1   29:13.70             5                         
03/28/1981 Florida Relays                 5000 Meters                     3   14:00.3              3                         
04/11/1981 Georgia                        5000 Meters                     2   14:23.82             3                         
04/18/1981 4-Way Meet                     5000 Meters                     1   14:27.6              5                         
05/02/1981 Florida                        5000 Meters                     1   14:05.8              5                         
05/16/1981 Metro Outdoor Championship     10000 Meters                    1   29:23.7             10                         
05/16/1981 Metro Outdoor Championship     5000 Meters                     1   13:57.71            10                         
06/05/1981 NCAA Outdoor Championship      10000 Meters                   11   29:42.7                                        
            1982 Season
02/13/1982 LSU Seven-Way Meet             3000 Meters (I)                      8:03.44c                                      
02/13/1982 LSU Seven-Way Meet             Two-Mile Run (I)                1    8:42.13             5                         
03/06/1982 Florida Fasttimes Invitational 5000 Meters (I)                 1   14:00.10             5                         
03/21/1982 Domino Relays                  10000 Meters                    1   29:59.4              5                         
04/03/1982 Florida                        1500 Meters                     3    3:53.65             1                         
04/03/1982 Florida                        5000 Meters                     1   14:19.3              5                         
04/10/1982 Dogwood Relays                 10000 Meters                    7   28:58.74                                       
04/17/1982 Mississippi State Quad Meet    5000 Meters                     2   13:53.26             4                         
05/01/1982 Florida                        5000 Meters                     1   14:05.1              5                         
05/16/1982 Metro Outdoor Championship     10000 Meters                    2   30:00.1              8                         
05/16/1982 Metro Outdoor Championship     5000 Meters                     1   14:18.27            10                         
05/29/1982 SE Athletics Congress Champs   5000 Meters                     1   14:17.14             5                         
06/04/1982 NCAA Outdoor Championship      10000 Meters                   11   30:04.69             2