Former Bears and Raiders receiver Willie Gault is 53. But he can still run fast. And he says he can run faster than some of the really fast guys in the NFL.
Gault, who spent five years with the Bears and six with the Raiders, tells TMZ that he could beat Redskins receiver DeSean Jackson in a race.
The man who played on a team with a staunch defense and not much of a passing game admits that "[p]robably eight to ten guys [in the NFL are] faster than me, Trindon Holliday, Chris Johnson of course.”
Three years ago, Gault set world records in the 50-54 age group by running 100 meters in 10.88 seconds and 200 meters in 22.44 seconds.
“I just never really stopped running,” Gault said at the time. “It’s really easy to get out of shape, especially when you get older, and then it’s just way too hard to get back. People get discouraged because after a few weeks they’re not seeing great results, so they give up. I never want to get out of shape. I’ll do it 3-4 times a week until I die.”
We love the attitude and the discipline and the uncanny ability of Gault’s knees and hips and ankles to absorb the pounding for decades. But we wouldn’t love to see Gault and Jackson race, because the thought that maybe Gault could outrun Jackson is a lot more fun than seeing Gault try it and fail.