In his entire career from the rotation to the bullpen, Willoughby was a solid ground ball pitcher who relied on a sinker ball and a slider, which he consistently threw from a three-quarters arm slot with a high leg lift. Eventually, he used a slow curveball, low and just off the outside of the plate.\n', '

`Willow`, as he was often called, was the only son of three children born to James Roger Willoughby and Marlene Dickinson Willoughby. He had Pottawatomi heritage in addition to his British ancestry, as his great-aunt Mamie Echo Hawk served as the tribe’s chief lobbyist in Washington DC office for many years. \n', '

Born in Salinas, California, Willoughby was raised and finished high school in the tiny town of Gustine in San Joaquin Valley. While attending high school, he played four years of varsity baseball as well as basketball and football, eventually participating in track events. He then was selected by the Giants in the 11th round of the 1967 MLB Draft, being assigned immediately to the rookie class Salt Lake City Giants. Willoughby later pitched for other teams in the Giants minor league system, as long as pursuing a degree in electrical engineering as part of his scholarship plan signed with San Francisco. As a result, he spent the 1967–1968 offseason at UC Berkeley and also attended Fresno State, Phoenix College, and the College of San Mateo.\n', '

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