Herschel Walker

Infobox NFLretired


position=Running Back
number=34
birthdate=birth date and age|1962|3|3
Wrightsville, Georgia
draftedyear=1985
draftedround=5
draftpick=114
college=Georgia
debutyear=1986
finalyear=1997
draftyear=1985
draftround=5
draftpick=114
teams=
* New Jersey Generals (1983-1985)
* Dallas Cowboys (1986-1989)
* Minnesota Vikings (1989-1991)
* Philadelphia Eagles (1992-1994)
* New York Giants (1995)
* Dallas Cowboys (1996-1997)
stat1label=Rushing Yards
stat1value=8,225
stat2label=Average
stat2value=4.2
stat3label=Rushing Touchdowns
stat3value=61
nfl=WAL191664
highlights=
* 2x Pro Bowl selection (1987, 1988)
* 2x All-Pro selection (1987, 1988)
* 1982 Heisman Trophy
* 1985 USFL MVP
* 1985 Sporting News USFL Player of the Year
* 2x USFL leader in rushing yards (1983, 1985)
CollegeHOF=80026

Herschel Walker (born March 3, 1962 in Wrightsville, Georgia) is a former American football player who played at The University of Georgia in college and professionally in the United States Football League and the National Football League. Walker is widely regarded as one of the greatest college football players ever.

High school career (1975-1979)

Walker played for Johnson County High School Trojans in Wrightsville, Georgia from 1975-1979. He started out in Middle School Football and the B-Team. In 1979, he rushed for 3,167 yards, helping the Trojans to their only state championship. [cite web |title= Trojan 70's |date= 2007-09-19 |url= http://www.jocotrojans.com/trojan_70's.htm |accessdate= 2007-11-14 |work= Johnson County Trojans Website |quote=The Trojans, led by Herschel Walker won their second consecutive Region 3-A championship and their first State Championship. Herschel finished the season with 3,167 yards.] He was awarded the first Dial Award for the national high-school scholar-athlete of the year in 1979.

College (1980-1982)

In college football, he played running back for the University of Georgia, where he was an All-American and won the 1982 Heisman Trophy. Walker was successful even in his freshman season in 1980, setting the NCAA freshman rushing record and finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting. [cite web |title= 1980 Heisman Trophy |url= http://www.heisman.com/winners/g-rogers80.html |accessdate= 2007-11-15] He would go on to win the Heisman in 1982, his junior year. [cite web |title= 1982 Heisman Trophy |url= http://www.heisman.com/winners/h-Walkers82.html |accessdate= 2007-12-03] In 1999, Walker was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. [cite web |title= Herschel Walkers |work= College Football Hall of Fame |url=http://www.collegefootball.org/famersearch.php?id=80026 |accessdate= 2007-11-15]

USFL (1983-1985)

In the formation of the USFL, Walker saw an opportunity to do something then forbidden by NFL rules, namely, to turn professional after the end of his junior season rather than wait for his collegiate class to graduate (four years after the high-school graduation of his peer group). He also sought to choose where he would play professionally, as he felt he could make considerable money from product endorsements; as he was quoted on one occasion: "I don't know if I would want to play in the NFL unless it was for the two New York teams or the Dallas Cowboys." (As it turned out, however, Walker attracted only one major advertising deal, in a joint promotion by McDonald's and athletic-shoe manufacturer "Adidas"; in the ad, Walker's line was, "First the Big Mac meal—then the "Adidas" deal," referring to discount coupons on "Adidas" merchandise that accompanied the purchase of a Big Mac at McDonald's)Fact|date=December 2007.

With endorsement considerations in mind, Walker signed with the New Jersey Generals in 1983, owned by Oklahoma oilman J. Walter Duncan, who after the 1983 season sold the team to real-estate mogul Donald Trump. In order to circumvent the league-mandated $1.8-million salary cap, Walker signed a personal services contract with Duncan (later compensated by Trump) to the protest of no one, as the other owners appreciated Walker's name value to the league. Similar arrangements were made later when other big-name college stars signed with the league. Although this move was challenged in court, Walker and the USFL prevailed, and Walker began play with the Generals.

He went on to win the USFL rushing title in 1983 and 1985 and in the latter year also gaining over 4,000 yards in total offense. He holds the pro football record for single-season rushing yards with 2,411 yards in 1985, averaging 5.50 yards per attempt in 18 games. In his USFL career, Walker had 5,562 yards rushing in 1,143 carries, averaging 4.87 yards per carry, during his three seasons with the Generals. In 1983, he rushed for 1,812 yards in 18 games. In his second pro season, his rushing yardage dropped to 1,339, but he caught passes for more than 800 yards giving him over 2,100 yards in total offense. [cite web |url= http://www.thisistheusfl.com/1sundaysheroes.htm |title= This is the USFL Yearly Leaders |work=The USFL Fan Club |accessdate= 2007-11-16]

NFL (1986-1997)

The NFL's Dallas Cowboys, suspecting that the USFL was not going to last, acquired Walker's NFL rights by selecting him in the fifth round of the 1985 draft. When the USFL in fact succumbed after its technically successful, but financially fruitless antitrust suit against the NFL in 1986, Walker went to play for the Cowboys, eventually establishing himself as a premier NFL running back with two consecutive Pro-Bowl seasons (1987 and 1988).

In 1989, at the height of his NFL career, the Cowboys traded him to the Minnesota Vikings for a total of five players (LB Jesse Solomon, DB Issiac Holt, RB Darrin Nelson, LB David Howard, DE Alex Stewart) and six draft picks (which led to Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith, and Darren Woodson). This was judged to be one of the turning points in the rise of the Cowboys to the top echelon of the NFL. Nicknamed the "HWT" (Herschel Walker Trade), Walker's trade was widely perceived as an exceptionally poor move considering what the Vikings had to give up in order to get him, and remains one of the most frequently vilified roster moves of the team's history. The Vikings coaches reluctantly accepted Walker after the trade and never totally used the tool they had been given. Scout.com says, "but Walker was never used properly by the coaching brain trust (a total oxymoron in this case)." [cite web |url= http://min.scout.com/2/11653.html |title= History: Walker Trade |work= Scout.com |date= 2001-06-20 |accessdate=2008-01-29 |author= By Viking Update Staff] "Herschel the Turkey," a mocking "honor" given out by the Star Tribune newspaper to particularly inept or disgraceful Minnesota sports personalities, is named for him. [cite web |url= http://www.startribune.com/508/story/830500.html |title= Banquet packs 'em in, winner drives 'em out |work= Star Tribune |date= 2006-11-22 |accessdate=2007-11-15 |author= Reusse, Patrick]

Walker played for the Vikings for two and a half years, never amassing 1,000 rushing yards in a season. His rights were then acquired by the Philadelphia Eagles, and, subsequently, the New York Giants. Eventually, he was re-acquired by the Cowboys, where he was used not only as a running back but as a flanker and other offensive positions as well. In addition to running and catching passes, Walker was also often used to return kickoffs throughout his career.

Career overview

If Walkers's USFL and NFL numbers are combined, he ranks as one of the most productive professional football runners in history.fact|date=January 2008

In 12 NFL seasons, Walker gained 8,225 rushing yards, 4,859 receiving yards, and 5,084 kickoff-return yards.cite web |url= http://www.nfl.com/players/careerstats?id=WAL191664 |title= Herschel Walkers: Career Stats |accessdate=2007-12-11] This gave him 18,168 total combined net yards, ranking him second among the NFL's all-time leaders in total yardage at the time of his retirement; as of the start of the 2007 NFL season, 10 years after his retirement, he still ranks 8th. [cite web |title= Top 20 - Combined Net yards |url= http://www.profootballhof.com/history/story.jsp?story_id=2371 |work= Pro Football Hall of Fame |accessdate= 2007-12-11] He also scored 84 touchdowns: 61 rushing, 21 receiving and 2 kick off returns for touchdowns. Walker is the only player to have 10,000+ yards from scrimage and 5,000+ return yards (all of which were on kickoff returns). He is the only player to gain 4,000 yards three different ways: rushing, receiving, and kickoff returns. He is one of six players (Jim Brown, Lenny Moore, Marcus Allen, Marshall Faulk, and Thurman Thomas) to exceed 60 TDs rushing and 20 TDs receiving(none of those players have any kick returns for touchdowns). Another NFL record he possesses is that he is the only player with a 90+ yard reception, 90+ yard run, and a 90+ yard kickoff return all in the same season (1994). He is also the only player to record an 84+ yard touchdown run and an 84+ yard touchdown reception, in the same game (Dec. 14, 1986). That same day, he had 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving. Walker is currently ranked 8th all time in all-purpose yards with 18,168, despite spending his first 3 seasons in the USFL.

Most football experts rank Walker's professional career as something of a disappointmentweasel-inline. This must be due to the high, perhaps unrealistic, expectations that were placed upon him due to his college career and the scrutiny which was entailed by so much being traded for him by the Vikings. Additionally, he never played on a championship NFL team. Some observers, however, claim that Walker was at least in part a victim of the package of rules changes the NFL had adopted in the spring of 1978, which were widely assumed to discourage offenses from running (rather than passing) most of the time; in addition, the NFL teams on which Walker played seldom used the I-formation, out of which he ran so successfully throughout his career.

Outside football

Walker was an extremely talented all-around athlete; he has a sixth-degree black belt in tae kwon do and he nearly made the Olympic team in the sprint relay. He ran the 100 meters in 10.22, the 100 yards in 9.3. He competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics in two-man bobsled, finishing seventh. [cite web |url= http://www.todor66.com/olim/1992w/Bobsleigh_Doubles.html |title= Bobsleigh Doubles Olympic Games 1992 Albertville |accessdate= 2007-11-15 |date= 2006-02-05 |author= Todor Krastev] He also won back-to-back American Superstars competitions in 1987 and 1988. Walker stated in a phone interview on The Jim Rome Show on November 20, 2006 that he still performs 2,500 sit-ups and 1,500 push ups every morning. He has been going through this same routine every morning since high school.

In November 2007, Walker appeared on the HDNet show "Inside MMA" as a guest. He indicated that he would take part in a mixed martial arts reality show in the near future (along with José Canseco) and that he would have an official MMA fight at the conclusion of the show. [cite episode |title= Episode 109 |url= http://www.hd.net/imma109.html |series= Inside MMA |network= HDNet |airdate= 2007-11-09 ]

He is a born-again Christian who frequently talked about his faith during his USFL interviews. Since his retirement he has attracted little publicity, although he made a guest appearance on "The Hour of Power", hosted by noted televangelist Robert Schuller.

In a 2008 autobiography entitled "Breaking Free", Walker claimed that he suffers from dissociative identity disorder, or DID, formerly known as "multiple personality disorder."He has claimed that due to his social disorder, he cannot remember the season he won the Heisman Trophy, let alone the moment. He also claimed that during an episode, he had held a gun to his own head. He stated he did not ever remember doing this. He is getting help for this disorder, and feels he has recovered by gaining back control. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3346240 Walker reveals struggles with mental disorder in just-released book] ]

Herschel is currently filming for the upcoming season of Celebrity apprentice.

Personal

Walker married his college sweetheart , Cindy DeAngelis Grossman in 1983. After eighteen years of marriage they divorced in 2001. [ [http://www.abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=4643971&page=1 Interview with ABC News] ]

Legacy

Walker is regarded as one of the top college running backs of all time. In 1999, he was selected to Sports Illustrated's NCAA Football All-Century Team. [cite journal |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/centurys_best/news/1999/10/06/cfb_allcentury_team/ |title= SI's NCAA Football All-Century Team |first= Ivan |last= Maisel |date= August 16,1999 |journal= Sports Illustrated |accessdate= 2007-11-15 |issn= 0038-822X] On the Fox Sports Net show "Sports List", Walker was named the best college football running back of all time, and was selected as the third greatest player in college football history by ESPN. [cite web |title= 25 Greatest Players in College Football |url= http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3086827 |accessdate= 2007-12-03] Walker had his jersey number "34" retired from his alma mater.

Walker was a highly popular and visible personality, even in his college days, as evidenced by the fact that both a thoroughbred and a standardbred race horse were named after him, the former while he was still in college. He also made several appearances in the sports documentary "Damn Good Dog" (2004). [cite web |title= Damn Good Dog homepage listing cameos |url= http://www.damngooddog.com/newhome.html |accessdate= 2008-10-04]

Quotes

* "Mistakes should be taken as a training tool to help you to get better."
* "Strive to be the very best you can be. Run the race against yourself and not the guy in the other lane. The reason I say this, as long as you give it 110%, you are going to succeed. But as long as you're trying to beat the guy over there, you are worried about him, you're not worrying about how you've got to perform."
* "The ball ain't heavy." When asked if he ever got tired carrying the ball 30 times a game, which is a verbatim quote of John McKay's famous press conference discussing OJ Simpson.fact|date=January 2008
* "When you look up, you go up."
*"If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat."

References

External links

* [http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/WalkHe00.htm Hershel Walkers Statistics]
* [http://www.gshf.org Georgia Sports Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.georgiadogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=8800&ATCLID=529605 Biography from University of Georgia Athletics]
* [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2016 Entry in New Georgia Encyclopedia]
* [http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/players.nsf/ID/06720104 Career statistics including Kick Return statisitics]