Doak Walker

Doak Walker
No. 37     
Halfback
Kicker/Punter
Personal information
Date of birth: January 1, 1927(1927-01-01)
Dallas, Texas
Date of death: September 27, 1998(1998-09-27) (aged 71)
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Career information
College: Southern Methodist
NFL Draft: 1949 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3
Debuted in 1950 for the Detroit Lions
Last played in 1955 for the Detroit Lions
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NFL.com
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Ewell Doak Walker, Jr. (January 1, 1927 – September 27, 1998) was an American football player who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a teammate of Bobby Layne in high school and the NFL.[1]

Contents

Early life

Walker was born in Dallas, Texas and attended Highland Park High School in Dallas where he was a multi-sport athlete. He and future college and National Football League star Bobby Layne played together on the Highland Park football team.

College career

Walker attended Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he played running back, defensive back, and place kicker. He also threw and caught passes, punted, and returned kicks. He was an All-American and in 1948 won the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in the nation, as a junior. Walker's impact on SMU and football in the Dallas area led to the Cotton Bowl being referred to as "The House That Doak Built." Walker was also a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and lettered on the SMU basketball and baseball teams. In 2007, he was ranked #4 on ESPN's list of the top 25 players In college football history.

NFL career

Walker went on to play professional football for the Detroit Lions, where he was once again a teammate with Bobby Layne. Although Walker was only 5'11" and 175 pounds, he was voted All-Pro four times, and he helped lead the Lions to two National Football League championships. He also led the NFL in scoring twice (1950 and 1955) and tallied 534 points in his career (330 on field goals and extra points). In honor of his achievements, the Lions have retired his #37. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Post NFL

Walker married his high school sweetheart, and they had four children. He later married Olympic skier Skeeter Werner. Doak Walker died September 27, 1998 as a result of injuries suffered previously in a skiing accident. He is immortalized by the annual Doak Walker Award, given to the best running back in college football, and by a statue placed between Gerald Ford Stadium and SMU's state-of-the-art Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports.

Legacy

Award-winning Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly said of Walker shortly before his death:

"He's Doak Walker, and he was as golden as golden gets. He had perfectly even, white teeth and a jaw as square as a deck of cards and a mop of brown hair that made girls bite their necklaces. He was so shifty you couldn't have tackled him in a phone booth, yet so humble that he wrote the Associated Press a thank-you note for naming him an All-American. Come to think of it, he was a three-time All-American, twice one of the Outstanding Players in the Cotton Bowl, a four-time All-Pro. He appeared on 47 covers, including Life, Look and Collier's. One time, Kyle Rote, another gridiron golden boy, saw a guy buying a football magazine at a newsstand. 'Don't buy that one,' Rote said. 'It's not official. It doesn't have a picture of Doak Walker on the cover.'" [2]

However, fellow Sports Illustrated writer Paul Zimmerman cited Walker as the least deserving member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame [3]

Shortly after Walker's death in 1998, Texas running back Ricky Williams wore Walker's number 37 in a game as opposed to his customary number 34 in remembrance of Walker. Williams would go on to set the NCAA all-time rushing record that season (though it has since been eclipsed by Ron Dayne), winning the Heisman Trophy in the process.

References

  1. ^ Giants Among Men, Jack Cavanaugh, p. 129, 2008, Random House, ISBN 978-1-4000-6717-6
  2. ^ "1998 Year in Review – Saying Goodbye – Saying goodbye to Doak Walker". CNN/SI. 1998-12-16. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/1998/year/saying_goodbye/doak_walker/index.html. Retrieved 2007-08-26. 
  3. ^ Paul Zimmerman (2007-08-03). "Latest Hall of Fame class deserving but incomplete". SI.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/dr_z/08/03/hall.of.fame/index.html. Retrieved 2007-08-26. 

External links