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Monday, September 28, 1998
Doak Walker dead at 71
By ROBERT WELLER Associated Press Writer
DENVER (AP) - Doak Walker, the 1948 Heisman Trophy winner who
starred on two NFL championship teams and was paralyzed in a skiing
accident earlier this year, died Sunday at 71.
Walker died at Routt Hospital in Steamboat Springs, the ski
resort about 100 miles from Denver where he had lived. The cause
of death was complications from his paralysis, the hospital said.
Walker was injured Jan. 30 when he hit a change of terrain,
soared about 25 feet and tumbled another 75 feet after slamming
to the ground. The injury made it difficult for him even to talk
and at first he relied on eye and face movements to communicate
with relatives and friends.
He had regained some of his ability to talk through rehabilitation,
during which he had received thousands of letters and faxes from
well-wishers worldwide.
"His eyes would come alive, his expression was wonderful,
he was able to talk in short phrases," said Rod Hanna, a
family spokesman.
The accident that robbed him of the use of his arms and legs
was especially tragic for a Hall of Fame football player known
for his breathtaking scoring runs.
Walker, born and raised in Dallas, ended his football career
in 1956 after a legendary four years at SMU and six years with
the Detroit Lions. He is immortalized by the annual Doak Walker
Award, which honors the nation's top college running back.
Walker did everything, playing running back, wide receiver,
quarterback and defensive back in college and the NFL. He also
punted and returned punts and kicks.
In his very first college game, Walker scored a touchdown against
Texas and he seemed to come up with a spectacular play every time
he walked on the field.
The moment that best summed up Walker's college career came
against Texas Christian in 1947. With the Mustangs trailing 19-13
and 1:40 to play, Walker returned a kickoff 75 yards to set up
his touchdown reception that preserved SMU's undefeated season.
That captured the hearts of SMU fans, who began flocking to
see the Mustangs and forced the school to move its games from
Ownby Stadium to the 47,000-seat Cotton Bowl in 1948. By his senior
season, the Cotton Bowl, then expanded to seat 75,000, was called
"The House That Walker Built." He remains the only SMU
player to win the Heisman.
Walker carried his greatness onto the NFL, where he was an
All-Pro four times and helped Detroit win two NFL championships.
He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and also
is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
In his spare time in college, Walker was a substitute on the
SMU basketball team and played outfield for the baseball team.
"Other than golf, I never really tried a sport that, inside
of 30 minutes, I couldn't play pretty good, " Walker once
said.
Walker's career path had been plotted from the day he was born
on Jan. 1, 1927. When his father was asked if he wanted his son
to grow up to be president, Ewell Walker said, "No. He's
going to be an All-American football player."
And he was - three times. For his college career, he averaged
4.2 yards per carry, 16.7 yards per catch and completed more than
50 percent of his passes. Walker averaged 15 yards on punt returns
and 29.1 yards on kickoff returns.
After leaving SMU, many people doubted whether Walker could
make it in the NFL. At 5-foot-11 and 173 pounds, he was either
too small or too slow. He quickly proved the critics wrong, excelling
in every facet of the game.
As a pro, he ran for 1,520 yards, averaging 4.9 yards per carry;
caught 152 passes for 2,359 yards and 21 touchdowns; averaged
39.1 yards on punts, 15.8 yards on punt returns and 25.5 yards
on kickoff returns.
What he did best was score, tallying 534 points on 34 touchdowns,
183 extra points and 49 field goals. He retired with the third
most points in NFL history.
Walker's NFL career reunited him with boyhood friend Bobby
Layne, the Lions quarterback. The two played together at Highland
Park high school in Dallas and both planned to play college ball
together at Texas, before Walker decided to play for hometown
SMU. Layne called Walker "the greatest clutch player I have
ever seen."
In the 1952 NFL title game against Cleveland, Walker had a
67-yard touchdown run to give the Lions a 14-0 lead in the third
quarter. Detroit won the game 17-7. In the 1953 championship game,
also against Cleveland, Walker scored a touchdown, kicked one
field goal and two extra points in the Lions' 17-16 victory.
Walker abruptly ended his career after the 1955 season to concentrate
on his business interests that could make him more money than
an NFL career. The Lions tried to persuade him to stay, offering
him a lucrative contract extension. But Walker stuck to his decision.
"No, I don't have any regrets about quitting football
when I did," Walker once said. "I'm not sorry because
I've got all my teeth, both knees - and most of my faculties."
Walker married Skeeter Werner, a member of one of Colorado's
most famous ski families. Skeeter finished 10th in the 1956 Olympic
downhill. Her brother, Buddy, was a two-time Olympian who was
considered one of the greatest racers in U.S. skiing history at
the time of his death in a 1964 avalanche in Switzerland.
Walker is survived by his wife, four children and four grandchildren.
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