Walker, a 6-foot-1-inch, 222-pound running back, set an NCAA record with 5,097 yards rushing in three seasons. Walker, Glenn Davis, and Doak Walker are the only players to have three Heisman Trophy top-three finishes. "I'm overjoyed to have won the Heisman Trophy," Walker stated. "I've always strived to be the type of person that aspires for success." (c) Getty Images
He was listed as 6 feet 1 inch and 222 pounds in college. After playing in 49 games over three seasons with the Georgia Bulldogs, he finished his career with 7,347 yards rushing and 62 touchdowns. He went on to play eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams, finishing with 180 carries for 880 yards and 12 touchdowns.
During his football career, Walker weighed about 250 pounds. After ending his career in 2001 at the age of 27, he started Body For Life, a program that promotes fitness and health through athletic competition and teamwork.
Body For Life has become one of the largest diet programs in America, with more than 500 locations across the country. In addition to running his business, Walker has also appeared in several commercials, including one for Nike's Air Force One line of shoes.
In 2009, Sports Illustrated ranked him number 10 on its list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
Walker is also well known for a scandal that ended his senior season at Georgia in 1980. It was reported that he had been charged with armed robbery but this accusation was later found to be false.
Walker was the USFL's rushing champion in 1983 and 1985. In 1985, he established the professional football record for single-season running yards with 2,411 yards on 5.50 yards per attempt in 18 games. Walker has 5,562 yards rushing on 1,143 runs in his USFL career, averaging 4.87 yards per carry. He's also one of three players with at least 3,000 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns in a season (the others are Emmitt Smith and Larry Johnson).
In addition to being one of only two players with over 3,000 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns in a season, Walker holds several other individual USFL/NFL records.
He is the leading rusher in USFL history with 3,419 yards from 1983 to 1985. His average of 4.87 yards per carry ranks second all time behind Earl Campbell (5.1).
Walker also holds the record for most consecutive 100-yard games with 14 from 1984 to 1985. His streak was broken by Eric Dickerson in 1990. Dickerson went on to have another successful pro career, but never reached as high as Walker did in terms of popularity or success during his first four seasons in the NFL.
When Walker joined the NFL in 1989, many people believed that he would be able to replicate some of the success he had in the USFL. However, he lasted only three seasons before retiring after appearing in just 26 games because of injuries.
Walker totaled 13,084 yards from scrimmage during his 12-year NFL career. Though he is not a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, which he was inducted into in 1999. There are numerous important chapters in Herschel Walker's life that are unique to his period. During this time frame, there were only two players who had more than 10,000 total yards from scrimmage: Jim Brown and Walter Payton.
In conclusion, yes, Herschel Walker is a hall of famer. He is also one of only two players with more than 10,000 total yards from scrimmage during the 1970s. However, it is unlikely that he will ever be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame because he played during an era when most people think of as being "off season". In other words, there were no voters in the voting pool who played in that era so Herschel Walker will never get elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Walker played professional football for sixteen years, the first three with the now-defunct United States Football League. He amassed huge running yards (18,168 all-purpose yards, sixth all-time) in the NFL despite playing seven different positions. He finished his career with 6,948 rushing attempts, third most in NFL history.
He returned to the league in 2001 as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, where he played until 2004. During that time, he won a Super Bowl ring as part of the 2002 New York Giants team that he helped lead to the championship game.
In 2005, Walker joined the Dallas Cowboys as their starting running back, and he stayed there until 2009. That year, he carried the ball 250 times for only 1,081 yards due to an injured ankle; however, he still managed to catch 63 passes for 537 yards and five more touchdowns.
After leaving the Cowboys, he had a short stint with the New York Jets before retiring for good.
In total, Walker played in 160 games over 16 years, finishing with 28,349 all-purpose yards. His 2,928 rush yards and 981 reception yards are both second all-time behind Marcus Allen's 3,000-yard mark.
He also has the fifth highest scoring output among running backs with 187 points.
35th digit Walker, Herschel Walker's steadiness caused him to be a career 8,000-yard rusher and rated No. 35 all-time despite only rushing for over 1,000 yards twice in his career. He finished with 12,312 yards and 95 touchdowns.
In 1973, Walker set the NCAA record by scoring in eight consecutive games starting for Georgia Tech. The mark was later topped by Tony Dorsett of Pittsburgh and broken by Eric Dickerson of SMU. Dickerson went on to have a very successful NFL career with 14,219 yards and 143 touchdowns.
Walker was drafted first overall by the Dallas Cowboys in 1979. He played 10 seasons in Dallas and won the NFL MVP award in 1984. After leaving football, he had a very successful career as a professional wrestler. His career earnings exceed $5 million and he has been ranked number one on the ESPN list of top athletes who have never failed a drug test.
He is also known for being one of the biggest gainers in NCAA history. In three seasons at Georgia Tech, he averaged 6.7 yards per carry and scored 44 times. During that same period, Joe Montana averaged 5.6 yards per attempt and scored 33 times for Notre Dame.
However, it was reported that Walker used marijuana regularly while at Georgia Tech.
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