Herschel Walker

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Walker played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1982. He spent the first three seasons of his professional career from 1983 to 1985 with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL) and was MVP in his final year with the league. After the USFL folded, Walker joined the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys, earning consecutive Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors from 1987 to 1988. In 1989, Walker was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, which is regarded as one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history and credited with establishing the Cowboys' dynasty of the 1990s. He was later a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants before retiring with the Cowboys. Walker was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. Outside of football, Walker was a member of the United States' bobsleigh team at the 1992 Winter Olympics and pursued business ventures in food processing. From 2019 to 2020, he served as a co-chair on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition under President Donald Trump. Walker launched his first political campaign in Georgia's 2022 U.S. Senate election, losing to Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock in a runoff. In 2025, Walker was confirmed by the Senate in a 51–47 vote as the United States ambassador to the Bahamas during Trump's second presidency.

In Their Own Story

The trade was met with immediate backlash in Dallas, where writers like Randy Galloway criticized the move and Frank Luksa described the return as "a bag of beans and a cow to be named later." Coach Johnson, however, openly bragged about the deal, calling it "The Great Train Robbery." He immediately signaled his true intent by waiving Stewart in November 1989 and instructing coaches not to start Solomon, Howard, or Holt. The Vikings had assumed Dallas would keep these players to rebuild their roster, but Johnson intended to cut them all to claim the conditional draft compensation offered by Minnesota for any player not on the roster by February 1, 1990. Although Vikings GM Mike Lynn later made a side deal allowing Dallas to keep three players in exchange for two picks, the Cowboys ultimately secured eight draft picks from the transaction. These assets were instrumental in acquiring key players like Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson, and Russell Maryland, fueling a dynasty that won three Super Bowls.

Reader's Guide

Walker was born in Augusta, Georgia, to Willis and Christine Walker. He was raised in Wrightsville, Georgia. He was one of seven children. Walker said that as a child, he was overweight and had a stutter. He attended Johnson County High School in Wrightsville, where he played football, basketball, and competed in track. He played for the Johnson County Trojans high school football team from 1976 to 1979. In his senior year, he rushed for 3,167 yards to lead the Trojans to their first state championship. He was awarded the inaugural Dial Award as 1979 national high school scholar-athlete of the year. Walker also competed on the Trojans track and field team in events ranging from the 100-yard dash to the shot put. He won the shot put, 100-yard dash, and 220-yard dash events at the Georgia High School Association T&F State Championships. He also anchored the 4×400 team to victory. In his 2008 autobiography, Walker wrote that he was the Beta Club president and class valedictorian at Johnson County High School. In December 2021, Walker's Senate campaign website claimed he graduated as the valedictorian of the entire high school, but CNN found no evidence for this claim. The claim on Walker's website was later removed and amended to state that Walker graduated high school 'top of his class'. Starting in 2017, Walker has made the false claim that he had graduated from University of Georgia 'in the top 1% of his class'. In fact, he did not graduate, and left college to join the USFL. He had yet to return to complete his degree. In December 2021, Walker's Senate campaign website deleted the assertions about his education after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution inquired about it, with Walker acknowledging in a statement that he left the university prior to graduation to play professional football. Walker later falsely asserted he never said he graduated from the university. 42 years after his initial enrollment, he returned to the institution and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences degree in Housing Management and Policy on December 16, 2024. Walker played running back and ran on the track and field team for the University of Georgia, where he was a three-time unanimous All-American (football and track), and winner of the 1982 Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award. He is the first NCAA player who played only three years to finish in the top

Did You Know?

• Walker was the first NCAA player who played only three years to finish in the top 10 in rushing yards.
• He was a member of the United States' bobsleigh team at the 1992 Winter Olympics.
• Walker graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences on December 16, 2024, 42 years after his initial enrollment.