Herschel Walker

Cowboys running back from 1986 whose 1989 trade to the Vikings built the 1990s dynasty.

Herschel Junior Walker (born March 3, 1962) is an American diplomat and former professional football running back who has served as United States ambassador to the Bahamas since 2025. Walker played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1982, and spent the first three seasons of his professional career in the United States Football League. The Dallas Cowboys, aware of Walker's earlier interest in playing for them, acquired Walker's NFL rights by selecting him in the fifth round (114th overall) of the 1985 NFL draft; 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, the Cowboys traded Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for a total of five players and six future draft picks, a trade regarded as one of the most lopsided 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; in 1996, he rejoined the Dallas Cowboys as a kickoff return specialist and third-down back.

Quick Facts

Born

March 3, 1962

Position

Running back

Honours

Pro Bowl 1987, 1988
second-team All-Pro 1987, 1988
Heisman Trophy 1982

Facts from the source article.

Did You Know?

In 1986 he was signed by the Cowboys and moved to fullback so he could share backfield duties with Tony Dorsett, becoming the second Heisman backfield tandem in NFL history.
The five players in the 1989 trade were tied to potential draft picks Minnesota would give Dallas if a player was cut, which led to Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith and Darren Woodson.