Born January 1st, 1927 in Dallas, TX a legend was born. Starting at halfback for Southern Methodist University, Doak Walker became a living legend. He begin his playing career at SMU in 1945 as a freshman but after serving in the U.S. Army in 1946, he continued his career for the next 3 years. Walker standing at 5ft 11inches and 170 lbs was dubbed by sports writers at the time as "Dynamite Doak" and "Dauntless Doak". In one of his more memorable outings, against Texas he made runs of 80,61, and 56 yards all for scores. In his 35 game career at SMU he scored 288 points, 2,076 rushing yards, 1,786 yards through the air(128 of 222 attempts), 454 yards receiving, 750 yards on 50 punt returns and 764 yards on kickoff returns. For his football accolades he won the Maxwell Award in 1947, the coveted Heisman Award in 1948, and Player of the Year by Collier's Magazine in 1949. With his football accomplishments, Walker also lettered in basketball and football. Southern Methodist would compile a 23-5-4 record and won two Southwest Conference championships. After his illustrious college career, Walker would play 6 years with the Detroit Lions. He was voted All-Pro 4 times and led the NFL in scoring twice. Doak was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959 and later voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986. On January 30,1998 in Colorado, Walker suffered a paralyzing injury in a ski accident and with injuries sustained from the accident Doak eventually passed away September 27,1998. His memory was honored in 1990 by the GTE-Southern Methodist Athletic Foundation. They created the Doak Walker award, for the nation's best running back who also has good academics.
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