There have been many great athletes who have laced up their cleats and spilled their guts on the gridiron, but none did it with such ease and flair, even in injury, as Doak Walker.
Doak was always a fan of football even in his childhood days in Dallas, Texas. He went on to play high school football for Highland Park High School, along with his childhood best friend, Bobby Layne. His hometown enthusiasm eventually led him to attend Dallas based Southern Methodist University.
At SMU, Doak Walker’s legend was born. He received All-America honors in 1947, 1948 and 1949 as a two-way back. He also punted, returned punts and kickoffs, and kicked extra points. He was named the Maxwell Award winner as a sophomore and in 1948 as a junior he won the Holy Grail of college football, the Heisman Trophy. His collegiate days included trips to the Cotton Bowl, the stadium which would come to be known as “The House that Doak Built.” SMU had to move its home games off the SMU campus to the Cotton Bowl facility just to allow more fans to actually watch Doak play.
Doak also played games against his best friend Bobby Layne, who was the quarterback for the University of Texas Longhorns, and helped fuel the SMU/UT rivalry. Doak was eventually inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959.
After his days at SMU, Doak re-joined best friend Bobby Layne, and played with the Detroit Lions of the NFL. In Detroit, Doak and Bobby put their amazing talents together and created one of the greatest two-man forces in sports history, along with numerous personal achievements. The future six-year pro, helped the Lions win NFL championships in 1952 and 1953. He was named a Four-time All-Pro and received Five Pro-Bowl Selections. It was these many accomplishments, coupled with his hard work and uncanny clutch play that landed Doak an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
In 1989, the school that allowed Doak to showcase his amazing talent named the National Collegiate Running Back Award in his honor. The Doak Walker Award was established and immediately became one of the most prestigious awards given for college football. This led to the SMU luncheon series and the Doak Walker Legend’s Award.
The man known as “The Doaker,” lived a life that was full of great accomplishments. From his childhood days, to high school, days of military service, playing injured, overcoming obstacles to achieve big feats in the NFL and to the Walker Award, Doak’s legacy only continues to grow with time. A legacy which Murray Media will help preserve forever.
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