View source for Doak Walker

{{Short description|American football player (1927–1998)}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Doak Walker
| image       = Doak Walker practicing (8679147364) (2) (cropped).jpg
| image_size  =
| alt         = 
| caption     = Walker in 1948
| number      = 37
| position    = [[Halfback (American football)|Halfback]] <br> [[Placekicker|Kicker]]
| birth_date  = {{Birth date|1927|1|1}}
| birth_place = [[Dallas|Dallas, Texas]], U.S.
| death_date  = {{Death date and age|1998|9|27|1927|1|1}}
| death_place = [[Steamboat Springs, Colorado]], U.S.
| height_ft   = 5
| height_in   = 11
| weight_lb   = 173
| high_school = [[Highland Park High School (University Park, Texas)|Highland Park]] {{avoid wrap|([[University Park, Texas]])}}
| college     = [[SMU Mustangs football|SMU]] (1945; 1947–1949)
| draftyear   = 1949
| draftround  = 1
| draftpick   = 3
| pastteams   =
* [[Detroit Lions]] ({{NFL Year|1950|1955}})
| highlights  =
* 2× [[List of NFL champions (1920–1969)|NFL champion]] ([[1952 NFL Championship Game|1952]], [[1953 NFL Championship Game|1953]])
* 4× First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1950 All-Pro Team|1950]], [[1951 All-Pro Team|1951]], [[1953 All-Pro Team|1953]], [[1954 All-Pro Team|1954]])
* 5× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1951 Pro Bowl|1950]], [[1952 Pro Bowl|1951]], [[1954 Pro Bowl|1953]]–[[1956 Pro Bowl|1955]])
* 2× [[NFL scoring leader]]  ({{NFL Year|1950}}, {{NFL Year|1955}})
* [[Pride of the Lions]]
* [[Detroit Lions 75th Anniversary Team]]
* [[Detroit Lions#Lions All-Time Team|Detroit Lions All-Time Team]]
* [[Detroit Lions#Retired numbers|Detroit Lions No. 37]] retired
* [[Heisman Trophy]] (1948)
* [[Maxwell Award]] (1947)
* [[Sporting News College Football Player of the Year|''SN'' Player of the Year]] (1948)
* [[List of unanimous All-Americans in college football|Unanimous All-American]] ([[1948 College Football All-America Team|1948]])
* 2× Consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1947 College Football All-America Team|1947]], [[1949 College Football All-America Team|1949]])
* 4× First-team All-[[Southwest Conference|SWC]] ([[1945 All-Southwest Conference football team|1945]], [[1947 All-Southwest Conference football team|1947]]–[[1949 All-Southwest Conference football team|1949]])
* [[Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award]] (1949)
* [[SMU Mustangs football#Honored jerseys|SMU Mustangs No. 37]] honored
| statlabel1  = Rushing yards
| statvalue1  = 1,520
| statlabel2  = Rushing average
| statvalue2  = 4.9
| statlabel3  = Rushing [[touchdown]]s
| statvalue3  = 12
| statlabel4  = [[Reception (gridiron football)|Receptions]]
| statvalue4  = 152
| statlabel5  = Receiving yards
| statvalue5  = 2,539
| statlabel6  = Receiving touchdowns
| statvalue6  = 21
| statlabel7  = Points scored
| statvalue7  = 534
| pfr         = W/WalkDo00
| HOF         = doak-walker
| CollegeHOF  = 1657 
}}

'''Ewell Doak Walker II''' (January 1, 1927 – September 27, 1998) was an American [[American football|football]] player who was a [[Halfback (American football)|halfback]] and [[Placekicker|kicker]]. He played [[college football]] for the [[SMU Mustangs football|SMU Mustangs]], winning the [[Maxwell Award]] in 1947 and the [[Heisman Trophy]] in 1948. He then played professionally for the [[Detroit Lions]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL) from 1950 to 1955.<ref name=nytobit>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/28/sports/doak-walker-71-standout-in-college-and-pro-football.html |newspaper=New York Times |last=Wallace |first=William N. |title=Doak Walker, 71, standout in college and pro football |date=September 28, 1998 |access-date=December 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name=doakwkr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bNBRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6846%2C6519461 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |agency=Associated Press |last=Weller |first=Robert |title=His college's only Heisman winner; played for Detroit Lions |date=September 28, 1998 |page=A14 }}</ref> Walker was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 1959 and the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 1986. The [[Doak Walker Award]], awarded annually since 1990 to the top [[running back]] in college football, is named after him.

==Early life==
Walker was born in [[Dallas]], [[Texas]], in 1927.<ref name=PFR>{{cite news|title=Doak Walker|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=November 8, 2017|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WalkDo00.htm}}</ref> His father, Ewell Doak Walker Sr., was a Tennessee native and a school teacher who later became assistant superintendent and personnel director of the Dallas school system. His mother Emma was a Texas native, and he had a younger sister, Elsa.<ref name=Woodward>"In the Air or On the Ground, Doak's Game is Close to Perfect", ''Stanley Woodward's Football – 1949.'' New York: Dell Publishing, 1949; pg. 11.</ref><ref>1930 U.S. Census entry for Ewell D. Walker and family. Son Ewell age 3. Census Place: Dallas, Dallas, Texas; Roll: 2313; Page: 88A; Enumeration District: 0017; FHL microfilm: 2342047. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line].</ref><ref>1940 U.S. Census entry for Ewell D. Walker and family. Son Ewell age 13. Census Place: University Park, Dallas, Texas; Roll: T627_4015; Page: 62A; Enumeration District: 57-7A. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line].</ref>

Walker attended [[Highland Park High School (University Park, Texas)|Highland Park High School]] in [[University Park, Texas|University Park]], where he was a five-sport athlete in [[American football|football]], [[basketball]], [[baseball]], [[Swimming (sport)|swimming]], and [[track and field]].<ref name=Woodward /> In 1944, Doak Walker led his high school football team to the state championship game. He and future college and NFL star [[Bobby Layne]] were teammates at Highland Park; Layne played college football for the [[Texas Longhorns football|Texas Longhorns]] in [[Austin, Texas|Austin]].

Following his graduation from high school in 1945, Walker joined the [[United States Maritime Service|Merchant Marine]].<ref name=Woodward /> The war ended in August 1945, and Walker was discharged from the Merchant Marine on November 1, 1945.<ref name=BigSpring>{{cite news|title=Walker To Play In Frisco Game|newspaper=Big Spring (TX) Herald|date=December 20, 1945|page=11|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14973024/walker_to_play_in_frisco_game/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

==Football career==
===SMU (1945; 1947–1949)===
Two days after being discharged from the Merchant Marine, Walker appeared in his first college football game for [[Southern Methodist University]].<ref name=BigSpring/> Walker played in five games for the [[SMU Mustangs football|SMU Mustangs]] in November 1945 and was sufficiently impressive as a [[halfback (American football)|halfback]] and [[placekicker]] as to win All-[[Southwest Conference]] honors and a spot in the annual [[East–West Shrine Game]] in San Francisco.<ref name=Woodward /> In the Shrine game, he threw a tying touchdown pass for the West team.<ref name=Woodward />

Walker did not play [[college football]] in 1946, as he was inducted into the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] in March 1946.<ref name=Woodward /> His stint was brief, playing football for the [[Brooke Army Medical Center|Brooke Medical Center]] service team in [[San Antonio]] before being discharged in January 1947.<ref name=Woodward />

Following his discharge, Walker re-enrolled at SMU and rejoined the Mustangs football team.<ref name=Woodward /> As a sophomore, he led Southern Methodist to a [[1947 SMU Mustangs football team|1947]] SWC championship and was named to a myriad of All-American teams.<ref name=Woodward /> He gained similar All-American honors in [[1948 College Football All-America Team|1948]], and [[1949 College Football All-America Team|1949]]. Walker won the [[Maxwell Award]] as a sophomore in 1947 and the [[Heisman Trophy]] in 1948 as a junior.

During his award-winning [[1948 SMU Mustangs football team|1948 season]], Walker gained 532 yards on the ground, carrying the ball 108 times for a 4.9 yards per carry average.<ref name=Woodward /> He also threw six touchdown passes from the halfback position, going 26-for-46 and gaining 304 yards in the air.<ref name=Woodward /> As a receiver, Walker hauled in 15 passes for 279 yards and 3 touchdowns.<ref name=Woodward /> On the defensive side of the ball, he intercepted three passes.<ref name=Woodward /> He also punted for a 42.1 yard average for the Mustangs, returned punts and kickoffs, and did duty as the SMU placekicker.<ref name=Woodward /> Walker finished the year with 11 touchdowns scored, which combined with his kicking put 88 points on the scoreboard for the year.<ref name=Woodward />

Walker's impact on SMU and football in the Dallas area led to the [[Cotton Bowl (stadium)|Cotton Bowl]]'s expansion and nickname: "The House That Doak Built."<ref name=nytobit/> He was also a member of [[Phi Delta Theta]] [[Fraternities and sororities in North America|fraternity]], the men's society [[Cycen Fjodr]],<ref>SMU 1946 Online yearbook http://memories.smu.edu/launch.aspx?eid=b263c230-c3c4-4f8e-aefa-d3aa10e6fadb&pnum=221&skip=true&keywords=doak%20walker%20cycen%20fjodr {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725032304/http://memories.smu.edu/launch.aspx?eid=b263c230-c3c4-4f8e-aefa-d3aa10e6fadb&pnum=221&skip=true&keywords=doak%20walker%20cycen%20fjodr |date=July 25, 2013 }}</ref> and lettered on the SMU [[SMU Mustangs men's basketball|basketball]] and [[SMU Mustangs#Baseball|baseball]] teams.

In 1999, ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' included him on its All-Century Team for college football.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Maisel |first=Ivan |date=August 16, 1999 |title=Team of the Century |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1999/08/16/team-of-the-century |magazine=Sports Illustrated |volume=91 |issue=6}}</ref>

===Detroit Lions (1950–1955)===
Following his junior year at SMU, Walker was selected by the [[Boston Yanks]] with the third pick of in the [[1949 NFL draft]], held in December 1948. The [[Detroit Lions]] acquired Walker's rights from Boston in exchange for [[John Rauch]], whom the Lions had selected with the second pick of the 1949 NFL Draft. The [[Cleveland Browns]] held the [[All-America Football Conference|AAFC]] to arbitrate their conflicting claims or flip a coin. Instead, the Browns agreed in January 1950 to forego their claim to Walker in exchange for the Lions' second pick in the [[1950 NFL draft]].<ref name=dobtdrt>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=X1tIAAAAIBAJ&pg=4301%2C2240946 |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |location=Florida |agency=Associated Press |title=Detroit obtains draft rights to Doak Walker |date=January 22, 1950 |page=33 }}</ref>

In Detroit, Walker was reunited with former high school teammate [[Bobby Layne]] who the Lions acquired by trade in April 1950.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lions Swap Wilson for Layne|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=April 9, 1950|page=51|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4358070/lions_swap_wilson_for_layne/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The two Texans led the Lions to one of the top scoring offenses during the [[1950 NFL season]], as Layne led the NFL with 2,323 passing yards and Walker led the league with 128 points on five rushing touchdowns, six receiving touchdowns, 38 extra points, and eight field goals.<ref name=PFR/> Walker appeared in all 12 games for the 1950 Lions at the left halfback position; he rushed for 386 yards on 83 carries (4.7 yards per carry), caught 34 passes for 534 yards, and totaled 1,262 all-purpose yards. He was selected by both the [[Associated Press]] (AP) and [[United Press]] (UP) as a first-team player on the [[1950 All-Pro Team]].<ref name=PFR/> His 128 points in 1950 was the second highest single-season total in NFL history to that time.<ref name=Cleats/>

[[File:Doak Walker 1951 (3).jpg|thumb|left|Walker, circa 1951]]
Walker had another strong season in 1951, appearing in all 12 games at left halfback for the Lions, totaling 1,270 all-purpose yards (fourth best in the NFL), scoring 97 points (third best in the NFL), and leading the NFL with 43 extra points. He was again selected by the AP and UP as a first-team All-Pro.<ref name=PFR/>

Walker suffered leg injuries that limited him to seven games during the 1952 season.<ref name=PFR/><ref>{{cite news|title=Injured Leg Finally Hospitalizes Doak|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=October 25, 1952|page=15|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14987941/injured_leg_finally_hospitalizes_doak/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He was fully recovered in time for the post-season and rushed for 97 yards and caught two passes against the Browns in the [[1952 NFL Championship Game]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Championship – Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns – December 28th, 1952|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=November 8, 2017|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/195212280cle.htm}}</ref>

Healthy for the full 1953 season, Walker helped lead the Lions to their second consecutive NFL championship. He ranked third in the NFL with 93 points scored and totaled 978 all-purpose yards, including 502 receiving yards and 337 rushing yards.<ref name=PFR/> In the [[1953 NFL Championship Game]], he scored a touchdown and kicked a field goal and an extra point to account for 10 of the Lions' 17 points.<ref>{{cite web|title=Championship – Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions – December 27th, 1953|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=November 8, 2017|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/195312270det.htm}}</ref> At the end of the 1953 season, Walker was selected by the AP as a first-team All-Pro and by the UP as a second-team All-Pro.<ref name=PFR/>

In 1954, Walker helped lead the Lions to their third consecutive NFL Western Division championship. He led the NFL with 43 extra points (out of 43 attempted) and an average of 14.4 yards per touch. He ranked second in the NFL with 106 points scored and third with 11 field goals. He also kicked a field goal and an extra point in the [[1954 NFL Championship Game]] and was selected by the AP, UP, and ''[[Sporting News|The Sporting News]]'' as a first-team back on the [[1954 All-Pro Team]].<ref name=PFR/>

In July 1955, Walker signed a contract worth $27,500 to play a final season for the Lions and to serve as a special scout for the Lions in Texas in 1956 and 1957.<ref name=DS>{{cite news|title=Doak Signs . . . for $27,500|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=July 30, 1955|page=11|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14988256/doak_signs__for_27500/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> At age 28, Walker retired not because his abilities had diminished but because of the need to attend to multiple business interests in Texas.<ref name=DS/> In his final season, he appeared in all 12 games for the Lions and led the NFL in scoring with 96 points.<ref name=PFR/> Walker scored 11 points in the final game of the season to secure the league's scoring title.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lions Are Beaten By Giants, 24–19|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=December 12, 1955|page=1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14988306/lions_are_beaten_by_giants_2419/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> His 1955 scoring title was remarkable given the fact that it was achieved while playing for a team that won only three games and compiled the worst record in the NFL.<ref>{{cite web|title=1955 NFL Standings & Team Stats|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=November 9, 2017|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1955/}}</ref>

On December 11, 1955, the day of Walker's final regular season game, the Lions held a "Doak Walker Day" at [[Briggs Stadium]] at which he was presented with a silver football engraved with the names of his teammates and coaches. Walker's jersey (No. 37) was also retired as part of the ceremony.<ref name=Cleats/><ref>{{cite news|title=Lions Hold 'Day' For Walker Sunday|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=December 7, 1955|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14988328/lions_to_hold_day_for_walker_sunday/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

Walker's final NFL appearance was in the [[1956 Pro Bowl]] at the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]] on January 15, 1956.<ref>{{cite news|title=East Defeats West In Pro Bowl|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=January 16, 1956|pages=4–1, 4–2}}</ref>

At the time of his retirement, Walker ranked third in NFL history with 534 points scored (not including 21 post-season points) in six NFL seasons. Only [[Don Hutson]] (825 points in 11 seasons) and [[Bob Waterfield]] (573 points in eight seasons) had scored more points.<ref name=Cleats>{{cite news|title=Lions Honor Doak: Walker Hangs Up NFL Cleats, Scoring Title|newspaper=Brownwood (TX) Bulletin|date=December 12, 1955|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14990062/walker_hangs_up_nfl_cleats_scoring/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Walker also totaled 1,520 rushing yards on 309 carries (4.9 yards per carry) and 152 receptions for 2,539 yards (16.7 yards per reception).<ref name=PFR/>

===Honors and legacy===
Walker received numerous honors for his football career. His honors include the following:
* In 1955, the Detroit Lions retired his jersey (No. 37), the first uniform number retired by the Lions.<ref name=ltretdwn>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RGNTAAAAIBAJ&pg=5244%2C3691107 |newspaper=Victoria Advocate |location=Texas |agency=United Press |title=Lions to retire Doak Walker's jersey number |date=December 4, 1955 |page=14A }}</ref>
* In 1959, he was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Doak "The Doaker" Walker|publisher=National Football Foundation|access-date=November 8, 2017|url={{College Football HoF/url|id=1657}}}}</ref>
* In 1981, he received the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] presented by Awards Council member [[Tom Landry]]. He was presented alongside fellow honoree [[Bobby Layne]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#sports}}</ref>
* In 1986, he was inducted into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]. Bobby Layne presented Walker for his induction and said of Walker, "He was the greatest clutch player I ever saw. . . . I'll tell ya, if we were ahead 28–0 or somethin', you might not notice Doak on the field. But if it was a close game, everybody knew he was there and he would be the difference."<ref name=DFP86>{{cite news|title=Walker was the ultimate Lion|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=August 2, 1986|pages=1D, 2D|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15016430/walker_was_the_ultimate_lion/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
* The [[Doak Walker Award]], first awarded in 1990, is presented annually to the best running back in college football.<ref>{{cite news|title=Washington running back wins first Doak Walker award|newspaper=The Jackson Sun|date=December 8, 1990|page=16|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15051579/washington_running_back_wins_first_doak/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
* In 2007, Walker was ranked No. 4 on ESPN's list of the top 25 players in college football history.
* A statue of Walker was placed between [[Gerald Ford Stadium]] and SMU's Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports.

''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' writer [[Rick Reilly]] said of Walker shortly before his death:<blockquote>
"He's Doak Walker, and he was as golden as golden gets. He had perfectly even, white teeth and a jaw as square as a deck of cards and a mop of brown hair that made girls bite their necklaces. He was so shifty you couldn't have tackled him in a phone booth, yet so humble that he wrote the Associated Press a thank-you note for naming him an All-American. Come to think of it, he was a three-time All-American, twice one of the Outstanding Players in the Cotton Bowl, a four-time All-Pro. He appeared on 47 covers, including ''Life'', ''Look'' and ''Collier's''. One time, Kyle Rote, another gridiron golden boy, saw a guy buying a football magazine at a newsstand. 'Don't buy that one,' Rote said. 'It's not official. It doesn't have a picture of Doak Walker on the cover.'"<ref>{{cite web | url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/1998/year/saying_goodbye/doak_walker/index.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000824105247/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/1998/year/saying_goodbye/doak_walker/index.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=August 24, 2000 | title=1998 Year in Review – Saying Goodbye – Saying goodbye to Doak Walker | date= 1998-12-16 | publisher=CNN/SI | access-date=2007-08-26}}</ref></blockquote>

Shortly after Walker's death in 1998, [[Texas Longhorns football|Texas]] running back [[Ricky Williams]] wore Walker's number 37 in a game as opposed to his customary number 34 in remembrance of Walker. Williams would go on to set the [[NCAA]] all-time rushing record that season (though it has since been eclipsed by [[Ron Dayne]]), winning the Heisman Trophy in the process.

==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2"| Legend
|-
| style="background:#ffe6bd; width:3em;"|
| Won [[NFL Championship]]
|-
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league
|-
| '''Bold'''
| Career high
|}

=== Rushing & receiving stats ===
{| class= "wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="2"| Games
! colspan="6"| Rushing
! colspan="5"| Receiving
! colspan="2"| Fumbles
|-
! GP !! GS !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! Y/G !! Lng !! TD !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Fum !! FR
|-
! [[1950 NFL season|1950]] || [[1950 Detroit Lions season|DET]]
| '''12''' || '''12''' || '''83''' || '''386''' || 4.7 || '''32.2''' || 30 || '''5''' || '''35''' || 534 || 15.3 || 43 || '''6''' || '''3''' || 0
|-
! [[1951 NFL season|1951]] || [[1951 Detroit Lions season|DET]]
| '''12''' || '''12''' || 79 || 356 || 4.5 || 29.7 || 34 || 2 || 22 || 421 || 19.1 || 63 || 4 || 1 || '''2'''
|-
! [[1952 NFL season|1952]] || style="background:#ffe6bd;"|[[1952 Detroit Lions season|DET]]
| 7 || 4 || 26 || 106 || 4.1 || 15.1 || 20 || 0 || 11 || 90 || 8.2 || 18 || 0 || 1 || 0
|-
! [[1953 NFL season|1953]] || style="background:#ffe6bd;"|[[1953 Detroit Lions season|DET]]
| '''12''' || '''12''' || 66 || 337 || 5.1 || 28.1 || 50 || 2 || 30 || 502 || 16.7 || '''83''' || 3 || 2 || 0
|-
! [[1954 NFL season|1954]] || [[1954 Detroit Lions season|DET]]
| '''12''' || '''12''' || 32 || 240 || '''7.5''' || 20.0 || 38 || 1 || 32 || '''564''' || 17.6 || 66 || 3 || 1 || 0
|-
! [[1955 NFL season|1955]] || [[1955 Detroit Lions season|DET]]
| '''12''' || 9 || 23 || 95 || 4.1 || 7.9 || 51 || 2 || 22 || 428 || '''19.5''' || 70 || 5 || 1 || 1
|-
! colspan="2"|[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WalkDo00.htm Career] || 67 || 61 || 309 || 1,520 || 4.9 || 22.7 || 51 || 12 || 152 || 2,539 || 16.7 || 83 || 21 || 9 || 3
|}

=== Kicking stats ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Season||Team||{{abbr|G|Games}}||{{abbr|FGM|Field goals made}}||{{abbr|FGA|Field goals attempted}}||{{abbr|%|Field goal percentage}} ||{{abbr|LNG|Longest field goal}}||{{abbr|XPM|Extra points made}}||{{abbr|XPA|Extra points attempted}}||{{abbr|%|Extra point percentage}}||{{abbr|PTS|Points}}
|-
| [[1950 NFL season|1950]] || [[1950 Detroit Lions season|DET]]
| 12 || 8 || 18 || 44.4 || – || 38 || 41 || 92.7 || 62
|-
| [[1951 NFL season|1951]] || [[1951 Detroit Lions season|DET]]
| 12 || 6 || 12 || 50.0 || – || style="background:#cfecec;"|'''43''' || style="background:#cfecec;"|'''44''' || 97.7 || 61
|-
| [[1952 NFL season|1952]] || style="background:#ffe6bd;"|[[1952 Detroit Lions season|DET]]
| 7 || 3 || 5 || 60.0 || – || 5 || 5 ||'''100.0''' || 14
|-
| [[1953 NFL season|1953]] || style="background:#ffe6bd;"|[[1953 Detroit Lions season|DET]]
| 12 || '''12''' || '''19''' || 63.2 || – || 27 || 29 || 93.1 || 63
|-
| [[1954 NFL season|1954]] || [[1954 Detroit Lions season|DET]]
| 12 || 11 || 17 || '''64.7''' || – || style="background:#cfecec;"|'''43''' || style="background:#cfecec;"|43 || '''100.0''' || '''76'''
|-
| [[1955 NFL season|1955]] || [[1955 Detroit Lions season|DET]]
| 12 || 9 || 16 || 56.3 || – || 27 || 29 || 93.1 || 54
|-
!colspan="2"|Career || 67 || 49 || 87 || 56.3 || <u>47</u> || 183 || 191 || 95.8 || 330
|}

==Family and later years==
In March 1950, Walker married his college sweetheart, Norma Jane Peterson, at the Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas. His groomsmen included [[Bobby Layne]] and [[Kyle Rote]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Doak Walker Takes Bride|newspaper=The Arizona Republic|date=March 18, 1950|page=9|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14988390/doak_walker_takes_bride/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> They had four children: Laurie ('52), Kris ('56), Russ ('60), and Scott ('63), but divorced in 1965.<ref name=nytobit/> Walker married Olympic ski racer [[Skeeter Werner Walker|Skeeter Werner]] in 1969, and they lived in her hometown of [[Steamboat Springs, Colorado]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=e4gbAAAAIBAJ&pg=5560%2C811092 |work=Pittsburgh Press |last1=Werner |first1=Skeeter |author-link=Skeeter Werner Walker |last2=Walker |first2=Doak |title=First suggestion: get an instructor |date=January 3, 1967 |page=40}}</ref><ref name=shersep01>{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YlgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36 |journal=Skiing Heritage |title=Remembering: Skeeter Werner |date=September 2000 |page=36|last1=Association |first1=International Skiing History }}</ref><ref name=dwdipar>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kEkwAAAAIBAJ&pg=4003%2C9796982 |newspaper=Reading Eagle |location=Pennsylvania|agency=Associated Press |title=Doak Walker dies of paralysis injuries |date=September 28, 1998 |page=D9 }}</ref><ref name=ffhwlk>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lSNIAAAAIBAJ&pg=6487%2C6536044 |newspaper=Victoria Advocate |location=Texas|agency=Associated Press |title=Friends, family honor Walker |date= October 1, 1998 |page=2B }}</ref>

Walker left pro football in 1955 to concentrate on his private business interests in sporting goods and as a sales executive with an electrical contracting company.<ref name=lspbof>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RuRXAAAAIBAJ&pg=3353%2C1439824 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Lion star ponders big offer by team|date=April 6, 1955 |page=25 }}</ref> Walker took a position as a coach with the [[List of Continental Football League teams|Akron Vulcans]] of the [[Continental Football League]]. When the Vulcans owner was exposed as a con-artist and stopped paying his bills, Walker and his assistant coaches ([[Tobin Rote]] and [[Lou Rymkus]] being among them) kept the team alive as long as they could with funds out of their own pockets; Walker eventually quit before the team folded.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ohio.com/news/a-false-start-1.109305 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808195515/http://www.ohio.com/news/a-false-start-1.109305 |archive-date=August 8, 2014 |title=A false start – News – Ohio}}</ref> He later founded Walker Chemicals in [[Denver]], a company he sold upon retirement.<ref name=nytobit/>

In January 1998, at age 71, Walker was paralyzed from the neck down in a skiing accident at Steamboat Springs. After hitting a change in terrain, he flew 20 to 30 feet in the air and tumbled 75 feet. He died that September from injuries sustained in the accident.<ref>{{cite news|title=Football Hall of Famer Doak Walker paralyzed|newspaper=Democrat & Chronicle|date=February 1, 1998|page=5D|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14974271/football_hall_of_famer_doak_walker/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref name=NYTobit>{{cite news|title=Doak Walker, 71, Standout In College and Pro Football|newspaper=The New York Times|author=William N. Wallace|date=September 28, 1998|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/28/sports/doak-walker-71-standout-in-college-and-pro-football.html}}</ref><ref name=DFPobit>{{cite news|title=Former Lion, college star Doak Walker dies at 71|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=September 28, 1998|page=2D|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14974397/former_lion_college_star_doak_walker/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of NCAA major college yearly punt and kickoff return leaders]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{Profootballhof|223}}
* {{College Football HoF|1657}}
* {{Heisman|doak-walker}}
* {{Footballstats |nfl=doak-walker |cfl= |afl= |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |fox= |si= |pfr=W/WalkDo00 |rotoworld= }}
* [https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/walker-ewell-doak-jr Texas State Historical Society profile]

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[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:1998 deaths]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American football halfbacks]]
[[Category:American football placekickers]]
[[Category:American football punters]]
[[Category:American football return specialists]]
[[Category:Detroit Lions players]]
[[Category:NFL players with retired numbers]]
[[Category:SMU Mustangs baseball players]]
[[Category:SMU Mustangs football players]]
[[Category:SMU Mustangs men's basketball players]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:Maxwell Award winners]]
[[Category:Heisman Trophy winners]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Western Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Dallas]]
[[Category:Skiing deaths]]
[[Category:Sports deaths in Colorado]]
[[Category:United States Merchant Mariners of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:Phi Delta Theta members]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]