Rare Photos of Herschel Walker

SI Staff | Feb 4, 2011

Rare Photos of Herschel Walker /

Rare Photos of Herschel Walker

Walker shows off his physique during a photo session at Georgia. In his three seasons as a Bulldog, Walker ran for 5,259 yards and 49 touchdowns.

As a starting running back his freshman year, Walker led the Bulldogs to an undefeated season and a national championship. During his three-year tenure, Georgia went 33-3 and won the SEC title each season.

In addition to football, Walker (pictured here at the 1981 NCAA outdoor championships) was a star on the track. At one point he was ranked in the top five nationally in the 60-yard dash.

Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen and 1981 runner-up Walker pose with Bob Hope at NBC Studios in Burbank, Calif. After two straight seasons finishing in the top three in voting, Walker won the award in 1982. (He was third in 1980 after setting a NCAA record for rushing yards as a freshman.)

Former Heisman Trophy winners Doug Flutie (22) and Walker (34) practice as members of the USFL New Jersey Generals. Walker led the USFL in rushing in 1983 and '85, when he rushed for an astonishing 2,411 yards in 18 games, a professional football record.

Walker evades a tackle during a New Jersey Generals game against the Birmingham Stallions. Walker played for the Generals from 1983 to '85. He chose to play in the USFL because he wanted to come out of college after his junior season, which the NFL forbid at the time.

Walker proudly displays a Dallas Cowboys jersey with head coach Tom Landry at an August 1986 press conference. Walker was drafted in the fifth round of the 1985 draft, scored 14 touchdowns in his first season in 1986, and went on to make two Pro Bowls with Dallas, in 1987 and 1988.

Walker competes in the American version of Superstars. He became just the third man to win the title twice, securing victories in 1987 and '88.

Walker and his driver, Brian Shimer, carry their sled after finishing a practice run for the 1992 Winter Olympics in La Plagne, France. The team finished seventh in the two-man bobsled.

Walker cheers on teammates as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, where he rushed for 2,344 yards and totaled 22 touchdowns in three seasons between 1992 and 1994.

Walker, a self-proclaimed exercise fanatic, claims to be in a regimen of 3,500 sit-ups and 1,000 pushups a day since high school.

Walker and first-round draft choice Tyrone Wheatley run drills in the first practice at New York Giants training camp. Walker spent one season with the Giants. He also played for the Eagles, Vikings, and Cowboys after spending three years in the short-lived USFL.

Walker and his then-wife Cindy Grossman pose at a party celebrating the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition in New York. This marked the first time the SI swimsuit edition featured athletes and their spouses.

Walker was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December 1999.

Walker enjoys a ride on a motorcycle during a Kyle Petty charity motorcycle ride in Frances Creek, Wis. Walker, along with more than 250 other motorcycle riders, traveled over 2,300 miles from Michigan to Georgia.

Walker chats with Barbara Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Walker, 48, celebrates after beating 40-year-old Scott Carson in a Strikeforce heavyweight mixed martial arts fight in San Jose in January 2011. The former star NFL running-back won by a technical knockout in just over three minutes, improving his record to 2-0 in the MMA.

Published Feb 4, 2011

SI STAFF