He once tried to make “Eagles Football Great Again” and now the 59-year-old retired running back is seeking to “Make America Great Again.” Or whatever the new slogan is.
Herschel Walker has stumped for Donald Trump on multiple occasions and often voices support for the impeached president on social media. He’s a strong conservative thought leader with proud Georgia roots. On Wednesday, Trump sent out a memo urging the “unstoppable” Walker to run for a U.S. Senate seat next year in Georgia.
Trump wrote: “Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the legendary Herschel Walker ran for the United States Senate in Georgia? He would be unstoppable, just like he was when he played for the Georgia Bulldogs, and in the NFL. He is also a GREAT person. Run Herschel, run!”
INBOX:
Former President Trump releases a statement encouraging Herschel Walker to run for U.S. Senate in Georgia
Walker played college football at the University of Georgia where he rushed for 5,259 yards and 49 touchdowns in three years. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1982 before parlaying that success into a dominant professional career. He spent time with four different NFL franchises, including three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (1992-94). Walker ran for 2,344 yards and 14 touchdowns in midnight green before giving way to Ricky Watters. He retired after the 1997 season.
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Walker’s Trade From Dallas Changed Everything
When the Dallas Cowboys traded Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in 1989, it didn’t just change the NFL landscape it was the football equivalent of the Big Bang Theory (not the TV show). The blockbuster deal received harsh criticism at first, especially in the Cowboys’ locker room, since it jettisoned a two-time All-Pro out of town for a few unheralded Vikings players.
Okay I have a sports question. More of an opinion. My son was asking and I told him I would ask.
Was there ever a worse trade in the NFL than the Herschel Walker trade?
However, it netted Dallas a slew of draft picks which the franchise turned into the foundation for their 1990s dynasty. The Walker trade’s aftermath produced three Super Bowl titles in a four-year window. It also allowed the Cowboys to draft Emmitt Smith in 1990.
“I think the legacy of the trade is it was the beginning of the dynasty the Cowboys had at that time,” Walker told the Dallas Morning News in 2019. “This 25-year anniversary thing has become so big, it’s crazy. I’ve been asked if I have hard feelings. I don’t have hard feelings against anyone.”
No Bust in Pro Football Hall of Fame
It’s kind of amazing that Walker doesn’t have a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, right? He was a two-time Pro Bowler who was twice named to the All-Pro second team while racking up 8,222 career rushing yards. He ranks 43rd on the NFL’s all-time list, sandwiched between Earnest Byner and Roger Craig.
It’s hard to argue that his NFL stats alone warrant induction in Canton. So look at his total body of work, including his gaudy USFL numbers: 5,562 rushing yards, with 7,115 all-purpose yards and 61 touchdowns. He also ran for 2,411 yards in the 18-game season of 1985. Walker’s combined USFL and NFL all-purpose yards total 25,283. Incredible.
“Oh, there’s not a doubt,” Walker said about belonging in the Hall of Fame, via Sporting News. “And if you did throw in the USFL, which makes it (all of) professional football, a lot of my yardage put me way, way ahead of everybody. So I don’t know why they wouldn’t put me in.”
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Donald Trump Urging Ex-Eagles Great to Run for U.S. Senate