On December 5 1948 1948 Heisman winner Doak Walker
At the outset, the impact that SMU back Doak Walker had on the Heisman after he won it in 1948 dwarfed the impact the trophy had on him. In the postwar, pre-television era, when colleges bulged with returning GIs, college football captured the fancy of the nation. And the nation loved the handsome, humble Walker. He had nearly won the 1947 Heisman as a sophomore, finishing third. As his junior season began, Walker pushed the politicians and the starlets off the cover of Life Magazine, the choicest real estate in postwar American pop culture. He also appeared on the cover of Look and Collier’s. Given star billing, Walker lived up to it. He led SMU to a 9-1-1 record. The Mustangs became such a hot ticket that the city of Dallas added a second deck to the Cotton Bowl. At the end of the ’48 season, Walker told author Bill Libby, “When I got the telegram telling me I’d won it, I wasn’t sure what I’d won. But I went back [to New York] for the dinner with my coach, my parents, my sister and some alumni in a charter plane and I began to see that it was a pretty big thing.” In time, the Heisman’s impact on Walker grew much larger than anything he ever did for the trophy. His name retained such luster that he lent it to the national running back award. Long after the demise of Life, Look and Collier’s, Walker remains best known for winning the Heisman.
— Ivan Maisel
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