On December 2 1982 1982 Heisman winner Herschel Walker
Former Georgia football coach Vince Dooley still remembers seeing star running back Herschel Walker the day after the Bulldogs’ most famous victory. On the Sunday after the Bulldogs beat Florida 26-21 on Buck Belue’s 93-yard touchdown pass to Lindsay Scott in 1980, Dooley went to the school’s athletic dormitory for lunch. Walker, who had carried the ball 37 times for 238 yards with one touchdown against the Gators, was walking into the dorm wearing his Taekwondo uniform. “As big as that Florida game was, and as many big licks as he took, that’s where he was Sunday morning,” Dooley said. “I just said, ‘That’s Herschel.'” Walker finished third in Heisman Trophy voting as a freshman in 1980, when he led the Bulldogs to a national championship, and was second in voting behind Southern California’s Marcus Allen the next year. After running for 1,752 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior, Walker won the Heisman Trophy over Stanford quarterback John Elway and Southern Methodist running back Eric Dickerson in 1982. Few Heisman Trophy winners accomplished — or attempted more — after football than Walker. Walker was a star running back for the New Jersey Generals of the now-defunct United States Football League and played for four teams in the NFL. He attempted to run in sprint relays in the Summer Olympics, and then actually competed in two-man bobsled in the 1992 Winter Olympics. On Jan. 10, Walker is scheduled to make his debut in mixed martial arts at the age of 47. “He’ll try everything and has confidence that he can do anything,” Dooley said. But for anyone who saw Walker run the football, he’s still just Huuuschel.
— Mark Schlabach
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