Doak Walker
Teams
Detroit Lions (1950-1955)
Playoffs
Appearances - 3 (1952,1953,1954)
Conf Champ Games - 3 (1952,1953,1954)
Champ Games - 3 (1952,1953,1954)
Championships - 2 (1952,1953)
Awards and Honors
All-Pro First Team - 4 (1950,1951,1953,1954)
Pro Bowl - 5 (1950,1951,1953,1954,1955)
Hall of Fame - 1986
All-Time Ranks
League Leads
Rushing Touchdowns (#8-1950)
Yards per Rush (#7-1950)
Receiving Touchdowns (#6-1950)
Yards per Reception (#10-1953)
Total Touchdowns (#2-1950, #10-1955)
Scrimmage Yards (#7-1950)
Yards per Touch (#2-1950,1953, #4-1951)
After three straight seasons as an All-American at SMU, including a Heisman Trophy win as a junior, Doak Walker was drafted #3 overall by the Detroit Lions in the 1949 Draft. During his Heisman season, he had 532 rushing yards, 304 passing yards with 6 touchdowns, 279 receiving yards with 3 touchdowns, 3 passes intercepted on defense, a 42.1 yard punting average, and 22 points scored as a placekicker.
He actually finished out his senior season after being drafted, so he didn't debut in the NFL until 1950, and he was an immediate success. He gained 920 scrimmage yards, finished second in the league with 11 total touchdowns, and served as the team's kicker and punter, earning a berth in the Pro Bowl and a spot on the All-Pro First Team.
His numbers were down slightly the next year, but he still made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro First Team. He struggled through several leg injuries the next year, which limited him to only 7 games, which resulted in his only season without a Pro Bowl appearance. However, he was healthy in time for the postseason, and he had 97 rushing yards and a touchdown in the championship game as the Lions defeated the powerhouse Browns 17-7.
He was fully healthy the next season, and led the Lions back to the championship game, where they faced a rematch with the Browns. Walker scored a touchdown on the ground, kicked a field goal, and 2 extra points, including the game winner as Detroit beat Cleveland 17-16.
In 1954, he led the Lions to their 3rd straight title game, and led the league with a perfect 43 for 43 record on extra points. The Browns got their revenge that year, destroying the Lions 56-10, while Walker gained only 52 total yards, and only scored as a kicker.
He decided that the 1955 season, his sixth in the league, would be his last, signing a special contract for one more season as a player, followed by 2 years as a scout. He led the league in scoring that season despite the team finishing with only 3 wins, with most of his work coming from kicking and receiving, as he gained only 95 yards on the ground.
Walker gained only 1520 rushing yards in his short career, but he was an all-around player, gaining over 2500 yards as a receiver, serving as a full-time punter for one season and part-time for two others, and playing kicker as well throughout his career. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1986, but since this ranking only takes his work rushing and catching the ball into account, he winds up a little lower in the ranking of the top running backs of all time.
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