College football great Doak Walker passes away at the age of 71

Walker died at Routt Hospital in Steamboat Springs, the ski resort about 100 miles from Denver where he had lived. The hospital said the cause of death was complications from the paralysis, which he had fought with the same determination he showed on the football field.

Walker was injured Jan. 30 when he hit a change of terrain, was thrown into the air and slammed to the ground. The injury made it difficult for him even to talk.

He had regained some of his ability to talk through rehabilitation, during which he received thousands of letters and faxes from well-wishers and fans worldwide.

"His eyes would come alive, his expression was wonderful, he was able to talk in short phrases," said Rod Hanna, a family spokesperson.

The accident that robbed him of the use of his arms and legs was especially tragic for a Hall of Fame football player known for his breathtaking scoring runs.

Walker, born and raised in Dallas, ended his football career in 1956 after a legendary four years at SMU and six years with the Detroit Lions. He is immortalized by the annual Doak Walker Award, which honors the nation's top college running back.

"I don't think he had any peers. He was the last of the great single wing tailbacks," said Jim Sid Wright, who also played at SMU in the '40s but not with Walker. "He was the best all-around tailback that I ever saw."

Walker did everything, playing running back, wide receiver, quarterback and defensive back in college and the NFL. He also punted and returned punts and kicks.

In his very first college game, Walker scored a touchdown against Texas and he seemed to come up with a spectacular play every time he walked on the field.

The moment that best summed up Walker's college career came against Texas Christian in1947. With the Mustangs trailing 19-13 and 1:40 to play, Walker returned a kickoff 75 yards to set up his touchdown reception that preserved SMU's undefeated season.

That captured the hearts of SMU fans, who began flocking to see the Mustangs and forced the school to move its games from Ownby Stadium to the 47,000-seat Cotton Bowl in 1948. By his senior season, the Cotton Bowl, then expanded to seat 75,000, was called "The House That Walker Built."

He remains the only SMU player to win the Heisman.

"You just had to see him to believe what he could do," said Raleigh Blakely of Dallas, an SMU tight end from 1946-48.

"No one ever questioned his leadership. He'd kneel down and say, 'OK, we've got to do this,' and everybody would just bust their butt for him."

Walker carried his greatness into the NFL, where he was an All-Pro four times and helped Detroit win two NFL championships. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and also is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

In his spare time in college, Walker was a substitute on the SMU basketball team and played outfield for the baseball team.

"Other than golf, I never really tried a sport that, inside of 30 minutes, I couldn't play pretty good," Walker once said.

Besides being an incredible athlete, Walker touched people with his modesty.

In 1949, he tried to turn down an All-American selection by famed sports writer Grantland Rice because injuries prevented him from playing the whole season.

And Walker was always willing to help out friends with public appearances. He once autographed photos for 10 hours to help promote a service station that Blakely had invested in.

After his playing days, Walker took a public relations job with a construction company and later married Skeeter Werner, a former Olympic skier from Steamboat Springs. Steamboat's primary peak, Mount Werner, is named after Skeeter's brother, Buddy, who died in an avalanche in Switzerland in 1964.

Walker's career path had been plotted from the day he was born on Jan. 1, 1927. When his father, Ewell Walker, was asked if he wanted his son to grow up to be president, he said, "No. He's going to be an All-American football player."

And he was - three times. For his college career, he averaged 4.2 yards per carry, 16.7 yards per catch and completed more than 50 percent of his passes. Walker averaged 15 yards on punt returns and 29.1 yards on kickoff returns.

After leaving SMU, many people doubted whether he could make it in the NFL. At 5-foot-11 and 173 pounds, he was considered too small and too slow. He quickly proved the critics wrong.

As a pro, he ran for 1,520 yards, averaging 4.9 yards per carry; caught 152 passes for 2,359 yards and 21 touchdowns; averaged 39.1 yards on punts, 15.8 yards on punt returns and 25.5 yards on kickoff returns.

What he did best was score, tallying 534 points on 34 touchdowns, 183 extra points and 49 field goals. He retired with the third most points in NFL history.

Walker's NFL career reunited him with boyhood friend Bobby Layne, the Lions quarterback.

The two played together at Highland Park high school in Dallas and both planned to play college ball together at Texas, before Walker decided to play for hometown SMU. Layne once called Walker "the greatest clutch player I have ever seen."

In the 1952 NFL title game against Cleveland, Walker had a 67-yard touchdown run to give the Lions a 14-0 lead in the third quarter. Detroit won the game 17-7. In the 1953 championship game, also against Cleveland, Walker scored a touchdown, kicked one field goal and two extra points in the Lions' 17-16 victory.

Walker abruptly ended his career after the 1955 season to concentrate on his business interests that could make him more money than an NFL career.

"No, I don't have any regrets about quitting football when I did," Walker once said. "I'm not sorry because I've got all my teeth, both knees - and most of my faculties."

He is survived by his wife, four children and four grandchildren.

09-28-98