- published: 17 Aug 2015
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Ewell Doak Walker, Jr. (January 1, 1927 – September 27, 1998) was an American football player who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a teammate of Bobby Layne in high school and the NFL.
Walker was born in Dallas, Texas and attended Highland Park High School in Dallas where he was a multi-sport athlete. He and future college and National Football League star Bobby Layne played together on the Highland Park football team.
Walker attended Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he played running back, defensive back, and place kicker. He also threw and caught passes, punted, and returned kicks. He was a three time All-America, 1947, 1948 and 1949. In 1947, he won the Maxwell Award and in 1948 won the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in the nation, as a junior. Walker's impact on SMU and football in the Dallas area led to the Cotton Bowl being referred to as "The House That Doak Built." Walker was also a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and lettered on the SMU basketball and baseball teams. In 2007, he was ranked #4 on ESPN's list of the top 25 players In college football history.
Toby Gerhart (born March 28, 1987) is an American football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Stanford University, and was a consensus All-American. He was selected in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the 51st overall pick. In 2009 Gerhart won the Doak Walker Award and was the runner-up for the 2009 Heisman Trophy. He received 1,276 points in the Heisman voting, coming in second to Mark Ingram, Jr., who received 1,304 points; the 28-point margin was the closest vote in Heisman history. Gerhart had a breakout senior season in 2009, leading all running backs in the nation in rushing yards, touchdowns, and points scored, and setting several Pac 10 and school records. He holds the Stanford records for most rushing yards in a season (1,871), most touchdowns in a season (28), and most touchdowns in a career (44).
Gerhart was born in Norco, California. He had a record-breaking career at running back for Norco High School. He set a California state record for rushing yards with 9,662 yards in his career. As of December 2009, Gerhart holds the third highest career total of running yards in national high school football history. He led Norco High School to the CIF Division 5 Southern Section football championship on December 9, 2005. Gerhart was named the Gatorade High School Player of the Year for the state of California and was named California's Mr. Football by Cal-Hi Sports. Gerhart also played baseball and graduated as a valedictorian of his high school class.
Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987) is an American football running back who currently plays for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Arkansas from 2005 to 2007. McFadden was drafted fourth overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2008 NFL Draft.
McFadden graduated from Oak Grove High School in North Little Rock, Arkansas. A widely touted recruit, he chose to attend the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas where he would become a two-time member of the Associated Press All-America team as a tailback for the Razorbacks in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, he became the first sophomore to win the Doak Walker Award, the award honoring the nation's top collegiate running back. He joined Ricky Williams as only the second two-time winner after taking home the award again in 2007. McFadden also won the 2007 Walter Camp Award as the nation's best player and was also the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy two years in a row in 2006 and 2007.
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