Georgia Bulldogs And The Heisman Winning Herschel Walker

The Georgia Bulldogs football team has been one of the most successful in history, having won nearly two thirds of all games they have played since 1892. Members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the “Dawgs” can routinely be found in the top 25 polls of the best teams in the nation, and are usually considered amongst college football’s elite programs – though recent years have seen them somewhat less successful than they have been in the past. Their stadium in Athens, Georgia is the fifth largest of its kind to exist on any American campus, and seas more than 90,000 fans. The Bulldogs have fielded a host of great players in their history, but perhaps none have been as well known as Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, who carried the ball for the Bulldogs from 1980 to 1982.

The future Heisman

Walker was one of those rare running backs who made contributions wherever he went. Upon arriving at the Georgia campus, he saw play as a freshman – a lot of play – as he bowled over opposing defenders on his way to new freshman records for yards rushing. Most impressively, the Georgia team was undefeated in Walker’s first season, which helped propel the young man into third place in that year’s Heisman voting. The fact that he was even in contention in an era that frowned on such awards for freshmen is just one indication of how good he really was. After defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the postseason Sugar Bowl, the Bulldogs were awarded a national title. Walker would continue his powerful running throughout the next two seasons, performing so well that he was finally awarded the Heisman Trophy in his junior season of 1982.

The junior professional

That junior year turned out to be his last in a Bulldogs uniform, as Walker made the fateful decision to attempt to circumvent the existing NFL rules and opt out of his senior season of college football in favor of going pro. Herschel was no dummy, and he recognized that his Heisman fame and stellar three seasons with the Georgia team had provided him with an elevated public profile that was unlikely to be raised any further by a fourth year of college play. He also recognized that if he could acquire some level of control over where he played in the National Football League, that he would then receive more control over the type of advertising revenue that he could receive.

With an eye toward controlling his own future as a professional, Walker opted to sign on with the United States Football League, utilizing his considerable skills as running back right up until the League disbanded in 1986. The Dallas Cowboys, however, had selected Walker in the draft of 1985, and openly welcomed him to their ranks in 1986.

A legacy of unorthodox decisions

Though often cited as one of the greatest college football players of all time, his accomplishments off the field have been just as important to the game. Widely recognized as having helped to force the NFL to change its rules regarding college juniors entering the NFL draft, Herschel had an undeniable impact on the lives of the many college players who followed in his footsteps.

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