Fulton Walker

Fulton Walker
No. 41
Position:Cornerback
Return specialist
Personal information
Born:(1958-04-30)April 30, 1958
Martinsburg, West Virginia, U.S.
Died:October 12, 2016(2016-10-12) (aged 58)
Martinsburg, West Virginia, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Martinsburg
College:West Virginia
NFL draft:1981 / round: 6 / pick: 154
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions:5
Return yards:5,216
Touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Fulton Luther Walker Jr. (April 30, 1958 – October 12, 2016) was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for the Miami Dolphins from 1981 to 1985 and Los Angeles Raiders from 1985 to 1986 of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers. He graduated from Martinsburg High School and West Virginia University.

College career

Walker played for West Virginia from 1977 to 1980, mostly as a defensive back, though he played running back in his sophomore season. Walker recorded 194 tackles and 5 interceptions on defense, while also rushing for 392 yards and two touchdowns.[1] His primary role on the team was as a kick returner, returning 58 punts for 675 yards and three touchdowns, along with 51 kickoff returns for 1,066 yards.[2]

Professional career

On defense, Walker recorded five interceptions during his career, which he returned for 62 yards. His main contributions came as a punt and kickoff returner on special teams, recording a total of 145 punt returns for 1,437 yards and 167 kickoff returns for 3,779 yards and a touchdown. Walker's best season was in the strike shortened nine-game season of 1982, when he recorded three interceptions on defense and 433 kickoff return yards, assisting his team to a championship appearance in Super Bowl XVII. In 1985, he recorded an NFL record 692 punt return yards. This would stand as a record until 1996 when it was surpassed by Desmond Howard's 870 yards.

Walker is best remembered for his performance on special teams in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX. In Super Bowl XVII, Walker recorded four kickoff returns for 190 yards and a touchdown, setting Super Bowl records for most kick return yards and highest single game yards-per-return average (47.5). This included a record 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter, the first kickoff ever to be returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl history. He also had a 42-yard return that set up a Dolphins field goal. His contributions helped the Dolphins maintain a lead in the game until late in the fourth quarter, despite Miami quarterback David Woodley being limited to just four completions in the entire game. In Super Bowl XIX, Walker contributed 93 kickoff return yards and 15 yards returning punts.

Life after football

In honor of his special teams highlights, the West Virginia Sports Writers Association gives out the Fulton Walker Award each year to the state's top high school special teams player.[3]

Walker was born and lived in Martinsburg, West Virginia, where he was the victim of a violent break-in at his home in August 2013.[4] One of the men involved in the crime, during which Walker was beaten and assaulted, was sentenced to 18 years in prison.[5]

Walker died in Martinsburg on October 12, 2016.[6] He is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated hits to the head.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ "Fulton Walker, WVU captain and Super Bowl standout, dies at 58". October 13, 2016.
  2. ^ "Fulton Walker College Stats".
  3. ^ Rick Kozlowski (December 15, 2014). "Musselman's Glover wins Fulton Walker Award". Charleston Daily Mail. Archived from the original on January 19, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  4. ^ Edward Marshall (August 31, 2013). "Ex-NFL player victim in robbery". The Journal. Archived from the original on January 19, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  5. ^ Edward Marshall (August 13, 2014). "Man gets 18-year sentence for robbery of ex-NFL player". The Journal. Archived from the original on January 19, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  6. ^ Rick Kozlowski (October 13, 2016). "Former Martinsburg, NFL football star Fulton Walker dies at age 58". The Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  7. ^ "The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)". Concussion Legacy Foundation. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  8. ^ Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller (June 20, 2023). "Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2023.

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