Aaron Walker (football player)
Encyclopedia
Aaron Scott Walker is a former American college and professional football
player who was a tight end
in the National Football League
(NFL) for five seasons in the early 2000s. Walker played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter he played professionally for the San Francisco 49ers
and St. Louis Rams
of the NFL.
in 1980. He attended Astronaut High School
in Titusville, and played high school football
for the Astronaut War Eagles. As a senior tight end in 1997, Walker caught thirty-six for 497 yards, while also recording eighty-two tackles and fourteen quarterback sack
s as a defensive end
. He received Florida Class 4A all-state honors and was recognized as a high school All-American by PrepStar and Super Prep. Walker was also a letterman in basketball
and baseball
.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played for coach Steve Spurrier
and coach Ron Zook
's Florida Gators football
teams from 1999 to 2002
. Walker was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) selection after his senior
season in 2002. In his four-year college career, he played in forty-seven games, started twenty-nine of them, and caught fifty-six passes for 716 yards and nine touchdowns.
, and he played for the 49ers in and . He was also an active team member of the St. Louis Rams from to , and a member of the Baltimore Ravens
and Cleveland Browns
practice squads. During his five-season NFL playing career, he appeared in fifty-five regular season games, started fourteen of them, and had twenty-five receptions for 312 yards and a touchdown.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was a tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) for five seasons in the early 2000s. Walker played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter he played professionally for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
of the NFL.
Early years
Walker was born in Titusville, FloridaTitusville, Florida
Titusville is a city in Brevard County, Florida in the United States. It is the county seat of Brevard County. Nicknamed Space City, USA, Titusville is on the Indian River, west of Merritt Island and the Kennedy Space Center and south-southwest of the Canaveral National Seashore...
in 1980. He attended Astronaut High School
Astronaut High School
Astronaut High School is located in Brevard County, in the city of Titusville, Florida, USA. It is part of the Brevard County School District. The school name comes from its location, near the Kennedy Space Center. The school was built in 1972...
in Titusville, and played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
for the Astronaut War Eagles. As a senior tight end in 1997, Walker caught thirty-six for 497 yards, while also recording eighty-two tackles and fourteen quarterback sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s as a defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
. He received Florida Class 4A all-state honors and was recognized as a high school All-American by PrepStar and Super Prep. Walker was also a letterman in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
.
College career
Walker received an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played for coach Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
and coach Ron Zook
Ron Zook
Ron Zook is a former American football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at the University of Florida from 2002 to 2004 and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2005 to 2011. Zook is a native of Ohio and an alumnus of Miami University, where he...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
teams from 1999 to 2002
2002 Florida Gators football team
The 2002 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2002 college football season...
. Walker was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) selection after his senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
season in 2002. In his four-year college career, he played in forty-seven games, started twenty-nine of them, and caught fifty-six passes for 716 yards and nine touchdowns.
Professional career
The San Francisco 49ers selected Walker in the fifth round (161st overall pick) of the 2003 NFL Draft2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
, and he played for the 49ers in and . He was also an active team member of the St. Louis Rams from to , and a member of the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
and Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
practice squads. During his five-season NFL playing career, he appeared in fifty-five regular season games, started fourteen of them, and had twenty-five receptions for 312 yards and a touchdown.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1990–1999
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of St. Louis Rams players