Marquise Walker
Encyclopedia
Marquise Walker is a former professional American football
wide receiver
and punt returner
who signed to play in the National Football League
(NFL). He played college football
at the University of Michigan
where he set many of the school's receiving records and became an 2001 College Football All-American
. In 2001, he led the Big Ten Conference
in receptions
. In 2004, Braylon Edwards
surpassed most of his school records. In high school, Walker set several important New York State Public High School Athletic Association
(NYSPHSAA) football records for receptions and reception yardage. All of these records have since been broken. Walker is remembered for a pair of spectacular one-handed catches during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season
.
He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
with the 86th overall pick in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft
. He was injured during his first year with Tampa Bay and had several brief stints with several other NFL teams over the next two seasons. Walker has yet to succeed as a professional football player. Several scouts have noted that he is not fast enough to dominate at the professional level the way he did at lower levels using other skills such as balance, strength, and size. Walker has not been affiliated with any NFL team since he was arrested in an alcohol-related automobile accident in 2004. He had signed to play in the Arena Football League in 2006, but did not play. Walker had two additional DUI arrests in 2006.
, and was a high school football All-American for Henninger High School
in Syracuse. He was also a standout basketball
player who averaged over twenty points a game as a sophomore and junior, but abandoned the sport for football. In high school, he established numerous NYSPHSAA football records: career receptions (181), single-season receptions (80), and career receiving yards (3352). In addition, he recorded the second highest single-season yardage total (1190). His 13 single-season touchdown
s was third in state history, and he totaled thirty-five career touchdowns for Henninger. He played defensive back
and accumulated two hundred tackles
and fourteen interceptions. Walker was named as the Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year for New York State, and he was named to the 1997 USAToday All-USA high school football team. He was ranked as the ninth best high school football prospect in the country in 1998 by the Sporting News.
Walker's career high school records were broken in 2004 by Bruce Williams out of Syracuse's Christian Brothers Academy
, who played for the Syracuse Orange football
team from 2005 through 2008. Williams took four years to break Walker's record which was set during only three years. Walker's single season receptions record was broken in 2001 by Anthony Morat of Rome, New York
's "Free Academy" who later played Division III football at State University of New York at Cortland
from 2003–2006 and earned 2006 first team All-conference honors. Harold Jasper, whose career receiving yards record Walker broke, later played for the Iowa Hawkeyes football
team and two Arena football teams. Jasper also was the only receiver to have had more single-season yards in New York State history than Walker.
, Baltimore Ravens
Senior vice president of football operations, Ozzie Newsome
referred to Walker's collegiate catches as some of the best catches he has seen in college in a long time. One of the one-handed catches was a touchdown catch in the back of the end zone against the Iowa Hawkeyes football team
in a 32–26 comeback from a 21–7 deficit on October 27, 2001. The Post-Standard, Walker's hometown newspaper, described his grab in the Iowa game this way: "There he was in the corner of the end zone, as two Iowa defensive back
s stalked him like sentries. The ball, delivered high and wide, seemed an improbable stretch, an impossible goal. And yet, as it spiraled toward him, Marquise Walker leaped and lifted his right arm. His fingertips grazed the leather and tipped it skyward. And then, as he tumbled back to earth, he wrapped his hands around the ball and caressed it to his chest. Touchdown Michigan."
Walker seriously considered playing for Syracuse University
of the Big East Conference
, but Syracuse Orange quarterback
Donovan McNabb
only had one more year remaining. McNabb, who was the Big East Conference offensive player of the decade for the 1990s, was not likely to be replaced by a quarterback of equal skill. Thus, Walker went on to wear #4 at Michigan. Walker played football at Michigan from the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season
through the 2001 season
, finishing his career with 176 receptions for 2,269 yards and 17 touchdowns. During his career he played on two Big Ten Championship teams (1998, 2000), but neither team went to the Rose Bowl. During his career, the two teams that he compiled the most total single-opponent receiving yards against were Michigan's fiercest conference opponents: He had 256 yards against Ohio State
and 251 yards against Michigan State
. His highest career single-opponent touchdown and single-opponent reception totals were also in the Michigan – Ohio State football rivalry games and his Paul Bunyan Trophy
game totals were tied for second in both of these statistics.
Playing at Washington on September 8, 2001, Walker set the Michigan record for the most receptions in a game with 15, surpassing Tai Streets
and Brad Myers. He tied his mark later in season against Ohio State
. This record continued to stand through the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
. Both of Walker's 15-reception efforts came in losses. He first recorded 15 receptions against the Washington Huskies football
team in a 23–18 loss where he accumulated 159 yards and two touchdown
s from quarterback
John Navarre
. On that day he added a 13-yard run and a 15-yard punt return. Then on the November 24, 2001 day that he surpassed Carter as the career receptions leader, he totaled 15 receptions in a 26–20 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes football team while accumulating 160 yards and two touchdowns. These two games with 160 and 159 yards receiving were Walker's career highs. His other 150 yard game came against the Michigan State
football team during the same season on November 3, 2001 with nine receptions. Walker had two touchdowns in each of his three 150-yard reception games.
Walker set several other records at Michigan that have been surpassed. His career reception total surpassed that of Anthony Carter as the most in school history. During his senior year in 2001, Walker set Michigan single-season records with 86 receptions and 1,143 receiving yards, surpassing Jack Clancy
(who still holds the record for receptions for ten games) and David Terrell, respectively. Walker also broke Mercury Hayes
' school record for most consecutive games with a reception (32 games). These marks were all surpassed by Braylon Edwards
in 2004. He also set the single-season 100-yard games record with six. This mark has been surpassed by both Edwards and Mario Manningham
.
During his time at Michigan he blocked a total of four punt
s. One block set up a field goal in Michigan's 2001 20–17 victory against Wisconsin
at Camp Randall Stadium
. The NCAA Division I-A career record was seven when he completed his eligibility and is now ten, and the Big Ten record was five and is now six based on the NCAA record book. The total continues to be a Michigan record by virtue of the fact that the NCAA record book does not recognize any Michigan player as having recorded more than four. However, some press reports credit Ed Frutig
with five punt blocks during the eight-game 1940 season.
Walker's statistics ranked him highly in Big Ten Conference
history. Both his single-game reception total of 15 and his single-season reception total of 86 were sixth in Big Ten history at the end of his career although both were ninth all time through the 2006 NCAA season. Walker won both the Big Ten Conference games and Big Ten all games receptions titles in 2001. He ranked sixth in the nation in receptions per game with 7.36 and 17th in reception yards per game with 94.82. During the 2001 season, his 1177 yards from scrimmage
(1143 yards receiving and 34 rushing) edged out B. J. Askew
's 1138 yards (236 yards receiving and 902 rushing) for the team lead in yards from scrimmage. In addition, he threw a 51-yard pass completion to Jermaine Gonzales, and he compiled 206 yards as a punt returner
. As a result, he also led the team in All-purpose yards. In a game against the Purdue Boilermakers
on October 13, 2001 he totaled 249 yards of total offense, including 134 yards on seven receptions and 112 yards on seven punt returns. Walker earned team MVP honors for the 2001 season. He was a Biletnikoff Award finalist. Among his All-American recognitions were a first-team selection by the American Football Coaches Association
, a second-team selection by the Associated Press
, and an honorable mention by CNNSI.com.
Scouts for the professional football teams described Walker as a "Big physical receiver, who uses his size to muscle the ball away from defenders...Lacks explosive speed, but has exceptional body control and balance." In another scouting report he was described as a "Striding-type runner who is not quick or sudden. Dominates average defensive back
s but has a hard time getting separation vs. a good corner
" In direct questioning during interviews, Walker confessed that he never had run a 40-yard dash and did not practice straight line speed. Thus, there was some consensus that he did not have the speed to play wide receiver in the National Football League and that he did not work on his speed. It was also said that he "Lacks soft hands and will do a lot of double-catching and body-catching. Has a lot of drops for a featured No. 1 receiver."
When Jon Gruden
took over the head coach
ing job of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
from Tony Dungy
, he made Walker his first draft selection in the 2002 NFL Draft with the 86th overall selection that came in the third round of the draft. Although Walker was property of the Buccaneers for the 2002 NFL season
he did not appear in any games. Walker had been behind Keyshawn Johnson
, Joe Jurevicius
and Keenan McCardell
on the Buccaneer 2002 depth chart
. Then, he injured his ankle in August and was inactive for the first four games of the season. He was injured in September with torn ligament
s in his thumb and had season ending surgery, which caused the Buccaneers to place him on injured reserve
in October. Thus, he was not on the game roster
for the Super Bowl XXXVII
Champion Buccaneers. He was traded to the Arizona Cardinals
for running back
Thomas Jones prior to the 2003 NFL season
after the Cardinals lost their top three wide receivers (including David Boston
and Frank Sanders) to free agency
. He was cut by the Cardinals on August 23, 2003 and picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals
on August 25, 2003 who released him on August 27, 2003. The Tennessee Titans
briefly placed him on their practice squad while trying to convert him to tight end
later during the season, and the Miami Dolphins
worked him out at different times during the season.
Walker, who had signed with the Super Bowl
Champion New England Patriots
in February prior to the 2004 NFL season
for the league minimum $305,000, was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol
for DUI
with property damage or personal injury on July 18, 2004. Walker reportedly rear-ended
another driver along Interstate 275
before veering onto the hard shoulder and colliding with two trees. Walker's blood-alcohol level was more than twice Florida
's legal limit of .08 percent. Police reports estimated that Walker incurred $10,000 in damage to his rented 2004 Chevrolet
sports utility vehicle, and the accident totaled the other driver's 1997 Mazda
Coupe. Both the driver and passenger in the other car were treated at St. Joseph's Hospital. Walker was released by the Patriots on July 21, 2004, but the press releases made no formal connection between the arrest and his release. Of the more than 300 arrests and citations involving NFL players between 2000 and 2007 that were more serious than speeding tickets, Walker's is one of the approximately 13% that appear to have had no publicly announced legal resolution, but Walker had two more DUI arrests in 2006. Walker signed with the Orlando Predators
of the Arena Football League to play wide receiver and linebacker
for Predator head coach
Jay Gruden
during the 2006 Arena Football League season
. Gruden was also an offensive assistant coach with the Super Bowl XXXVII
champion Buccaneers. Walker was waived by the Predators, and he has yet to play in the Arena Football League.
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...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
and punt returner
Punt returner
Punt returner is a position on special teams in American football.-Description:The role of a punt returner is to catch the ball after it is punted and to give his team good field position by returning it. Before catching the punted ball, the returner must assess the situation on the field while...
who signed to play 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). He 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...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
where he set many of the school's receiving records and became an 2001 College Football All-American
2001 College Football All-America Team
The 2001 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, Pro Football Weekly, Football News and Sports IllustratedThe...
. In 2001, he led the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
in receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
. In 2004, Braylon Edwards
Braylon Edwards
-Cleveland Browns:-2005:Edwards began his rookie season as Cleveland's third wide receiver – he would have started higher, but a hold-out caused him to miss the beginning of training camp. Early in the season Edwards revealed that he had a staph infection, and missed a few weeks as a result of it....
surpassed most of his school records. In high school, Walker set several important New York State Public High School Athletic Association
New York State Public High School Athletic Association
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association is the governing body of interscholastic sports for many schools in New York. It consists of 768 member high schools from the state divided into 11 numbered sections...
(NYSPHSAA) football records for receptions and reception yardage. All of these records have since been broken. Walker is remembered for a pair of spectacular one-handed catches during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season
2001 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the University of Miami winning the national title for the fifth time.The Hurricanes were led by Larry Coker, who was in his first year as head coach after five years as Miami's offensive coordinator under Butch Davis...
.
He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
with the 86th overall pick in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 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 took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
. He was injured during his first year with Tampa Bay and had several brief stints with several other NFL teams over the next two seasons. Walker has yet to succeed as a professional football player. Several scouts have noted that he is not fast enough to dominate at the professional level the way he did at lower levels using other skills such as balance, strength, and size. Walker has not been affiliated with any NFL team since he was arrested in an alcohol-related automobile accident in 2004. He had signed to play in the Arena Football League in 2006, but did not play. Walker had two additional DUI arrests in 2006.
High school
Walker was born in Syracuse, New YorkSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, and was a high school football All-American for Henninger High School
Henninger High School
Anthony A. Henninger High School is a high school in the Syracuse City School District. Henninger is the largest of the four High Schools in this district with a student population of approximately 1,800 people.- History :...
in Syracuse. He was also a standout 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...
player who averaged over twenty points a game as a sophomore and junior, but abandoned the sport for football. In high school, he established numerous NYSPHSAA football records: career receptions (181), single-season receptions (80), and career receiving yards (3352). In addition, he recorded the second highest single-season yardage total (1190). His 13 single-season touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s was third in state history, and he totaled thirty-five career touchdowns for Henninger. He played defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
and accumulated two hundred tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
and fourteen interceptions. Walker was named as the Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year for New York State, and he was named to the 1997 USAToday All-USA high school football team. He was ranked as the ninth best high school football prospect in the country in 1998 by the Sporting News.
Walker's career high school records were broken in 2004 by Bruce Williams out of Syracuse's Christian Brothers Academy
Christian Brothers Academy
Christian Brothers Academy is the name of schools run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, including:* Christian Brothers Academy - Lincroft, New Jersey* Christian Brothers Academy...
, who played for the Syracuse Orange football
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
team from 2005 through 2008. Williams took four years to break Walker's record which was set during only three years. Walker's single season receptions record was broken in 2001 by Anthony Morat of Rome, New York
Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...
's "Free Academy" who later played Division III football at State University of New York at Cortland
State University of New York at Cortland
The State University of New York College at Cortland, also officially called SUNY Cortland or informally known as Cortland State, is a coeducational university located in Cortland, New York...
from 2003–2006 and earned 2006 first team All-conference honors. Harold Jasper, whose career receiving yards record Walker broke, later played for the Iowa Hawkeyes football
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
team and two Arena football teams. Jasper also was the only receiver to have had more single-season yards in New York State history than Walker.
College career
Walker is best remembered for a pair of one-handed catches he made in 2001. Prior to the 2002 NFL Draft2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 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 took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
, 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...
Senior vice president of football operations, Ozzie Newsome
Ozzie Newsome
Ozzie Newsome Jr. and a 1974 graduate of Colbert County High School in Leighton, Alabama, is a former American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns, an inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the current General Manager of the Baltimore Ravens.-College career:Before his NFL career,...
referred to Walker's collegiate catches as some of the best catches he has seen in college in a long time. One of the one-handed catches was a touchdown catch in the back of the end zone against the Iowa Hawkeyes football team
2001 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
The 2001 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa and the Iowa Hawkeyes football program during the 2001 college football season...
in a 32–26 comeback from a 21–7 deficit on October 27, 2001. The Post-Standard, Walker's hometown newspaper, described his grab in the Iowa game this way: "There he was in the corner of the end zone, as two Iowa defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
s stalked him like sentries. The ball, delivered high and wide, seemed an improbable stretch, an impossible goal. And yet, as it spiraled toward him, Marquise Walker leaped and lifted his right arm. His fingertips grazed the leather and tipped it skyward. And then, as he tumbled back to earth, he wrapped his hands around the ball and caressed it to his chest. Touchdown Michigan."
Walker seriously considered playing for Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
of the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
, but Syracuse Orange quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
only had one more year remaining. McNabb, who was the Big East Conference offensive player of the decade for the 1990s, was not likely to be replaced by a quarterback of equal skill. Thus, Walker went on to wear #4 at Michigan. Walker played football at Michigan from the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season
1998 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first of the Bowl Championship Series, which saw Tennessee win the national championship, one year after star quarterback Peyton Manning left for the NFL...
through the 2001 season
2001 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the University of Miami winning the national title for the fifth time.The Hurricanes were led by Larry Coker, who was in his first year as head coach after five years as Miami's offensive coordinator under Butch Davis...
, finishing his career with 176 receptions for 2,269 yards and 17 touchdowns. During his career he played on two Big Ten Championship teams (1998, 2000), but neither team went to the Rose Bowl. During his career, the two teams that he compiled the most total single-opponent receiving yards against were Michigan's fiercest conference opponents: He had 256 yards against Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
and 251 yards against Michigan State
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
. His highest career single-opponent touchdown and single-opponent reception totals were also in the Michigan – Ohio State football rivalry games and his Paul Bunyan Trophy
Paul Bunyan Trophy
The Paul Bunyan–Governor of Michigan Trophy is a college rivalry trophy awarded to the winner of the annual American football game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines. The winner retains possession of the trophy until the next year's game...
game totals were tied for second in both of these statistics.
Playing at Washington on September 8, 2001, Walker set the Michigan record for the most receptions in a game with 15, surpassing Tai Streets
Tai Streets
Tai Streets is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League . He was selected with the second pick of the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Detroit Lions in 2004. He was the leading receiver for the...
and Brad Myers. He tied his mark later in season against Ohio State
2001 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 2001 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 2001-2002. It marked their first season under new head coach Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes compiled a 7–5 record, capped by a 26–20 victory over their fierce rival the Michigan...
. This record continued to stand through the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
. Both of Walker's 15-reception efforts came in losses. He first recorded 15 receptions against the Washington Huskies football
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
team in a 23–18 loss where he accumulated 159 yards and two touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s from quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
John Navarre
John Navarre
John Robert Navarre is a former American football quarterback who was a three-year starter for the Michigan Wolverines from 2001 to 2003, leading the Wolverines to the 2003 Big Ten Conference championship in his final year of eligibility...
. On that day he added a 13-yard run and a 15-yard punt return. Then on the November 24, 2001 day that he surpassed Carter as the career receptions leader, he totaled 15 receptions in a 26–20 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes football team while accumulating 160 yards and two touchdowns. These two games with 160 and 159 yards receiving were Walker's career highs. His other 150 yard game came against the Michigan State
2001 Michigan State Spartans football team
The 2001 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 2001 college football season.The Spartans played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan...
football team during the same season on November 3, 2001 with nine receptions. Walker had two touchdowns in each of his three 150-yard reception games.
Walker set several other records at Michigan that have been surpassed. His career reception total surpassed that of Anthony Carter as the most in school history. During his senior year in 2001, Walker set Michigan single-season records with 86 receptions and 1,143 receiving yards, surpassing Jack Clancy
Jack Clancy
Jack David Clancy is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Miami Dolphins in 1967 and 1969 and for the Green Bay Packers in 1970. He also played in college for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1963 to 1966....
(who still holds the record for receptions for ten games) and David Terrell, respectively. Walker also broke Mercury Hayes
Mercury Hayes
Mercury Wayne Hayes is a former professional American football and Canadian football wide receiver, kickoff returner, and punt returner. He has played in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, and he has played in the Canadian Football League for the...
' school record for most consecutive games with a reception (32 games). These marks were all surpassed by Braylon Edwards
Braylon Edwards
-Cleveland Browns:-2005:Edwards began his rookie season as Cleveland's third wide receiver – he would have started higher, but a hold-out caused him to miss the beginning of training camp. Early in the season Edwards revealed that he had a staph infection, and missed a few weeks as a result of it....
in 2004. He also set the single-season 100-yard games record with six. This mark has been surpassed by both Edwards and Mario Manningham
Mario Manningham
Mario Cashmere Manningham is an American football wide receiver for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
.
During his time at Michigan he blocked a total of four punt
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
s. One block set up a field goal in Michigan's 2001 20–17 victory against Wisconsin
2001 Wisconsin Badgers football team
The 2001 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season.-Schedule:-Season summary:...
at Camp Randall Stadium
Camp Randall Stadium
Camp Randall Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. It has been the home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team in rudimentary form since 1895, and as a complete stadium since 1917. It is located on the center-southern region of the University of Wisconsin campus. The stadium seats...
. The NCAA Division I-A career record was seven when he completed his eligibility and is now ten, and the Big Ten record was five and is now six based on the NCAA record book. The total continues to be a Michigan record by virtue of the fact that the NCAA record book does not recognize any Michigan player as having recorded more than four. However, some press reports credit Ed Frutig
Ed Frutig
Edward C. Frutig was an American football end who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1938-1940. He was selected as a first-team All-American in 1940 by William Randolph Hearst's International News Service. A teammate of Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon for three years at...
with five punt blocks during the eight-game 1940 season.
Walker's statistics ranked him highly in Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
history. Both his single-game reception total of 15 and his single-season reception total of 86 were sixth in Big Ten history at the end of his career although both were ninth all time through the 2006 NCAA season. Walker won both the Big Ten Conference games and Big Ten all games receptions titles in 2001. He ranked sixth in the nation in receptions per game with 7.36 and 17th in reception yards per game with 94.82. During the 2001 season, his 1177 yards from scrimmage
Yards from scrimmage
Yards from scrimmage is an American football and Canadian football statistical measure. In the game of football, progress is measured by advancing the football towards the opposing team's goal line. Progress can be made during play by the offensive team by advancing the ball from the its point of...
(1143 yards receiving and 34 rushing) edged out B. J. Askew
B. J. Askew
Bobby DeAngelo Askew, Jr. is an American football fullback who is currently a free agent. He played college football as the University of Michigan. He ranks first all-time among Michigan running backs in reception yards....
's 1138 yards (236 yards receiving and 902 rushing) for the team lead in yards from scrimmage. In addition, he threw a 51-yard pass completion to Jermaine Gonzales, and he compiled 206 yards as a punt returner
Punt returner
Punt returner is a position on special teams in American football.-Description:The role of a punt returner is to catch the ball after it is punted and to give his team good field position by returning it. Before catching the punted ball, the returner must assess the situation on the field while...
. As a result, he also led the team in All-purpose yards. In a game against the Purdue Boilermakers
2001 Purdue Boilermakers football team
The 2001 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented the US Purdue University in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season.-Schedule:-Rivalries:*In the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket, Indiana beat Purdue....
on October 13, 2001 he totaled 249 yards of total offense, including 134 yards on seven receptions and 112 yards on seven punt returns. Walker earned team MVP honors for the 2001 season. He was a Biletnikoff Award finalist. Among his All-American recognitions were a first-team selection by the American Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
, a second-team selection by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, and an honorable mention by CNNSI.com.
Professional career
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
s but has a hard time getting separation vs. a good corner
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
" In direct questioning during interviews, Walker confessed that he never had run a 40-yard dash and did not practice straight line speed. Thus, there was some consensus that he did not have the speed to play wide receiver in the National Football League and that he did not work on his speed. It was also said that he "Lacks soft hands and will do a lot of double-catching and body-catching. Has a lot of drops for a featured No. 1 receiver."
When Jon Gruden
Jon Gruden
Jon David Gruden is an American football analyst and former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for seven seasons and prior to that the Oakland Raiders for four seasons. In his first year as the head coach of Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII, defeating the Raiders whom he had...
took over the head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
ing job of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
from Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy
Anthony Kevin "Tony" Dungy [DUN-jee] is a former professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. Dungy was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001, and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008...
, he made Walker his first draft selection in the 2002 NFL Draft with the 86th overall selection that came in the third round of the draft. Although Walker was property of the Buccaneers for the 2002 NFL season
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
he did not appear in any games. Walker had been behind Keyshawn Johnson
Keyshawn Johnson
Joseph Keyshawn Johnson is a former American football wide receiver, interior designer, business executive, author and current television broadcaster for sports channel ESPN. He retired from football on May 23, 2007 after an eleven-year career in the National Football League...
, Joe Jurevicius
Joe Jurevicius
Joseph Michael Jurevicius is a retired American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State....
and Keenan McCardell
Keenan McCardell
Keenan Wayne McCardell is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League and current wide receivers coach for the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Redskins in the 12th round of the 1991 NFL Draft...
on the Buccaneer 2002 depth chart
Depth chart
In sports, a depth chart is used to show the placements of the starting players and the secondary players. Generally a starting player will be listed first or on top while a back-up will be listed below...
. Then, he injured his ankle in August and was inactive for the first four games of the season. He was injured in September with torn ligament
Ligament
In anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote any of three types of structures. Most commonly, it refers to fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones and is also known as articular ligament, articular larua, fibrous ligament, or true ligament.Ligament can also refer to:* Peritoneal...
s in his thumb and had season ending surgery, which caused the Buccaneers to place him on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
in October. Thus, he was not on the game roster
Roster
A roster is a list of names of people involved with an organization of some kind.A roster can be a list of people and the times when they are required to work or a list of students in a classroom....
for the Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season...
Champion Buccaneers. He was traded to the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
for running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Thomas Jones prior to the 2003 NFL season
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
after the Cardinals lost their top three wide receivers (including David Boston
David Boston
David Byron Boston is a professional football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Arizona Cardinals eighth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft...
and Frank Sanders) to free agency
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was cut by the Cardinals on August 23, 2003 and picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
on August 25, 2003 who released him on August 27, 2003. The Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
briefly placed him on their practice squad while trying to convert him to 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...
later during the season, and the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
worked him out at different times during the season.
Walker, who had signed with the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
Champion New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in February prior to the 2004 NFL season
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
for the league minimum $305,000, was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol
Florida Highway Patrol
The Division of the Florida Highway Patrol is a division of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the law enforcement agency charged with ensuring the safety of the highways and roads of the state.-History:...
for DUI
DUI
DUI is a three letter acronym that may stand for:* Driving under the influence * Democratic Union for Integration — the largest ethnic Albanian party in the Republic of Macedonia* Data Use Identifier...
with property damage or personal injury on July 18, 2004. Walker reportedly rear-ended
Rear-end collision
A rear-end collision is a traffic accident wherein a vehicle crashes into the vehicle in front of it, usually caused by tailgating or panic stops...
another driver along Interstate 275
Interstate 275 (Florida)
Interstate 275 in Florida serves the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, measuring 60.696 miles in length. The southern terminus is I-75 near Palmetto, just five miles east of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a toll bridge crossing Tampa Bay. The highway passes through St...
before veering onto the hard shoulder and colliding with two trees. Walker's blood-alcohol level was more than twice Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
's legal limit of .08 percent. Police reports estimated that Walker incurred $10,000 in damage to his rented 2004 Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
sports utility vehicle, and the accident totaled the other driver's 1997 Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
Coupe. Both the driver and passenger in the other car were treated at St. Joseph's Hospital. Walker was released by the Patriots on July 21, 2004, but the press releases made no formal connection between the arrest and his release. Of the more than 300 arrests and citations involving NFL players between 2000 and 2007 that were more serious than speeding tickets, Walker's is one of the approximately 13% that appear to have had no publicly announced legal resolution, but Walker had two more DUI arrests in 2006. Walker signed with the Orlando Predators
Orlando Predators
The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 19 seasons in a row, as of the season, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000...
of the Arena Football League to play wide receiver and linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for Predator head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Jay Gruden
Jay Gruden
Jay Gruden is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is currently the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals and was formerly the head coach of the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. He is also a decorated player and coach in Arena Football League history,...
during the 2006 Arena Football League season
2006 Arena Football League season
The 2006 Arena Football League season was the 20th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Chicago Rush, who defeated the Orlando Predators in ArenaBowl XX....
. Gruden was also an offensive assistant coach with the Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season...
champion Buccaneers. Walker was waived by the Predators, and he has yet to play in the Arena Football League.