Controversies of the Football Star Turned Senate Hopeful

In three years at the University of Georgia, he was an All-American each season and won the Heisman Trophy in 1982.

In 1983, after his junior year, he turned pro and chose to sign a 3-year, $5 million contract with the New Jersey Generals of the upstart USFL. According to rules at the time, Walker was not eligible for the NFL until 1985.

Source: New York Times

It was with the Generals that Walker first met Donald Trump, who became the team’s owner in 1984. Trump gave Walker a contract extension that would have kept the running back with the Generals through 1989 and raised his total earnings to $10-11 million over seven years.

Source: New York Times

Despite the extension, the Dallas Cowboys drafted Walker in the fifth round of the 1985 draft. The risk paid off. When the USFL folded that year, Walker signed a 5-year, $5 million deal with the Cowboys.

Source: Sun-Sentinel

After three seasons with the Cowboys, Jerry Jones purchased the Cowboys and hired Jimmy Johnson to replace the legendary Tom Landry as coach. Johnson wanted to rebuild the team from scratch, so he traded his most valuable player, Walker, to the Minnesota Vikings in one of the biggest deals in league history. The Cowboys received four players and eight draft picks, using those to win three of the next six Super Bowls.

Source: Sun-Sentinel