Filed under: Football
The fight was against Scott Carson, the poor guy that Walker obliterated with a left hook in the first minute of fighting. After knocking Carson to the ground, Walker continued to pound away on him until the referee stopped the fight.
Walker's return to public competition at the age of 48 is nothing short of inspirational. The man who once said "My body is like an army" has proven it to the public by doing what many thought would be impossible. In addition to MMA fighting, Herschel has excelled in quite a few other sports as well: Walker is the only college football player in NCAA history to be listed in the top three in Heisman voting for all three years he was in college. He finished 7th in the 1992 Winter Olympics in the two-man bobsled. He nearly made the Olympic team as a sprinter. He is a fifth-degree black belt. He even did ballet.
The NFL grew frustrated with Walker's multiple interests, and so did I. It always seemed that Walker insisted upon being engaged in far too many sports, as if he was in possession of multiple athletic personalities. It turns out that this is not far from the truth.
Walker recently admitted publicly that he suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. He says that the condition is so serious that he can't remember winning the Heisman Trophy. He also said that he put a gun to his own head and doesn't remember doing it. So in addition to his amazing athletic feats, Walker has certainly overcome a great deal during his life.
Walker says that every day, he does 3,500 sit-ups and 1,000 push-ups, which has been his routine since high school. Given that those who defy father time in such a blatant way sometimes disappoint us by using performance-enhancing drugs, I sincerely hope that Walker has been able to achieve his remarkable feat without the use of Human Growth Hormone or some other banned substance. At the end of the day, he is impressive, and I fully suspect that we'll be hearing his name a lot more often. Way to go Herschel, your feat is truly awesome.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.