Content deleted Content added
Red Director (talk | contribs) Reference edited with ProveIt #proveit |
m Fixing miscapitalization of NFL draft links (Task 3, v0.5.1, report errors) |
||
(12 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown) | |||
Line 2:
{{distinguish|Wes Welker}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=
{{multiple issues|
{{BLP sources|date=February 2015}}
Line 9:
}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| image = Wesley Walker 1981.jpg
| name = Wesley Walker
| caption = Walker playing for the Jets in 1981
| number = 85
| position = [[Wide receiver]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|5|26}}
| birth_place = [[San Bernardino, California]], U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 0
| weight_lbs = 179
| high_school = [[Carson High School (Carson, California)|Carson (CA)]]
| college = [[California Golden Bears football|California]]
| draftyear = 1977
| draftround = 2
| draftpick = 33
| teams =
* [[New York Jets]] ({{NFL Year|1977}}–{{NFL Year|1989}})
| highlights =
* First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1978 All-Pro Team|1978]])
* 2× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1978 Pro Bowl|1977]], [[1983 Pro Bowl|1982]])
Line 39 ⟶ 32:
* [[Pro Football Writers of America NFL All-Rookie Team|PFWA All-Rookie Team]] ([[Pro Football Writers of America NFL All-Rookie Team#1977|1977]])
* [[New York Jets|New York Jets Ring of Honor]]
* Second-team [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference football teams|All-Pac-8]] ([[1975 All-Pacific-8 Conference football team|1975]], [[1976 All-Pacific-8 Conference football team|1976]])
| statlabel1 = [[Reception (American football)|Reception]]s
| statvalue1 = 438
| statlabel2 = Receiving yards
| statvalue2 = 8,306
| statlabel3 = [[Touchdowns]]
| statvalue3 = 71
| pfr = WalkWe00
}}
'''Wesley Darcel Walker''' (born May 26, 1955) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[wide receiver]] for the [[New York Jets]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL) from 1977 to 1989.
==Early life==
Walker graduated from [[Carson High School (Los Angeles)|Carson High School]] in [[Carson, California]], where he set many receiving and return records, and was an [[All-American]] for the [[California Golden Bears football|California Golden Bears]], catching 86 passes for 2,206 yards and 22 touchdowns over the course of four seasons, an average of 25.7 yards per catch.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/wesley-walker-2.html |title=Wesley Walker College Stats |website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com |language=en |access-date=
==Professional career==
[[Connie Carberg]], the first female [[Scout (sports)|scout]] in NFL history was credited with helping the Jets in their selection of Walker in the second round of the [[1977 NFL
Walker played in 13 games for the 1981 season, catching 47 passes for 770 yards with nine touchdowns. In his first playoff game as a receiver, facing the [[Buffalo Bills]], he caught three passes for 24 yards in the 31–27 loss.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wesley Walker 1981 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WalkWe00/gamelog/1981/ |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> The strike-shortened 1982 season saw Walker lose no steps in nine games. He caught 39 passes for 620 yards with six touchdowns while receiving a Pro Bowl selection. He had his first three-touchdown game on December 6 in a 28–13 win over Detroit.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wesley Walker Career Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WalkWe00/gamelog/ |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> In the Wild Card round against the Cincinnati Bengals, he caught eight passes for 145 yards for a touchdown in the 44–17 victory.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wild Card - New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals - January 9th, 1983 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198301090cin.htm |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He continued his ways in the Divisional Round versus Los Angeles, catching seven passes for 169 yards and a touchdown to opening the scoring in a 17–14 victory. It would not extend to the AFC Championship against Miami, where he caught one pass for zero yards in a 14–0 loss.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - New York Jets at Los Angeles Raiders - January 15th, 1983 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198301150rai.htm |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=AFC Championship - New York Jets at Miami Dolphins - January 23rd, 1983 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198301230mia.htm |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> His best receiving season came in [[1983 NFL season|1983]], when he had 61 receptions to go with 868 yards and eight touchdowns in a full season of play.
He played in twelve games in 1984 and caught 41 passes for 623 yards with seven touchdowns. He played the same amount of games the following year and caught 34 passes for 725 yards with five touchdowns while the Jets made the playoffs. He caught four passes for 54 yards in a 26–14 loss to New England. In 1986, he appeared in each game and caught 49 passes for 1,016 yards with a career-high twelve touchdowns. Four of them (a career best in a game for Walker) came in the September 21 game against Miami, which included both the game-tying and game-winning touchdown from [[Ken O'Brien]] in a wild 51–45 victory.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Miami Dolphins at New York Jets - September 21st, 1986 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198609210nyj.htm |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> The Jets made the playoffs for the fourth and final time with Walker on the roster. In the Wild Card game versus Kansas City, he caught two passes for 45 yards in the 35–15 victory. In the Divisional Round game against Cleveland, he caught the first score of the game from Pat Ryan while catching one other pass in a game that the Jets lost 23–20 in double overtime.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - New York Jets at Cleveland Browns - January 3rd, 1987 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198701030cle.htm |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Walker played in just five games in 1987, which was marred by a strike that saw Walker and other players not cross the picket lines while replacement players were used for three weeks. He separated his shoulder early against the [[Seattle Seahawks]] and ended up missing the rest of the season, having caught nine whole passes for 190 yards and one touchdown.<ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=November 10, 1987 |title=JETS STORM BY SEAHAWKS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/10/sports/jets-storm-by-seahawks.html |access-date=January 30, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He played in just six games of the 1988 season due to ankle issues, catching eight passes for 89 yards, with his last catch being against Atlanta on November 26.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wesley Walker 1989 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WalkWe00/gamelog/1989/ |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> On April 12, 1990, the Jets cut Walker, and he retired not long after that.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Litsky |first=Frank |date=April 13, 1990 |title=Walker and Ryan Are Dropped As Jets Move in New Direction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/13/sports/walker-and-ryan-are-dropped-as-jets-move-in-new-direction.html |access-date=January 30, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
He was noted for his great speed, averaging over 20 yards per reception over many seasons (his career average was 19 yards per reception). [[Legally blind]] in his left eye,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/13/science/visual-cues-compensate-for-blindness-in-one-eye.html |title=Visual Cues Compensate for Blindness in One Eye |date=September 13, 1983 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US |access-date=December 26, 2019}}</ref> Walker eventually retired as an all-time leader for the Jets.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gehman |first=Jim |date=February 21, 2019 |title=Where Are They Now: Wesley Walker |url=https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/where-are-they-now-wesley-walker |access-date=January 30, 2024 |website=NewYorkJets.com |language=en-US}}</ref> He had caught 438 passes for 8,306 yards and 71 touchdowns, which was second all-time to [[Don Maynard]] in each category in Jets history (he has stayed 2nd in receptions and touchdowns as of 2024).<ref>{{Cite web |title=New York Jets Career Receiving Leaders |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nyj/career-receiving.htm |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> On October 8, 2012, he was inducted into the Jets Ring of Honor alongside teammate [[Mark Gastineau]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 9, 2012 |title=Jets add Gastineau, Walker to Ring of Honor |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/nfl/story/_/id/8480976/new-york-jets-induct-mark-gastineau-wesley-walker-ring-honor |access-date=January 30, 2024 |website=ESPN.com|agency=Associated Press |language=en}}</ref>
==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="2"| Legend
|-
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league
|-
| '''Bold'''
| Career high
|}
=== Regular season ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Team
!colspan="2"| Games
!colspan="5"| Receiving
|-
! GP !! GS !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD
|-
! [[1977 NFL season|1977]] !! [[1977 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 14 || 14 || 35 || 740 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 21.1 || 87 || 3
|-
! [[1978 NFL season|1978]] !! [[1978 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| '''16''' || '''16''' || 48 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| '''1,169''' || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 24.4 || 77 || 8
|-
! [[1979 NFL season|1979]] !! [[1979 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 9 || 9 || 23 || 569 || '''24.7''' || 71 || 5
|-
! [[1980 NFL season|1980]] !! [[1980 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 10 || 7 || 18 || 376 || 20.9 || 47 || 1
|-
! [[1981 NFL season|1981]] !! [[1981 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 13 || 13 || 47 || 770 || 16.4 || 49 || 9
|-
! [[1982 NFL season|1982]] !! [[1982 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 9 || 9 || 39 || 620 || 15.9 || 56 || 6
|-
! [[1983 NFL season|1983]] !! [[1983 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| '''16''' || '''16''' || '''61''' || 868 || 14.2 || 64 || 7
|-
! [[1984 NFL season|1984]] !! [[1984 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 12 || 10 || 41 || 623 || 15.2 || 44 || 7
|-
! [[1985 NFL season|1985]] !! [[1985 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 12 || 10 || 34 || 725 || 21.3 || '''96''' || 5
|-
! [[1986 NFL season|1986]] !! [[1986 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| '''16''' || 8 || 49 || 1,016 || 20.7 || 83 || '''12'''
|-
! [[1987 NFL season|1987]] !! [[1987 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 5 || 4 || 9 || 190 || 21.1 || 59 || 1
|-
! [[1988 NFL season|1988]] !! [[1988 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| '''16''' || 10 || 26 || 551 || 21.2 || 50 || 7
|-
! [[1989 NFL season|1989]] !! [[1989 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 6 || 3 || 8 || 89 || 11.1 || 31 || 0
|-
! colspan="2"| !! 154 !! 129 !! 438 !! 8,306 !! 19.0 !! 96 !! 71
|}
=== Playoffs ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Team
!colspan="2"| Games
!colspan="5"| Receiving
|-
! GP !! GS !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD
|-
! [[1981 NFL season|1981]] !! [[1981 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 1 || 1 || 3 || 24 || 8.0 || 11 || 0
|-
! [[1982 NFL season|1982]] !! [[1982 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| '''3''' || '''3''' || '''16''' || '''314''' || 19.6 || '''49''' || '''2'''
|-
! [[1985 NFL season|1985]] !! [[1985 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 1 || 1 || 4 || 54 || 13.5 || 24 || 0
|-
! [[1986 NFL season|1986]] !! [[1986 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 2 || 0 || 4 || 94 || '''23.5''' || 42 || 1
|-
! colspan="2"| !! 7 !! 5 !! 27 !! 486 !! 18.0 !! 49 !! 3
|}
==Personal life==
Walker is now a retired physical education teacher at Park View Elementary School in Kings Park, New York, and an occasional [[sports radio]] show [[Sportscaster|commentator]]. He has two sons and a daughter. His older son, John, was a 3x All-American [[lacrosse]] player at [[The United States Military Academy]] at [[West Point]]. His younger son, Austin, played lacrosse at [[Johns Hopkins University]]. He is also the godfather of Alexandra Florant, the daughter of the track and field star [[Carl Florant]].
Like many former NFL players, Walker has a variety of ailments as a direct result from his playing days, which he detailed in a revealing 2016 interview with ''Long Island Pulse Magazine''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lipulse.com/2016/01/22/the-dark-side-of-life-after-the-nfl/ |title=The Dark Side of Life After the NFL |last=Prato |first=Greg |date=January 22, 2016
Walker was inducted into the [[Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame]] on [[Long Island]] in the Football Category with the Class of 2000.
Line 65 ⟶ 155:
==External links==
*[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WalkWe00.htm Wesley Walker Statistics]
*[http://lipulse.com/2016/01/22/the-dark-side-of-life-after-the-nfl/ 2016 Wesley Walker Interview With Long Island Pulse] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416110707/http://lipulse.com/2016/01/22/the-dark-side-of-life-after-the-nfl/ |date=April 16, 2021 }}
{{Jets1977DraftPicks}}
Line 85 ⟶ 175:
[[Category:Mercy University alumni]]
[[Category:Carson High School (Carson, California) alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportspeople]]
|