Wayne Walker
Wayne Harrison Walker (September 30, 1936 – May 19, 2017) was an American professional football player and sports broadcaster. He was born in Boise, Idaho.
Walker played fifteen seasons with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League, as a linebacker and placekicker from 1958 through 1972. Walker played in 200 regular season games, the second most for a defensive player at the time.[1] He played in three Pro Bowls and was thrice selected as a first-team All-NFL player.
After the 1972 season, he retired as a player and was a sports broadcaster for CBS and the sports director for KPIX-TV in San Francisco from 1974 to 1994. Walker was a weekend sportscaster during the off-season during his later years as a Detroit Lion.
In December 1999, Walker was ninth on the Sports Illustrated list of greatest sports figures from Idaho.[2]
Walker was diagnosed with throat cancer in June 2007 and lost 60 pounds (27 kg) after chemotherapy and radiation treatment. In 2015, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.[3][4] He died on May 19, 2017, from complications from the disease in Boise at the age of 80.[5][6][7]
References
- ↑ Former Idaho great, Wayne Walker, retires. Idaho. January 19, 1973. p. 21. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HrBfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3zIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3067,3780920.
- ↑ "The 50 greatest sports figures from Idaho". Sports Illustrated. December 27, 1999. https://www.si.com/vault/1999/12/27/8113599/the-50-greatest-sports-figures-from-idaho. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ↑ Former KPIX 5 sports director Wayne Walker suffering from Parkinson’s linked to NFL career. (San Francisco): KPIX-TV. October 29, 2015. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/10/29/former-kpix-sports-director-wayne-walker-suffering-from-parkinsons-linked-to-nfl-career/. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ↑ Vlae Kershner (October 30, 2015). Wayne Walker reveals he has Parkinson's disease. http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Wayne-Walker-reveals-he-has-Parkinson-s-disease-6600895.php.
- ↑ Kroner, Steve (May 19, 2017). "Wayne Walker, longtime Bay Area sports broadcaster, dies at 80". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/Walker-Walker-longtime-sports-broadcaster-dies-11159491.php.
- ↑ Dow, Bill (May 19, 2017). "Former Detroit Lions great LB/K Wayne Walker dies at 80 years old". Detroit Free Press. http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2017/05/19/detroit-lions-wayne-walker-die/333416001/.
- ↑ "Wayne Walker, Lions LB, longtime 49ers broadcaster, dies at 80". NFL. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
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