Skip Walker

Alvin Ray "Skip" Walker (September 11, 1954 – April 13, 2022) was an American professional football running back who played five seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Montreal Alouettes and Ottawa Rough Riders, including two seasons where he led the CFL in rushing yards in 1982 and 1983.

Walker was born on September 11, 1954, in Houston, Texas.

He attended Del Valle High School in Travis County, Texas, where he competed in football, track, and basketball.

His coach Tom Walker described him as "the best athlete I've ever coached."

In football, Walker averaged over 100 yards per game.

Walker committed to Texas A&M University in February 1972.

As a freshman, Walker started in eight games for the Texas A&M football team, and placed third in rushing with 78 carries for 311 yards and three touchdowns.

In a 45–10 win over SMU as a sophomore, Walker ran for 181 yards and scored two touchdowns.

He finished the year with 98 rushes, 618 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns, as well as 10 receptions for 233 yards; he was named all-conference by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

In the third game of his junior year, Walker scored three touchdowns and ran for 53 yards in a win over Washington.

Two weeks later, against Texas Tech, he compiled 181 rushing yards on 21 carries and scored three touchdowns in the second quarter alone.

By week six, he had become the conference's leading rusher, with teammate Bubba Bean in second place.

He finished the season with 98 rushing attempts for 550 yards and 8 touchdowns.

He also recorded 2 receptions for 73 yards and 1 touchdown.

He was named honorable mention All-Southwest Conference (SWC) by United Press International.

As a senior, Walker helped Texas A&M start off 10–0 and finish as conference co-champions with a record of 10–2.

He ended the season with 97 rushing attempts for 399 yards and four touchdowns, while also recording 6 receptions for 171 yards and 1 touchdown.

He finished his college career with 371 rushing attempts for 1,878 yards and 23 touchdowns while also recording 24 receptions for 523 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Walker was nicknamed "Skip."

"My dad was a military man and called us by names like Captain, Chief, Skipper etc. The name Skip was used frequently for me. When Texas A&M Coach Emory Bellard recruited me and came to the house, he heard my folks calling me Skip so when I got to university, Coach Bellard called me Skip from day one. In fact, the name on the back of my jersey was "S.

Walker." The rest is history," he said.

He played college football at Texas A&M and was selected in the 11th round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers.

He also spent time with the Toronto Argonauts, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Green Bay Packers.

After graduating, Walker was selected in the 11th round (311th overall) of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers.

His contract with the Oilers was negotiated by his father, as he did not hire an agent.

He was released in training camp.

While a free agent, Walker was a football coach and teacher at Levi Fry Junior High School in Texas City, Texas, while continuing to work out.

In 1978, Walker briefly had a stint with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL), but did not make the final roster.

In 1979, Walker was signed by the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL, but was released on the final day before the regular season began.

He was picked up on waivers by the Saskatchewan Roughriders but was not activated and later released.

In 1980, he was re-signed by the Roughriders.

In June, he was traded back to Montreal by Saskatchewan, where he made the final roster.

In the second game of the season, Walker averaged 18.8 yards per rush with five carries for 94 yards and made eight catches for 86 yards in a loss to the Calgary Stampeders.

In week four against his former team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Walker recorded 22 rushes for 96 yards and scored his team's only touchdown in the 18–10 win.

On October 12, in a win over the Ottawa Rough Riders, he scored two touchdowns and ran for 85 yards on 15 carries.

In the Eastern Semi-Final playoff game against Ottawa, Walker scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter and also scored on a 73-yard touchdown run.

The Alouettes lost in the Eastern Finals to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Walker finished the year with 114 rushes for 692 yards and nine touchdowns.

He also recorded 34 receptions for 511 yards and one touchdown, and made 17 kickoff returns for 434 yards.

He was named to the 1980 CFL East All-Star team.

He was named a CFL All Star in 1982 and 1983, and a CFL East All-Star in 1980, 1982 and 1983.