Dexter Walker (footballer)
Dexter Walker (born June 29, 1991) is a Canadian football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was most recently a member of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was named a CFL All-Star in 2015 and 2016 and received the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award in 2015. He previously attended Texas A&M University where he played college football for the Aggies.
Early career[edit]
Walker played high school football as well as baseball and track and field at Hillsboro High School. He also participated in power-lifting. He was named an honorable mention to the 2008 Super Centex team and a member of the 2009 All-Centex team by the Waco Tribune-Herald.[1][2] From 2010 to 2011, he played junior college football at the local Trinity Valley Community College. During his two seasons at Trinity Valley, he made 44 catches for 864 yards and 10 touchdowns[3] while helping to lead his team to the second round of playoffs in 2011.[1]
Professional career[edit]
Tennessee Titans[edit]
Walker was eligible for the 2014 NFL Draft but went undrafted. He was later signed by the Tennessee Titans as a free agent.[4] He was released at the end of the pre-season in 2014.[5]
Edmonton Eskimos[edit]
Walker was signed as a free agent by the Edmonton Eskimos on April 29, 2015 after participating in an Eskimos mini-camp in Florida.[6] He was placed on the practice roster at the end of the pre-season, where he remained until he was activated in early August following a hip injury to Adarius Bowman. Walker made his CFL debut in a game against the Montreal Alouettes on August 13, where he recorded 10 catches for 125 yards as well as a tackle.[7] The following week against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Walker caught 14 passes for 183 yards.[8] Walker would go on to finish the 2015 CFL season with 89 receptions and 1,110 yards and 6 touchdowns (in only 12 games played). In the Western Final, Derel Walker had 11 receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown as the Eskimos advanced to the 103rd Grey Cup game over the Calgary Stampeders, their provincial rivals. During the Grey Cup festivities, Walker was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie.[9] Walker continued to perform well into the 2016 season, finishing second in the league in both receptions (109) and yards (1,589) trailing teammate Adarius Bowman in both instances. Shortly after the end of their season, the Eskimos released Walker to allow him to pursue an NFL career.[10] Walker's CFL contract was originally scheduled to expire in February 2017.[11]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Derel Walker". Texas A&M University Athletics. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
- ↑ Conine, Chad (January 18, 2009). "TRIBUNE-HERALD SUPER CENTEX FOOTBALL TEAM 2008: A season to cherish for Midway". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
- ↑ "Derel Walker". Edmonton Eskimos. Archived from the original on September 2, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Glennon, John (May 17, 2014). "Tennessee Titans test undrafted wide receivers". Tennessean. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
- ↑ Wyatt, Jim (August 25, 2014). "Ken Whisenhunt on Titans' roster cuts: 'It's tough'". Tennessean. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
- ↑ O'Leary, Chris (April 29, 2015). "Edmonton Eskimos sign seven players". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
- ↑ Moddejonge, Gerry (August 14, 2015). "Edmonton Eskimos: Walker fills in well for Adarius Bowman". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
- ↑ "Ticats put up 49 points in convincing win over Eskimos". CFL.ca. August 22, 2015. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Eskimos' Derel Walker wins CFL most outstanding rookie award". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
- ↑ "Eskimos release Walker; inks with Bucs - Article - TSN". TSN. 2017-01-05. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
- ↑ "Derel Walker bidding farewell to Edmonton Eskimos". Edmonton Journal. 2016-11-22. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
