Doak - Final Year

[SMU89]

http://www.cameronherald.com/living/art ... 002e0.html

[ALEX LIFESON]

Very cool, thanks!

[Mestengo]

Iv'e been a Lions fan since I was born. It's been a long time.

[rich59]

I saw him play for SMU although I was too young to remember much. I believe that he also played some defensive back for the Lions. I saw a number of his games with the Lions on TV and Walker was truly one of the best ever. He would be a standout in today's game.

[Rayburn]

My dad idolized Doak Walker and became an SMU man because of him. He listened to SMU games on the radio in Houston and watched Doak on the newsreels. Back in the late 1940s, Rice played in a little old stadium not far from where they play now and wrangling a ticket to the 1948 SMU-Rice game to see the Doaker in the flesh was nearly impossible. So dad wandered around outside the stadium during the game in hopes of catching a glimpse. He even picked up a discarded program as a keepsake.

Dad preached Walker-like versatility as a player, adding that, you may not be as accomplished as #37 (who is?) but you may find a skill -- like kicking -- that a team could use and that would allow you to contribute something.

I met the Doaker about a month before his skiing accident. He was signing copies of Dan Jenkins' book, "Doak Walker; More Than a Hero" at Barnes & Noble. After he signed the book which I gave to dad for Christmas, I pulled out the old, wrinkled program that dad had picked up off the sidewalk on October 16, 1948 and he signed that for me too.

Dad sure got a kick outta that Christmas.

[SmooBoy]

Wish kids had some idea of what Doak meant to the school and community. Love the story, Rayburn. Those memories are priceless.

[Mestengo]

Can you scan the program and post it here?