Devon Walker
| Position: | Safety |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth: | November 29, 1990 |
| Place of birth: | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 173 lb (78 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Destrehan (LA) Destrehan High School |
| College: | Tulane |
| Undrafted: | 2013 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
Devon Walker (born November 29, 1990) was playing college football at Tulane University when he was paralyzed during a college game. He signed with the New Orleans Saints in May 2014.
Background
Devon grew up in the New Orleans suburb of Destrehan and graduated from Destrehan High School.[1] He attended Tulane University in New Orleans, where he graduated in May 2014 with a degree in cell and molecular biology.[2]
Injury
Devon was injured on September 8, 2012[1] during a game against Tulsa[3] when he collided with a Tulane teammate and injured his C4 vertebrae. He was paralyzed from the neck down.[2] He was a senior at Tulane at the time.[4]
Signing
In May 2014, The New Orleans Saints surprised Walker when they signed him and welcomed him to their rookie minicamp. As coach Sean Payton said, “He is an outstanding young man, who is not only an inspiration to his coaches and teammates at Tulane, but to all of us. Devon’s character, determination, intelligence and work ethic are everything that we look for in a New Orleans Saint when we sign a player.”[2]
References
- 1 2 Dennis, Alicia C. "Devon Walker, Paralyzed in College Football Game, Signed by New Orleans Saints". People Magazine. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- 1 2 3 Smith, Michael David. "Saints sign paralyzed former Tulane player Devon Walker". Profootball Talk. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- ↑ Tyler, Brooke. "New Orleans Saints Sign Paralyzed Former Tulane Safety Devon Walker". Beach Report. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- ↑ Juozapavicius, Justin; Hines, Rochelle. "Devon Walker Injury: Tulane Safety Taken Off Field In Ambulance After Collision Against Tulsa (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 16 July 2014.