Marquise Walker
He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, setting many of the school's receiving records and becoming an All-American in 2001, when he led the Big Ten Conference in receptions.
Walker is remembered for a pair of spectacular one-handed catches during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season.
[1] He was also a standout basketball player who averaged over twenty points a game as a sophomore and junior, but abandoned the sport for football.
[5] He was ranked as the ninth best high school football prospect in the country in 1998 by the Sporting News.
Walker's single-season receptions record was broken in 2001 by Anthony Morat of Rome, New York's "Free Academy" who later played Division III football at the State University of New York at Cortland from 2003 to 2006 and earned 2006 first-team All-conference honors.
[3] McNabb, who was the Big East Conference offensive player of the decade for the 1990s,[15] was not likely to be replaced by a quarterback of equal skill.
[19] Playing at Washington on September 8, 2001, Walker set the Michigan record for the most receptions in a game with 15, surpassing Tai Streets and Brad Myers.
He first recorded 15 receptions against the Washington Huskies football team in a 23–18 loss where he accumulated 159 yards and two touchdowns from quarterback John Navarre.
[19] His other 150 yard game came against the Michigan State football team during the same season on November 3, 2001, with nine receptions.
[27] One block set up a field goal in Michigan's 2001 20–17 victory against Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium.
[29] However, some press reports credit Ed Frutig with five punt blocks during the eight-game 1940 season.
In addition, he threw a 51-yard pass completion to Jermaine Gonzales,[34] and he compiled 206 yards as a punt returner.
[39][40][41] Scouts for the professional football teams described Walker as a "Big physical receiver, who uses his size to muscle the ball away from defenders...Lacks explosive speed, but has the exceptional body control and balance.
Dominates average defensive backs but has a hard time getting separation vs. a good corner"[2] In direct questioning during interviews, Walker confessed that he never had run a 40-yard dash and did not practice straight-line speed.
[44] Walker had been behind Keyshawn Johnson, Joe Jurevicius and Keenan McCardell on the Buccaneer 2002 depth chart.
[46] He was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for running back Thomas Jones prior to the 2003 NFL season after the Cardinals lost their top three wide receivers (including David Boston and Frank Sanders) to free agency.
Walker signed with the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League to play wide receiver and linebacker for Predator head coach Jay Gruden during the 2006 Arena Football League season.
[6] Gruden was also an offensive assistant coach with the Super Bowl XXXVII champion Buccaneers.
