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.

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

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

[3] 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.

[8][9] In the third game of his junior year, Walker scored three touchdowns and ran for 53 yards in a win over Washington.

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

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

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

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

[23] 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.

[28] He was described as the "only really lively offensive performer" in the 14–20 loss to Hamilton, gaining 90 yards and scoring on an 18-yard pass play.

[34] In a loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in week nine, Walker recorded 15 rushes for 105 yards and was described as Ottawa's "lone bright spot.

[36] By week 11, he led the CFL in touchdowns with 11, placed second in the league in rushing and made 23 pass receptions for 417 yards.

[41][42] Despite him running for 87 yards and scoring a touchdown in the Eastern Final playoff game against the Toronto Argonauts, the Rough Riders lost 7–44.

[44] He recorded 111 rushing yards on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns in the first game of the season, a 26–25 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

[46] However, Calgary realized the trick play and put him under heavy pressure, leading him to throw an interception to defensive back Terry Irvin.

[50] In their eighth game, a 49–19 win over the BC Lions, Walker made 11 rushes and gained 167 yards, a 15-yard average.

[54] After going down 11–21 versus the Calgary Stampeders, Walker returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown in one of the longest plays of his career.

[56] On October 23, in a 20–19 win over Toronto, Walker ran for 145 yards and scored two touchdowns, including the game-winner with seconds left to play.

[1] He was later signed by the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League but was released in late July.