RIP Wayne Walker

[HanSenSE]

Two-way college football star with Idaho, linebacker and kicker for the Lions, sports anchor at KPIX in San Francisco and analyst on network NFL games and 49ers radio broadcasts. Sigh.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Yale Lary, another Lions star from that era, died last week. Tough month to be a Lions fan. RIP.

 

[HanSenSE]

 

[cyclingwriter2]

Just reading paper lion for the umpteenth time. Walker was an interesting dude in that book.

 

[TwoGloves]

Yale Lary, another Lions star from that era, died last week. Tough month to be a Lions fan. RIP.

Every month since 1957 is a tough month to be a Lions fan.

 

[Starman]

The Lions of the Fifties were the great lost NFL semi-dynasty that should have had a movie made about it.

They had rolllicking rockabilly personalities led by Bobby Layne, a quotable coach in Buddy Parker.

They dominated the NFL -- along with the Cleveland Browns -- in the early-mid Fifties, then faded out with the arrival of Johnny U, Colts-Giants and the advent of national teevee.

The perfect time to do it would have been the early 2000s, with Tiger s Stadium still standing and Matthew McConaughey (the dead-lock casting choice for Layne) still young enough to fake his way through the game scenes.

Walker arrived at the end of that era.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

The Lions of the Fifties were the great lost NFL semi-dynasty that should have had a movie made about it.

They had rolllicking rockabilly personalities led by Bobby Layne, a quotable coach in Buddy Parker.

The perfect time to do it would have been the early 2000s, with Tiger s Stadium still standing and Matthew McConaughey (the dead-lock casting choice for Layne) still young enough to fake his way through the game scenes.

Walker arrived at the end of that era.

There was a good story I read somewhere about Layne (maybe Paper Lion?) where Layne had taken nearly the entire team out for an all-night party. The next day at practice, Parker smelled the alcohol, so he ordered the entire team to get on the grass and roll from one end zone to the other.

The only one who made it was Layne.

 

[DanOregon]

Walker was that rare ex-jock who realized and accepted he was just an ex-jock doing the sports, but still did his best to make it fun. His "theme nights" were groan inducing, but seeing someone like him make an effort was charming as hell.

 

[HanSenSE]

Agreed with DanOregon. He didn't yuk it up like a lot of ex-jocks are wont to, he took time to learn the craft. I saw in the obit at freep.com he worked at a station in Detroit in the offseason and did some Tigers postgame shows. And he was excellent as the color guy on 49ers radio broadcasts.

KPIX had a strong sports crew back in that day. Fred McLeod, the TV play-by-play guy for the Cavs, was the weekend guy, followed by Joe Fonzi, now over at KTVU. And top producers in Art Dgluach and Steve Kroner.