Devon Walker facts for kids
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| Position: | Safety |
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| Personal information | |
| Born: | November 29, 1990 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 | |
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
Devon Walker was born on November 29, 1990. He is an American former college football player. While playing for Tulane University, he had a serious injury during a game. This injury caused him to become paralyzed. Later, in May 2014, he signed a special one-day contract with the New Orleans Saints.
Devon Walker's Early Life
Devon Walker grew up in a town called Destrehan. This town is near New Orleans. He went to Destrehan High School there. After high school, he attended Tulane University in New Orleans. He studied cell and molecular biology and graduated in May 2014.
Devon is now working on a Master’s degree in Neuroscience. This field studies the brain and nervous system.
His College Football Injury
On September 8, 2012, Devon was playing in a college football game. His team, Tulane, was playing against Tulsa. During the game, Devon accidentally collided with one of his own teammates. This collision caused a serious injury to his neck. He injured his C4 vertebrae, which are bones in the spine.
Because of this injury, Devon became paralyzed from the neck down. He was a senior at Tulane University when this happened.
Joining the New Orleans Saints
In May 2014, the New Orleans Saints football team did something very special for Devon. They surprised him by signing him to a one-day contract. This meant he was an honorary member of the team. He even got to join their rookie minicamp.
Coach Sean Payton of the Saints spoke about Devon. He said, "Devon is an amazing young man. He inspires his coaches and teammates at Tulane. He also inspires all of us." Coach Payton added that Devon's "character, determination, intelligence, and hard work" are qualities the Saints look for in a player.
