Marquise Walker facts for kids

Marquise Walker (born December 11, 1978) is an American former professional football player. He played as a wide receiver and punt returner. He signed to play in the National Football League (NFL).

Before the NFL, he played college football for the Michigan Wolverines. He set many school records there. In 2001, he became an All-American. That year, he led the Big Ten Conference in catches. Later, another player named Braylon Edwards broke most of his records.

In high school, Walker also set many New York State football records. These were for catches and receiving yards. These records have also been broken since then. People especially remember Walker for two amazing one-handed catches he made in 2001.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him in the third round of the 2002 NFL draft. This was the 86th pick overall. He got injured during his first year with Tampa Bay. Over the next two seasons, he played briefly for a few other NFL teams. In 2006, he signed to play in the Arena Football League but did not play.

High School Football Star

Marquise Walker was born in Syracuse, New York. He was a high school football All-American at Henninger High School in Syracuse. He was also a great basketball player. As a sophomore and junior, he scored over twenty points per game. But he decided to focus on football instead.

In high school, he set many New York State football records. These included career catches (181) and single-season catches (80). He also set records for career receiving yards (3352). His 13 single-season touchdowns ranked third in state history. He scored a total of thirty-five career touchdowns for Henninger.

Walker also played defensive back. He made two hundred tackles and fourteen interceptions. He was named the Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year for New York State. In 1997, he was chosen for the USAToday All-USA high school football team. In 1998, Sporting News ranked him as the ninth best high school football player in the country.

Some of Walker's high school records were later broken. Bruce Williams broke his career records in 2004. Anthony Morat broke his single-season receptions record in 2001.

Amazing College Career

Walker is best known for two incredible one-handed catches he made in 2001. Before the 2002 NFL draft, Ozzie Newsome, a football executive, called them some of the best college catches he had ever seen.

One of these catches was a touchdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes on October 27, 2001. Michigan was behind 21–7 but came back to win 32–26. His hometown newspaper, The Post-Standard, described the catch. They said the ball seemed impossible to reach. But Walker leaped and tipped it with his fingertips. As he fell, he caught the ball and held it to his chest for a touchdown.

Walker thought about playing for Syracuse University. But their star quarterback Donovan McNabb was leaving soon. So, Walker chose to play for Michigan and wore jersey number 4. He played for Michigan from 1998 to 2001. He finished his college career with 176 catches for 2,269 yards and 17 touchdowns.

During his time at Michigan, he played on two Big Ten Championship teams (1998, 2000). He gained the most receiving yards against Michigan's biggest rivals. He had 256 yards against Ohio State and 251 yards against Michigan State.

Setting Michigan Records

On September 8, 2001, Walker set a Michigan record. He made 15 catches in a game against Washington. He tied this record later that season against Ohio State. This record stood for many years. Both of these 15-catch games were losses for Michigan.

In the Washington game, he had 159 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a 13-yard run and a 15-yard punt return. In the Ohio State game, he had 160 yards and two touchdowns. These were his career highs for receiving yards in a game. He also had a 150-yard game against Michigan State in 2001. He scored two touchdowns in all three of his 150-yard games.

Walker broke several other Michigan records that were later surpassed. His career catches total broke Anthony Carter's record. In 2001, his senior year, he set single-season records. He had 86 catches and 1,143 receiving yards. He also broke Mercury Hayes' record for most consecutive games with a catch (32 games). Braylon Edwards broke all these records in 2004. Walker also set a record with six 100-yard receiving games in one season. This record has been broken by Mario Manningham and Edwards.

During his time at Michigan, he blocked four punts. One block led to a field goal in a 2001 win against Wisconsin. His four punt blocks are still a Michigan record.

Big Ten Conference Achievements

Walker's stats put him high in Big Ten Conference history. His 15 catches in a game and 86 catches in a season were among the top in Big Ten history. In 2001, he led the Big Ten in catches for both conference games and all games.

He ranked sixth in the nation for catches per game (7.36). He was 17th for receiving yards per game (94.82). In 2001, he led his team in total yards from scrimmage. He had 1143 receiving yards and 34 rushing yards. He also threw a 51-yard pass. As a punt returner, he gained 206 yards. This meant he led the team in All-purpose yards.

In a game against the Purdue Boilermakers in 2001, he had 249 total yards. This included 134 receiving yards and 112 punt return yards. Walker was named the team's MVP for the 2001 season. He was also a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. He received several All-American honors in 2001.

Professional Football Journey

Jon Gruden made Walker his first draft pick as Buccaneer head coach.

Professional football scouts described Walker as a "big, strong receiver." They said he used his size to catch the ball away from defenders. They noted he had good body control and balance. However, they also said he wasn't very fast. He admitted he never practiced running the 40-yard dash. Some scouts thought he lacked the speed for the NFL. They also said he sometimes struggled with catching the ball cleanly.

When Jon Gruden became the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he chose Walker as his first draft pick. This was in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Walker was the 86th player picked overall.

Walker was part of the Buccaneers team in 2002, but he didn't play in any games. He was behind other top receivers on the team. He injured his ankle in August and then tore ligaments in his thumb in September. He had surgery, which ended his season. Because of this, he was not on the team's active roster when the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII.

Before the 2003 NFL season, he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals. He was cut by the Cardinals in August 2003. Then, the Cincinnati Bengals picked him up briefly, but released him a few days later. The Tennessee Titans added him to their practice squad and tried to train him as a tight end. The Miami Dolphins also worked him out at different times.

In February 2004, Walker signed with the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. He was released by the Patriots in July 2004. Later, he signed with the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League in 2006. He was going to play wide receiver and linebacker for them. The Predators' coach, Jay Gruden, had also been an assistant coach for the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers. However, Walker was later waived by the Predators.

See also

• Lists of Michigan Wolverines football receiving leaders