A native of Knoxville, Jackie Walker was an outstanding student athlete excelling in football, basketball and baseball. His head football coach at Fulton High, Lon Herzburn (who later became Jackie’s position coach at the University of Tennessee), worked with the young Walker and helped him develop athletically and academically.
Following graduation from Fulton, Walker accepted a football scholarship at the University of Tennessee. During his tenure at UT, freshmen were not allowed to play varsity. His sophomore year, he was a starting linebacker.
His junior year, he lead the Vols defense with 82 tackles and 42 assists. Walker was a two-time All-American and in his senior year, he was selected team captain–the first African-American to be selected captain for a sports team in the SEC.
Following his senior year, Walker was drafted by the San Francisco 49’ers. Following a brief professional career, he relocated to Atlanta. He was inducted into the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. Jackie Walker died in 2002.