Carrollton, GA - One of the best success stories to come out of West Georgia football might be that of Chad Walker. His story begins in Canada and continues today in Fayetteville, GA, with tons of accolades in the middle.
Born on November 8, 1972, sports were part of Chad’s life from the moment he was born, as his father played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. The Walker family moved to Alpharetta when Chad was young and he became a multi-sport star, playing football, basketball and running track for Milton High School in the early 1990’s.
Walker combined all three sports on the football field, as he was an excellent leaper and one of the fastest players on the field in addition to having excellent hands as a receiver.
As a freshman at West Georgia, Walker had an impressive start to his collegiate career as the team’s fourth leading receiver. He avoided the dreaded “sophomore slump” by leading the team in touchdown receptions in his second season and earning Second-Team All-Conference accolades.
In the seventh game of his sophomore campaign, Walker began to cement his legacy as a clutch receiver for West Georgia. Facing the sixth-ranked Valdosta State Blazers, a 1-5 West Georgia team received a huge shot in the arm from Walker as he caught the game-winning touchdown pass in a 23-16 victory that began a string of four straight wins.
He continued that legacy in his junior year, when he caught arguably the most famous play in West Georgia history in the season opener against Elon College. His 69-yard touchdown catch with seven seconds to play gave West Georgia the victory over the Fightin’ Christians. This play was shown on ESPN as a part of the year-end wrap-up as the 1994 season’s top play.
Walker made his case yet again one game later against Albany State, as he caught a 94-yard Hail Mary pass which is still recorded as the longest pass completion in West Georgia history.
Walker’s impressive career statistics landed him second in the school history for having the most receptions of 141, just behind Roscoe Pounds with 154. Walker still holds the record for the most receiving yards in school history with 2,456 yards and 27 touchdowns.
The icing on the top of Walker’s stellar career came in 1995 when he was named Division II Offensive Player of the Year as well as becoming the first Division II All-American in West Georgia history. He also received an invitation to play in the Snow Bowl, the national Division II All-Star Game at the conclusion of the season. His final accolade at West Georgia was at the conclusion of the 1995-96 academic year, when he was named Athlete of the State of Georgia.
Since graduating from West Georgia, Walker has become a well-respected track-and-field coach at Starr’s Mill High School in Fayetteville as well as taking on wide receivers coaching duties.