Walker hopes to follow in footsteps of former top rookie
WINNIPEG Edmonton Eskimos rookie wide receiver Derel Walker turned the tables on a reporter by asking the first question in aQ& A style interview Wednesday at Investors Group Field.
“Has it been done before?” he asked about the same team having back-to-back winners of the Canadian Football League’s most outstanding rookie award, which will be announced at an awards banquet on Thursday night. Walker, who set a league record for first-year players with 89 catches in only 12 games and finished fifth in the league with 1,110 receiving yards — the first 1,000-yard season of his life at any level, is trying to follow in the footsteps of Eskimos linebacker Dexter McCoil, who was named last year’s top rookie. The B.C. Lions are the only team to previously have back-to-back rookie winners, accomplishing the feat six times, including three years in a row from 2001-03, since the award was introduced in 1972.
Q If you win, what would the award mean to you?
A That would be amazing to me. It’s a great time for me. Everything is positive and just going smooth for me.
Q What’s the most prestigious award you’ve won?
A It would probably be this season, the player of the month, player of the week, stuff like that, to be honest with you. I’ve never won anything of this calibre. I’m glad to even have been nominated for this. Actually, I got one trophy from my junior college; we had a bowl game and I got offensive player of the game.
Q What would you do with the rookie award if you won?
A I’d probably take it home to my mom. Probably put it on top of the fireplace or something like that so when you walk in, you see it. I’ll probably go, ‘Here, mom, here you go,’ until I get my own spot, until I get me a house in the near future. Then I’ll have my own little trophy room.
Q Did you always want to be a football player?
A I’m from Texas, you know. That’s what we do in Texas. Play football. I never really started playing organized football until I was about 12. But as soon as I touched the football, I knew I wanted to play football. You know, I played a lot of sports. I was kind of the athletic kid. I played basketball, football, I did track, baseball. For some reason, football is for me. It’s kind of in my family. I had a lot of uncles who played football and coached football. I just grew up around a lot of guys who were great players and they motivated me and made me want to do what they were doing.”
Q What surprised you the most about the CFL?
A There’s a lot of great guys up here who can really just play well. ... The field is bigger; there’s more running around. It’s just fun, and what makes it more fun is winning. We’re at the Grey Cup. The dream is coming true.”