President-elect Donald Trump chose Heisman winner and one-time US Senate candidate Herschel Walker to serve as US ambassador to the Bahamas on Tuesday.
The incoming commander in chief lauded the Georgia football great for his involvement in youth sports and helping military veterans across the country when he revealed his ambassadorship nomination for the Caribbean country.
“Herschel has spent decades serving as an Ambassador to our Nation’s youth, our men and women in the Military, and athletes at home and abroad,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Herschel Walker is a Heisman winner and one-time US Senate candidate. REUTERS
“A successful businessman, philanthropist, former Heisman Trophy winner, and NFL Great, Herschel has been a tireless advocate for youth sports. During my First Term, he served as Co-Chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition,” Trump continued.
“Herschel has traveled to over 400 Military installations around the World, removing the stigma surrounding mental health. He represented the United States at the 1992 Winter Olympics as a member of the U.S. bobsled team.”
Walker, a big Trump backer, ran for the US Senate in hopes of representing Georgia in 2022, but lost to Democrat Raphael Warnock.
Walker, 62, is a football legend at the University of Georgia where he marveled on the gridiron for three seasons and won the Heisman Trophy, given to the best college football player that year, in 1982.
He played 15 pro seasons, including for the Dallas Cowboys before he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in a blockbuster 1989 move. He also had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants.
He also played three seasons for the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League, which was owned by Trump for a time before the league disbanded.
In this March 8, 1984, file photo, Donald Trump shakes hands with Herschel Walker in New York when both were part of the New Jersey Generals USFL football team. AP
He recently went back to college and completed his degree in housing management and policy this month after leaving for the pros four decades ago.
He said on Fox News on Monday he wants to let people know it’s never too late to get a degree.
“There were some kids that said you know my parents were in college with you when you were here and I was sort of like a grandfather there,” Walker said. “But as I said it was wonderful to be there, I love all the kids that I was around and it was a lot of fun.”
He joked that now that he’s a college graduate, he needs to find a job, which on Tuesday was revealed to be the next ambassador of the Bahamas.
“Congratulations Herschel!” Trump wrote. “You will make Georgia, and our entire Nation, proud, because we know you will always put AMERICA FIRST!”
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