Herschel Walker

Herschel Junior Walker (born March 3, 1962) is an American former professional football player, political candidate, and diplomat serving as the United States Ambassador to the Bahamas since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he ran unsuccessfully as the party's nominee in the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Georgia. During his football career, he played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons as a running back.

Walker played college football at the University of Georgia, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a junior. He spent the first three seasons of his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL) and was the league's MVP during its final season in 1985. After the USFL folded, Walker joined the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys, earning consecutive Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors from 1987 to 1988. In 1989, Walker was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, which is regarded as one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history and credited with establishing the Cowboys' dynasty of the 1990s. He was later a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants before retiring with the Cowboys. Walker was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

Outside of football, Walker was a member of the United States' bobsleigh team at the 1992 Winter Olympics and pursued business ventures in food processing. From 2019 to 2020, he served as a co-chair on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition under Trump. Walker launched his candidacy in the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia, narrowly losing to Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock by 2.8%. In December 2024, Trump announced his nomination of Walker to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Bahamas; he was subsequently confirmed by the Senate in a 51–47 vote.