US President-elect Donald Trump nominated Herschel Walker, a renowned American athlete and businessman, as the United States Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.
Walker has been a former Heisman Trophy winner, a National Football League (NFL) great, as well as co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
In a statement, Trump said, “I am pleased to nominate Herschel Walker as United States Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.”
“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. 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. Herschel has travelled 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 US bobsled team,” the statement added.
“Congratulations Herschel! You will make Georgia, and our entire Nation, proud, because we know you will always put AMERICA FIRST,” the statement said.
Notably, Herschel Walker is best known for his football exploits and starred as a running back at the University of Georgia, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1982. He played professional football, originally for the New Jersey Generals of the US Football League, playing there for three years (1983-85) but later moved to the NFL where he started with the Dallas Cowboys.
In 2007 Walker announced that he was going to begin a career in mixed martial arts with his first professional competition due to occur in 2010. His US Olympic bobsled appearance was a sidelight of an otherwise stellar sports and athletic career.