Hubert Walker

Hubert Delanie Walker (born August 12, 1984) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at the Central Missouri State and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

After seven seasons with the 49ers, Walker then played another seven seasons for the Tennessee Titans, with whom he had the most success and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection. Walker was released from the Titans after the 2019 season after missing 25 regular-season games over the last two seasons due to an ankle injury.

Early life

Walker attended and played high school football at Pomona High School. He was a first-team All-Region selection by ''The Times'', adding All-Division and All-San Gabriel Valley honors as a senior under the direction of head coach John Capraro. He was twice chosen Miramonte League Offensive Player of the Year and was selected 2001 Pomona Red Devil of the Year. He played in the East/West All Star game and also excelled in track & field, winning the Division III 100-meters title after also finishing first in the 2002 Miramonte League Meet.

After high school, Walker originally committed to UTEP, but decided to attend Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California to improve his academics.

College career

Walker first enrolled at Mt. San Antonio College. In 2003, he was ranked seventh on JCFootball.com's "Top 101 Players" list. Walker finished his junior college career with 86 catches for 1,312 yards and 13 touchdowns. He then transferred to the University of Central Missouri. While at Central Missouri, he set or equaled several receiving records. In two seasons at Central Missouri, Walker caught 113 passes for 1,347 yards and 10 touchdowns. In addition, he also had 35 career kickoff returns for 965 yards and three touchdowns. His three kickoff returns for touchdowns are tied for the Central Missouri school record. In college, Walker majored in video production, with a minor in criminal justice at Central Missouri. On February 14, 2015, Walker was inducted into the Central Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

2006 season: Rookie year

Walker was drafted by San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round with the 175th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, he recorded two receptions for 30 yards and had a 25-yard kickoff return.

2007 season

In Week 13, Walker caught his first NFL touchdown from Trent Dilfer in a 31-14 loss to the Carolina Panthers,. In the 2007 season, he recorded 21 receptions for 174 yards and a touchdown.

2008 season

On June 22, 2008, the 49ers signed Walker to a three-year, $6 million extension through 2012. The deal included a $1.8 million signing bonus. He also returned a kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown in Week 4 of the 2008 preseason. In 2008, Walker recorded 10 receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown.

2009 season

In 2009, Walker recorded 21 receptions for 233 yards as the 49ers finished with an 8–8 record.

2010 season

In 2010, Walker recorded 29 receptions for 331 yards as the 49ers finished with a 6–10 record.

2011 season

In 2011, Jim Harbaugh became head coach of the 49ers and Greg Roman became the offensive coordinator for the team. They praised Walker's skill set and used him a number of different ways in the West Coast Offense, including different receiver spots, backup fullback, and even as an alternative kickoff returner and gunner on special teams, attributes that earned him the nickname of "The Swiss Army Knife" within the team. In the 2011 season, Walker recorded 19 receptions for 198 yards and three touchdowns as the 49ers finished with a 13–3 record. In the postseason, Walker caught two passes for 36 yards before the 49ers lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants in the NFC Championship.

2012 season

In 2012, Walker recorded 21 receptions for 344 yards and three touchdowns as the 49ers finished with an 11–4–1 record. At the end of the 2012 season, Walker and 49ers reached Super Bowl XLVII. In the game, he had three receptions for 48 yards, but the 49ers lost to the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 34–31.

Tennessee Titans

2013 season

Walker signed with the Tennessee Titans on March 12, 2013 to a four-year $17.5 million contract with $8.6 million guaranteed. In Week 11 of the 2013 season, against the Indianapolis Colts, he recorded 10 receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown. In the 2013 season, Walker had 60 receptions for 571 yards and six touchdowns.

2014 season

In Week 2 of the 2014 season, against the Dallas Cowboys, Walker had a career day with ten receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown. In Week 12, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he recorded five receptions for a career-high 155 yards. In the 2014 season, Walker had 63 receptions for 890 yards and four touchdowns.

2015 season

Walker had a career year in 2015, shattering all Titans records for a tight end, including 1,088 yards receiving. He had previously broken the Titans' tight end receiving yards record in the 2014 season with 890 yards. Walker led all NFL tight ends with 94 receptions and became only the ninth tight end to ever record 90+ catches in a single season. He was later named to his first career Pro Bowl. In Week 9, against the New Orleans Saints, he recorded his first career multi-touchdown game with seven receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns. In Week 11, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he recorded 109 receiving yards for his third career game with at least 100 yards. In Week 15, toward the end of a lopsided loss to the New England Patriots, Walker had a touchdown that would come off of a highlight-reel play. He caught a pass from quarterback Zach Mettenberger, broke two tackles, hurdled a man and stiff-armed another, all while racing down the sideline to the end zone to complete a 57-yard score. Walker recorded two catches, 64 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 33–16 defeat. Walker was ranked 82nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

2016 season

On May 6, 2016, Walker signed a two-year contract extension worth $14.7 million with $8.2 million in guarantees.

During Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers, Walker had nine receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown. In the 2016 season, Walker recorded 65 receptions for 800 yards and seven touchdowns. Walker was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl on December 20, 2016. He was ranked 75th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.

2017 season

On September 17, 2017, Walker recorded his first rushing touchdown, a one-yard rush in the third quarter of a 37–16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. In addition, he had four receptions for 61 yards. In the 2017 season, Walker recorded 74 receptions for 807 yards, three receiving touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown. The Titans finished with a 9-7 record and made the playoffs as a Wild Card team. During the Wild Card Round against the Kansas City Chiefs, Walker was the leading receiver, catching six passes for 74 yards. In the Divisional Round against the New England Patriots, he caught three passes for 49 yards including a 36 yard catch and run during the first quarter in the 35–14 loss. On January 16, 2018, Walker was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl to replace an injured Travis Kelce. Walker was named the 2018 Pro Bowl offensive MVP after catching the game-winning touchdown, in addition to another touchdown he caught earlier in the game. He was also ranked 72nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

2018 season

On July 27, 2018, Walker signed a two-year contract extension with the Titans worth $17 million with $12.6 million in guarantees.

In the season-opener against the Miami Dolphins, Walker had four catches for 52 yards before leaving the 27-20 road loss with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. It was later revealed that he suffered a dislocated ankle and an associated fracture and would miss the rest of the season. Walker was placed on injured reserve on September 10, 2018. Without Walker, the Titans finished 9–7 for the third consecutive year and missed out on the playoffs.

2019 season

Walker returned from his injury in time for the season-opener against the Cleveland Browns. In that game, he recorded five receptions for 55 yards and two touchdowns in the 43-13 road victory. During a Week 4 24-10 road victory over the Atlanta Falcons, Walker reached 500 career receptions. On November 27, 2019, he was placed on injured reserve after dealing with an ankle injury for most of the season. Without Walker, the Titans finished 9–7 for the fourth consecutive year and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship.

On March 13, 2020, Walker was released by the Titans after seven seasons.

On December 9, 2020, Walker was on the Pat McAfee show and stated that he was staying in shape and could probably play this year but with all the COVID-19 issues and with Dez Bryant being removed from warm-ups after testing positive and no one else was exposed despite photos of him with other players, he did not want to play in 2020.

On June 1, 2021, the San Francisco 49ers hosted Walker for a workout.

On October 18, 2022, Walker announced his retirement, signing a one-day deal with the Titans to retire as a member of the franchise.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

NFL records

Titans franchise records

* Most receiving touchdowns by a tight end: 28
* Most receptions in a season by a tight end: 94
* Most receiving yards in a season by a tight end: 1,088

Personal life

In 2013, Walker's aunt and uncle were killed by a drunk driver five hours after Walker played in Super Bowl XLVII. The tragedy motivated him to speak out against drunk driving, and support laws requiring the installation of an ignition interlock device for first-time DUI offenders. Walker has three children. Walker is a car and powerboat enthusiast.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Delanie
1984 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Pomona, California
Players of American football from California
African-American players of American football
American football wide receivers
American football tight ends
Mt. SAC Mounties football players
Central Missouri Mules football players
San Francisco 49ers players
Tennessee Titans players
Unconferenced Pro Bowl players
American Conference Pro Bowl players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people