When I was growing up, Herschel Walker seemed destined to be a bright shining star. He played running back for the University of Georgia and he was named to the All-American team. In his first year, he set a NCAA freshman running record and finished third in the Heismann Trophy voting. When I was a sophomore in college in 1982, he was finally winning that Heisman Trophy in his junior year. He was young, talented, and good-looking, with a potentially promising career in the NFL. However, while many times we think celebrities and sports stars have it made, that is not always the case. Herschel will be featured on ABC’s “Nightline” tonight, admitting that he struggled with a personality disorder that once led him to play Russian roulette.
Herschel suffers from dissociative identity disorder (DID), which was once known as multiple personality disorder. It is pretty rare, but detrimental to those that suffer from it. Herschel broke his silence about it in his 2008 biography “Breaking Free,” which was released this week. (http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Free-Dissociative-Identity-Disorder/dp/1416537481/ref=pd_bbs_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208211629&sr=8-7)
In the book, Herschel, now 46, admits not only to playing Russian roulette, but that he doesn’t even remember certain aspects of his life (both good and bad), like winning the Heisman or threatening his then-wife. For years, he went undiagnosed.
He left college after his junior year to join the USFL as the NFL required that he wait until graduation to turn pro. When it looked like the USFL might not make it, Herschel was snapped up by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1985 draft. He did well for them, having two Pro-Bowl seasons in 1987 and 1988. In 1989, they traded him to the Minnesota Vikings for five other players. He played in Minnesota for two and a half years, but many say they never utilized him to his full potential and he bounced around between the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, then back again to the Cowboys. When his USFL and NFL numbers are totaled together, he is one of the most productive runners of all time. Yet many experts think his professional career was disappointing, perhaps due to unrealistic expectations, never having played on a championship team, or NFL rule changes. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999 and he was selected to the Sports Illustrated NCAA Football All-Century Team.
Herschel believes his personality disorder has improved and says, “I’ve totally changed from back then to where I am today.”