Herschel Walker was a star running back for the University of Georgia and Dallas Cowboys who overcame bullying and a speech impediment through determination and hard work. After retiring from football, he was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. While struggling with its effects, he used football as an outlet for anger from his childhood. Through counseling, Herschel has learned to manage his disorder and remains active in supporting disability organizations.
2. Football Icon
▪ HerschelWalker was one of the most powerful running backs in
college and NFL history.
▪ His combination of strength and speed makes him one of the
greatest in the game.
▪ With a Full football scholarship, he attended the University of
Georgia.
▪ In just three years he won the Heisman trophy
▪ Instead of playing his senior year, he joined the Dallas Cowboys for 15
years then retired.
3. Before Diagnosis
▪ As a young student,Walker would be made fun of because he was
overweight and had a stuttering problem.
▪ He couldn’t run
▪ Became Depressed
▪ “I didn’t love myself. I didn’t love who I was.”
▪ Herschel’s struggles continued up until the seventh grade.
▪ He realized that if things were going to change they needed to start
with him.
4. Determination
▪ Herschel read out loud to himself everyday until his speech got better.
▪ He made a daily workout routine in junior high school, which normally
included 1500 push ups and 2500 sit-ups!
▪ Herschel decided to play football and run track.
▪ Now instead of being the underdog, he was an athletic superstar.
▪ His habit of pushing himself also paid off in the classroom and he
graduated valedictorian of his class!
5. Diagnosed
▪ Shortly after he retired, he was diagnosed with dissociative identity
disorder, also known as multiple personality disorder or D.I.D.
▪ D.I.D is a condition in which a single person displays multiple distinct
personalities known as alters, each with its own type of behavior.
▪ For Herschel, it started a long time ago when he was a physically
challenged first grader in the rural town ofWrightsville, Ga
6. Influences of D.I.D
• Herschel lost his ability to distinguish his role in football from his role at
home and his wife became the target of his anger.
• Herschel used football as a copping mechanism to get rid of all the anger
he had from being bullied as a young kid and throughout his life.
• When his anger got too severe he put a gun up to his wife's head and was
saying things he would never say.
7. • After his wife divorced him, he began counseling.
• Today he’s doing better than ever. He’s nearly 50, he says he’s in the best shape
of his life.
• In the NFL, Herschel currently ranks eighth in total yards. But according to
Herschel, that’s not what’s important.
The most important aspect of his life was how his determination to overcome his
“disability” to become excepted in society helped him become one of the best
football players ever and now supports organizations for disabilities across the
nation.
