From Ringgold to Pitt, Walker was respected player, leader
The things Nelson Walker could do on the football field impressed just about everyone who saw him play or lined up against him.
Whether at Ringgold High School or at Pitt, Walker gained attention.
He played football at a high level. He had abilities and gifts few possess.
To know Nelson Walker, though, is to know his people skills exceeded anything he achieved in football.
That is truly what makes him special.
George Lammay, the superintendent of the Washington School District, who coached Walker at Ringgold as a young assistant, marvels at Walker.
“I am blessed to have had the opportunity to coach Nelson because I am better for it. Nelson is a very special person. His athletic ability was off the chart. Nelson was undersized at Pitt, playing in the era of Marc Spindler and (the late) Tony Siragusa. He is always talking about his relationship with Pitt players.
“It’s always been about relationships and how he is with people. I coached other elite athletes. To find an elite athlete with his character and relationship abilities is unusual and rare.
“Nelson rose to authority in the Philadelphia legal community being a helping hand looking out for juveniles,” he continued. “He’s always been a leader. It was a special time coaching him.”
Walker served as an assistant football coach to friend Sean Gilbert, who played at Aliquippa and Pitt and was a Pro Bowl player for the Los Angeles Rams in 1993. Gilbert enjoyed an NFL career that spanned 11 years. Walker coached under Gilbert for a season at Livingstone College in North Carolina.
“Nelson is the icebreaker in any situation,” Gilbert said. “He has such a great personality, a very caring person.
“If not for a knee injury at Pitt, he would have played on Sundays. Nelson loves to compete, wants to be the best and does it all with great passion.
“He’s always trying to help disadvantaged youth, giving them love, guidance and leadership.”
Walker credits his football and professional success to his parents and family.
“My parents gave me opportunities and raised us well,” said Walker, the youngest of seven children. “They and my brothers and sisters led by example. They led the way for me. I always wanted to live by their example. My father being a pastor … there were always expectations. “
Walker lived up to those expectations in so many ways. He made 261 tackles (178 solo), had 29 tackles for loss and 15 quarterback sacks at Ringgold. He was all-state.
He was recruited heavily and settled on Pitt.
After a national televised game against Syracuse during Walker’s freshman year at Pitt in 1987, Siragusa said: “It’s like Nelson popped out of nowhere. Going into camp, everyone was talking about (Marc) Spindler. But Nelson is awesome. He’s quick and can really change directions. He’s like a tailback playing defensive end.”
In that game, Walker was one of 10 Pitt freshman to play. Despite a 24-10 loss to the Orangemen, Walker played 48 of 66 defensive snaps, primarily at defensive end but some at nose guard. He made seven tackles.
Walker finished that season at 237 pounds. He had Panthers coach Mike Gottfried’s attention, however.
After the Syracuse game, Gottfried was quoted as saying Walker had “come on strong, like gangbusters.
“He’s a little light,” the coach added. “Yet, I think that’s why he’s so quick.”
Walker fit in with his linemates. Spindler was USA Today’s High School Player of the Year and played in the NFL from 1990-1998. Siragusa in the NFL from 1990-2001 and was a member of Baltimore’s Super Bowl championship team in 2000.
“Nelson had tremendous quick feet and explosiveness,” said Joe Ravasio, Walker’s high school coach. “He understood leverage right away. He understood to get low and use his feet. He was a great lineman with the footspeed of a linebacker. He had the ability to track runners from sideline to sideline.”
Walker, 54, and his wife, Naomi, have three children, a daughter and two sons. They reside in Philadelphia.
He doesn’t regret not getting a chance to play in the NFL but said most of his linemates and peers at Pitt played in the NFL.
Said Lammay: “When he was senior at Ringgold, we had a young man on the team who was difficult. The kid acted out and Nelson escorted him off the field. He understands what is right and what is wrong. He was raised in a good home, with good parents. He is that same person today.
“Nelson has an intensity about him and sensitivity. He could be as tough as anybody on the field. Off the field, he’s beloved. I will always be proud of him. I can’t say enough good about him.”