INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Everson Walls, former Grambling State University student-athlete and former Dallas Cowboy, was named by the NCAA as the FCS Ambassador for the 2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship game.
Walls, a 13-year NFL veteran, is the second former student-athlete to serve as the ambassador of the football championship. Wayne Chrebet served as the inaugural ambassador for the 2009 football championship game.
“Everson Walls symbolizes the character and determination of the student-athletes that comprise the FCS,” said Damani Leech, NCAA director for football and baseball. “His success at the FCS level, the NFL level, and his post-playing career are the embodiment of what student-athletes should strive for academically and athletically.”
As ambassador, Walls will lend his support to the championship game in a number of ways, including pre-game interaction with fans, serving as an instructor at a youth clinic event, performing the pre-game coin toss and participating in the postgame awards ceremony on the field.
“I am honored to be a part of the Division I Football Championship, as it provides young student-athletes with an opportunity to showcase their talents on a national scale,” Walls said. “As a former student-athlete, I can attest to the excitement and success these young men will experience in their collegiate and professional careers.”
Walls received his bachelor’s of arts degree in business in 1981 from Grambling State University. While at Grambling State, Walls played under legendary coach Eddie Robinson and was a part of three Southwestern Athletic Conference champion teams. He was selected for the Kodak All-American team, the Black College All-American team, and during his senior year he led the nation in interceptions with eleven.
As an undrafted free agent, Walls spent eight years with the Dallas Cowboys and was named to four Pro Bowl teams (1981, 1982, 1983 and 1985). In 1990, he joined the New York Giants and won a Super Bowl. After retiring from football in 1993, Walls was named to the All-Time Cowboy’s Team, was appointed to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 1980’s, and in 1998, he was elected to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Walls currently serves as a TV commentator for various national sports talk shows and is involved in real estate development. Walls also donates his time to various charitable organizations and events.
The 2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship game will be played Friday, Jan. 7, at Pizza Hut Stadium in Frisco, Texas. For more information or to purchase tickets for the game, log on to www.NCAA.com/fcs.
