Herschel Walker to continue ad with former Georgia Bulldogs coach: 'There would be no Herschel Walker without Vince Dooley'

Before he was a U.S. Senate candidate, before he was an NFL and USFL star, Herschel Walker was a Heisman Trophy winner for the Georgia Bulldogs.

On Saturday, Walker saluted the man who coached him to the Heisman in 1982 and the Bulldogs' national title in 1980: Vince Dooley. Dooley died Friday at the age of 90.

Dooley recruited Walker from Johnson County High School in Wrightsville, and Walker made an immediate impact. And from there, a lifetime bond was born, even into Walker's political career.

Dooley filmed a commercial with Walker recently as part of Walker's U.S. Senate candidacy. Walker, a Republican, is running against incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock in the upcoming midterm election. Walker said he considered no longer running the commercial, but Dooley's widow, Barbara Dooley, thought otherwise.

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"I am honored and humbled that Coach Dooley filmed a commercial in September endorsing me," Walker said in a statement. "It has already aired in the last couple of weeks and was scheduled to be shown during the Georgia-Florida game. After the news of his passing, my first thought was to no longer run the ad because my respect for and friendship with Coach Dooley is more important than politics. I reach out to the family to express my thoughts and give my condolences and Mrs. Dooley assured me that Coach would want the commercial to continue to air. I will honor her wishes. There would be no Herschel Walker without Vince Dooley."

Herschel Walker won national title, Heisman Trophy with Vince Dooley as coach

Walker ran for 1,616 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman as the Bulldogs won the title in 1980. He followed that with 1,891 yards on the ground and 18 touchdowns in 1981, and in his Heisman-winning season, 1982, Walker gained 1,752 yards and scored 16 times.

He then left Georgia for the USFL and Donald Trump's New Jersey Generals, where he spent three seasons, before heading to the NFL for a 12-year career with Minnesota, Dallas, the New York Giants and Philadelphia.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Herschel Walker to continue ad with former Bulldogs coach Vince Dooley