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A stalwart on three-straight regional championship teams, Willie Walker was a dominant defensive lineman at California from 2006-09. He was voted the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year and tabbed an Associated Press First-Team All-American as a senior, plus repeated as a national finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award. Walker is one of only five players in program history to earn All-PSAC West honors four times and finished his career with a then-school record 31.5 tackles for loss.
In 2006, he ranked third on the team with 7.0 TFL as a freshman and finished the year with 38 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one interception. The Vulcans claimed a share of the PSAC West title for a consecutive season while posting eight wins for a second-straight year. Walker was a pivotal starter for a historic defensive unit in 2007, as California led NCAA Division II in rushing defense, scoring defensive and total defense. The Vulcans set the school record for wins with a 13-1 record behind an unblemished mark in divisional play and advanced to the national semifinals in their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Playoffs. He finished third on the team with a career-high 6.0 sacks while totaling 50 stops, 8.0 TFL and one forced fumble. As a junior, Walker was tabbed a finalist for the Upshaw Award, which recognizes the top offensive or defensive lineman in NCAA Division II, for the first time in his career. He totaled 50 tackles with 7.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks, as Cal repeated as regional champions despite losing 11 starters from the previous year. The Vulcans finished with a 12-2 overall record and captured the PSAC Championship after the league reinstituted the title game for the first time since 1987. Walker set a career high with 9.5 TFL in 2009 and finished with 42 tackles and 4.0 sacks, tied for second-most on the team. Cal posted double-digit wins for the third-straight year with an 11-4 mark after playing seven nationally-ranked opponents. The Vulcans again finished PSAC West play with an undefeated mark and played in the PSAC Championship for a consecutive campaign. The Vulcans completed the unprecedented three-peat as regional champions during his senior year, playing on the road in the national semifinals for the first time in school history.
Walker becomes the ninth football player in the last decade chosen to the Athletic Hall of Fame, including the seventh that was part of the three-peat teams of 2007-09.
updated as of April 20, 2024
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