Wesley Walker

Induction Year: 2000

Category: Football

Location: Kings Park

Walker is a former NFL wide receiver who played for the New York Jets from 1977-89. He did not attend high school in Suffolk County but he lives in Dix Hills and coaches and teaches at Kings Park High School.

Walker graduated from Carson High School in California where he set many receiving and return records. At the University of California, he was a named an All-American, catching 86 passes, for 2,206 yards and 22 touchdowns (an average 25.7 yards per catch) over his four-year career.

He was drafted by the Jets as their 33rd overall pick in 1977. Noted for his great speed, he finished his career with 438 receptions, 8,306 yards and 71 touchdowns, totaling an average 19 yards per catch. He led the league in receiving yards in 1978, was elected to the Pro Bowl in 1978 and ’82. He was named team MVP in 1978.

He is legally blind in his left eye, but he overcame this ailment to become one of the Jets all-time great receivers. He suffers from a variety of ailments as a direct result from his playing days. He has talked about it in a 2016 interview with Long Island Pulse Magazine.

Walker is now a retired physical education teacher at Park View Elementary School in Kings Park and an occasional sports radio show commentator.