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Key facts to know:
- Herschel Walker, then a 29-year-old running back for the Vikings, successfully qualified as part of a two-man USA bobsled team for the the 1992 Winter Olympics.
- Walker competed alongside driver Brian Shimer who also served as the team's sled technician.
- Walker and Shimer finished 7th in a field of 46 teams.
Imagine if Saquon Barkley was competing right now at the Winter Olympics. Regardless of performance, it would be the biggest story at the Milan Games, at least here in the United States.
Well, thats exactly what happened at the 1992 Winter Olympics in France. Seven months before NBA players on The Dream Team took over Barcelona, an NFL running back took center stage in Albertville. Then 29 years old and coming off a season in which he rushed for 825 yards and 10 touchdowns, Walker was able to train and qualify in time only after the Vikings finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
Herschel Walker's historic and temporary transition from the gridiron to the ice was covered in the February 24, 1992 issue of The Sporting News by then-Senior Writer Dave Nightingale.
“The European racers are telling me that they like what I'm doing,” Walker said. “They like the attention I'm bringing to the sport.
"With Walker pushing for driver Brian Shimer, the U.S. No. 1 sled was impressive during the two-man training runs and posted the fastest time in the field on one of the practice slides.
"But when push came to shove, the Shimer-Walker tandem found itself well up the track. The team finished sixth, 10th, eighth and fourth in the four competitive runs and was seventh overall."
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The Sporting News
Due to Walker's NFL schedule, he and Shimer did not race together in the World Cup races leading into the Olympics and only raced together once before the Winter Games. Despite the lack of prep time, the US duo of Walker and Shimer still finishe just 0.32 seconds shy of winning a medal.
| Team | Time | Trailed By |
| 1. Weder/Acklin (SUI) | 4:03:26 | -- |
| 2. Lochner/Zimmermann (GER) | 4:03:55 | +0.29 |
| 3. Langen/Eger (GER) | 4:03.63 | +0.37 |
| 4. Appelt/Schroll (AUT) | 4:03.67 | +0.41 |
| 5. Huber/Ticci (ITA) | 4:03.72 | +0.46 |
| 6. Tout/Paul (GBR) | 4:03.87 | +0.61 |
| 7. Shimer/Walker (USA) | 4:03.95 | +0.69 |
Beyond the lack of practice time, one significant factor held them back: money.
"Shimer was frustrated as well by the fact that the U.S. did not have a sled technician. Two days before the competition began, Shimer was informed by Olympic officials that the runners on his sled did not conform to international rules. Shimer had to spend several hours with a welding iron as he made a quick adjustment — work that would have been unnecessary if the U.S. had spent $10,000 to hire a technician."
Visit SN's interactive historical archive to read the full article and gain access to thousands of past feature stories including historic covers dating all the way back to 1886.
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