Memories will be abundant and freely shared Tuesday, June 6, at the Celebration of Life for Vandal Athletics Hall of Famer Wayne Walker at Boise's Hillcrest Country Club.
 
Last Saturday, Walker's teammate and lifelong friend Jerry Kramer shared some of his fondest memories of the man he first met as a freshman at the University of Idaho.
 
"He drove up from Boise in a '48 Studebaker convertible," Kramer remembered of his first meeting with Walker. "He thought it was the only '48 Studebaker convertible in the world. Well, I drove a '48 Studebaker convertible down from Sandpoint.
 
"We had a few giggles over that. We became great pals."
 
That was the beginning of a life of shared experiences. Both were prominent players for Idaho, they traveled together to the College All-Star and East-West Shrine games as seniors, and they were chosen almost back-to-back in the 1958 NFL draft.
 
"It seems like every time we did something," Kramer said, "we did it together. I don't think I had a bad time with Wayne. He insisted on having a good time. He was bright. He was witty. He was funny."
 
And a bit of a prankster. Kramer remembers a charity event during which Walker filled Kramer's golf bag with two buckets of range balls then pulled them out – one at a time, on the first tee.
 
"He got me," Kramer said, "he really got me."
 
Walker was a charter member of the Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame after serving as a team captain and earning a three-year starting role at linebacker and center for Idaho.
 
He turned his collegiate success into professional success as a linebacker and placekicker throughout a 15-year career with the Detroit Lions. Even today, he remains second on the Lions' games-played and years-played lists. Walker was an All-Rookie selection his first season and was a five-time Pro Bowl choice.
 
Looking at Walker, Kramer said, a long professional career may not have seemed likely.
 
"He wasn't really big enough to play as well as he played," Kramer said, "but he had that mental attitude. He was tenacious. He had a grit about him that was uncommon."
 
After retiring from professional football, Walker went on to an Emmy-award winning career as a sports broadcaster for KPIX-TV in San Francisco. He was a color commentator for CBS Sports for 11 years and also was the color commentator for the San Francisco 49ers.
 
Through it all, he loved Idaho, he loved golf and he loved to fish – another passion he shared with a multitude of friends.
 
"We had some great times," Kramer said. "He was a great guy. I'm going to miss him."
 
Walker's Celebration of Life begins at 3 p.m. MT Tuesday, June 6, at Boise's Hillcrest Country Club.