We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.

Published|Updated

Herschel Walker is best known for his football exploits, having won the Heisman Trophy and national championship at the University of Georgia and then playing in both the USFL and NFL where he was the key piece in perhaps the biggest blockbuster trade in pro football history – a deal that built a Dallas Cowboys dynasty.

But the man who looked like a fullback and ran like a receiver has built quite a resume away from football as well, and he added to it late Tuesday night when President-elect Donald Trump nominated him to be the next ambassador to the Bahamas.

Herschel Walker

PERRY, Ga. – Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker speaks at a rally featuring President Donald Trump on September 25, 2021. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Trump: Walker Will Put America First

“Herschel has spent decades serving as an ambassador to our nation’s youth, our men and women in the military, and athletes at home and abroad,” Trump said in announcing the nomination on Truth Social.

The President-elect then launched into a long description of Walker’s achievements away from football. Those include serving as Co-Chair of the President’s Council On Sports, Fitness and Nutrition during the first Trump administration, representing the United States in the 1992 Winter Olympics as a member of the U.S. bobsled team, and advocating on behalf of youth sports his entire life.

Walker also dipped toes into the political arena when he ran for a U.S. Senate seat from Georgia in 2022 – an election he ultimately lost to the incumbent in a runoff. 

“Congratulations Herschel!” Trump wrote of Walker’s new appointment. “You will make Georgia and our entire nation proud, because we know you will always put America First!”

Herschel Walker, NJ Generals Running Back, looks on as Donald Trump, JJ Generals Owner; makes the announcement of a new contract for Herschel Walker through the 1989 season; during a press conference held at Giants Stadium.  (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

Trump-Walker Friendship Goes Back Decades

Walker and Trump have a relationship that dates back to 1983 when the billionaire purchased the New Jersey Generals of the now-defunct USFL. Walker signed with the Generals prior to Trump’s purchase right out of Georgia.

Walker, a conservative, has been a staunch Trump political supporter practically from the moment the president-elect launched his first political campaign in 2015.

Walker defended Trump when his friend was accused of being a racist.

“I take that as a personal insult that people would think I’ve had a 37-year friendship with a racist,” Walker famously said. “Growing in the Deep South, I’ve seen racism up close. I know what it is. And it isn’t Donald Trump.”

Walker will need his nomination confirmed next year by a simple majority of the incoming Republican-led United States Senate.

Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker and a woman take a selfie during President Donald J Trump’s “Save America” rally with David Perdue, Burt Jones, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Vernon Jones in Commerce, Ga., on March, 26, 2022. (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Bahamas Matters To The U.S.

And if this seems like a throw-away appointment, it really isn’t. The Bahamas matters and its relations with the United States goes back centuries to when slaves from the Confederate South sometimes found ways to escape to the island.

The U.S. established diplomatic relations with The Bahamas in 1973 following its independence from the United Kingdom.

The U.S. and the Bahamian government often work together on fighting criminal activities and addressing migration issues. Bimini is located a mere 45 miles from the coast of South Florida. And the United States Navy operates a research facility on Andros Island.

About 80 percent percent of the 7 million tourists who visit The Bahamas each year come from the United States, according to the State Department. The trade relationship the countries share is worth approximately $7.3 billion annually, with the U.S. enjoying a $3.8 billion trade surplus.

Trump will like that. And it’ll probably be Walker’s job to improve on the numbers.