Football may as well be genetic given how many sons of former NFL and NCAA stars carried the torch from their fathers. Deion Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Champ Bailey, Michael Irvin and Randy Moss have all rooted for their offspring from the stands since calling it quits themselves.
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One son of a famous running back decided to pursue a different sport, however. Herschel Walker became one of the greatest college football running backs with the University of Georgia Bulldogs, where the All-American and Heisman Trophy winner won a national championship in 1980.
Walker went on to have a productive professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the USFL and Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL. His athleticism knew no boundaries. The 225-pounder blazed opponents on the track, competed in the 1992 Olympics as a member of the United States bobsled team and turned to MMA in his 40s.
Somewhere along the way, the superstar had a son who received some of those incredible genes.
Herschel Walker's Son Christian Walker
Herschel Walker married Cindy Grossman in 1983 and had a son named Christian with her in 1999.
Herschel and Cindy got divorced in 2002, not long after he wrapped up his NFL career in 1997. Coincidentally, Walker is a devout Christian, although it's not known if that had anything to do with his son's name.
He's a World Champion Cheerleader
“You play football like your dad?”
Me:”well actually...” pic.twitter.com/xhQOtpZ4RE— Christian Walker (@ChristianWalk1r) September 29, 2017
RELATED: "My God": Herschel Walker Trucks Tennessee Player for First TD
Christian Walker didn't run the 60-yard dash or bulldoze defenders on the gridiron like his famous father, but he did take to another sport: competitive cheerleading.
He took part at Disney World's 2016 World Championship of All Star Cheerleading and took home first place as a member of the Spirit of Texas Royalty co-ed cheer team, per TMZ. I'm not sure Herschel could ever perform the flips and stunts that his talented son can.
"When everyone first found out about me cheerleading or, like, my dad's fans, they were really critical," Christian told CBS This Morning. "It just seems like they had a stereotype about cheer, that it was just for females."
Herschel has made it clear he's supported his son since day one, even if he didn't follow in his footsteps.
"I didn't know what that was. Then he's, 'Oh, no. People turning flips and all this stuff. Dance and all this.' And I came out to see it. And I saw how athletic the kids were that was doing it. I was like, 'Geez, I didn't realize it was that big of a sport' and I was proud that he was doing it," the former football player told CBS This Morning.
"I love him so much that if he never played football, I'm going to love him as much as I love him now."
Christian didn't stop tumbling in high school. After his father helped move him in at Southern Methodist University in 2017, he joined the school's cheer squad.
You could say he became a college athlete like his old man.
He's tweeted that he attends UCLA in Los Angeles, California.
Christian's Controversial Opinions & Rants
I’m done with my race being annihilated every single weekend BY MY OWN RACE. It’s a culture problem. pic.twitter.com/Mga6IW5az8
— Christian Walker (@ChristianWalk1r) July 20, 2020
Christian is vocal on social media, where he's garnered more than 40,000 followers on Twitter and started a YouTube channel. He regularly posts very opinionated tweets, like "[Black Lives Matter] hates black people" and "black people are more racist than white people" and "being 'oppressed' is a choice."
Black people are more racist than white people.
It’s evident in their first instict to call black conservatives racial slurs when we speak about our views.
— Christian Walker (@ChristianWalk1r) July 24, 2020
Yes, those are real words you can find on his social media account. That should surprise no one considering Herschel Walker voiced his support for Donald Trump as recently as April 2020 and spoke at the Republican National Convention.
Christian's Feud With Jemele Hill
Herschel Walker’s son seems lovely. https://t.co/jEHZm1DAsL
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) January 6, 2021
A day before violent rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, Christian began feuding with former ESPN TV Personality Jemele Hill on Twitter.
He tweeted something directed toward Georgia politician Stacey Abrams.
"Someone throw Stacey Abrams a bucket of popeyes fried chicken to distract her so we can get an HONEST vote count," Christian wrote on Twitter.
Hill responded by saying that Herschel Walker's son seemed "lovely," which was obviously sarcasm.
An irritated Christian, who is the son of a former NFL star worth an estimated $12 million, then responded to Hill.
"I don't make a living pretending I'm oppressed like you," he wrote.
I don’t make a living pretending I’m oppressed like you. https://t.co/X9tDgxOsvN
— Christian Walker (@ChristianWalk1r) January 6, 2021
Christian seems to enjoy typing things online that rile people up. Whether his tweets are about Joe Biden and the Democrats, former President Trump, Meghan Markle or even that "the most oppressed person in America is a straight white male," it seems to work in pissing people off.
