Blog | Op-Ed | April 7, 2016

Herschel Walker: Physical Education Saved My Life

The Heisman trophy-winner talks about how PE taught him to be the successful scholar, athlete, and businessman of today

In an op-ed for Education Week, Heisman trophy-winner Herschel Walker makes a very strong argument for bringing pack PE to schools, using his own upbringing as an example of how PE can change lives.

Unfortunately, physical education has become harder to find in school settings over the past decade. According to a 2014 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of schools that require students to take physical education for graduation or promotion to the next grade level declined from 96 percent in 2000 to 77 percent in 2014. According to Walker, we need to reverse this trend and teach these lifelong skills.

If we want to give children a path to better health and improved academic outcomes, we need to invest in quality physical education. It can change the life of a young person. How do I know? Because it saved mine.

Herschel Walker