University of North Texas Athletics
No. 22: Marvin Walker Passes Jerry Rice
8/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Return to Play
No. 22 - Marvin Walker Passes Jerry Rice, Begins Rivalry
In his senior year of 1982, North Texas wide receiver Marvin Walker unknowingly started a rivalry with a Mississippi Valley State sophomore. The two never met on the gridiron – never met at all actually – but their exploits from across the country would rewrite the NCAA record books.
Jerry Rice was a young phenom for the Delta Devils that came to be known as one half of the “Satellite Express” receiver/QB combo, that one Saturday in 1982 set the NCAA record for catches in a single game.
Not to be outdone, NT’s Walker needed just one week’s time to cook Rice’s mark with an NCAA record-topping 22 catches against Tulsa. The senior would go on to set the school and NCAA record with 91 catches that season – a mark that stood as the Mean Green school record for a quarter of a century until Casey Fitzgerald came on the scene.
With Walker out of the way in 1983, the “Satellite Express” took back the record books. Rice established new season records with 102 catches for 1,450 yards, and even snapped Walker’s single-game record with 24 catches against rival Southern. He would top those numbers yet again as a senior in 1984 (112 catches, 1,845 yards, 27 touchdowns), and would be the No. 16 pick in the NFL Draft.
Rice would eventually catch 1,549 passes for 22,895 yards and 208 touchdowns in 20 NFL seasons, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
| 100 | 100-yd fumble return for TD | 75- | "Mean Joe" Greene | 50- | Gross and Washington | 25- | Conference Titles |
| 99 | Fitzgerald Goes The Distance | 74- | NT Downs No. 20 SDSU | 49- | Keith Chapman FGs | 24- | Talking About Willis |
| 98 | Sears Woods' Stuns Knoxville | 73- | Fry & the new Mean Green | 48- | Cody Spencer | 23- | Rev. Maher Dominates Southland |
| 97- | NT Blows Out Decatur Baptist | 72- | Yaege's Stellar Season | 47- | First Homecoming | 22- | Walker Passes Rice |
| 96- | 96 Years Of Football | 71- | Steve Ramsey's TDs | 46- | Meager Against SMU | 21- | Saturday, August 20 |
| 95- | The Jump To Division I-A | 70- | Little's 1970 Season | 45- | Cobb Scores 45 | 20- | Sunday, August 21 |
| 94- | Optimist Bowl Offense | 69- | 7 All-Conference in '69 | 44- | Not A Day To Rush | 19- | Monday, August 22 |
| 93- | Michael High KR Yards | 68- | A Consensus All-American | 43- | Patrick Cobbs | 18- | Tuesday, August 23 |
| 92- | Gowin 92-Yard Punt | 67- | Armour Anchors NT Offense | 42- | Craig Robertson | 17- | Wednesday, August 24 |
| 91- | Chancellor Saves The MGRN | 66- | Love Tops 1,000 Yds | 41- | Erric Pegram | 16- | Thursday, August 25 |
| 90- | Renfro/Haynes Tally 90 pts. | 65- | St. Clair's Win Pct | 40- | Fry Win Total | 15- | Friday, August 26 |
| 89- | Redwine Bursts Onto Scene | 64- | Spider's Special Season | 39- | Jack Sisco and 1939 | 14- | Saturday, August 27 |
| 88- | Mean Green Robbed | 63- | NT & Navy Light Up The Scoreboard | 38- | 2002 NMSU Win | 13- | Sunday, August 28 |
| 87- | Fitzgerald Fries Competition | 62- | Khoury's 62-yd FG | 37- | Dunbar TDs (so far) | 12- | Monday, August 29 |
| 86- | Mean Green 86 The Toads | 61- | Kennedy's 61 TFL | 36- | What A Rush | 11- | Tuesday, August 30 |
| 85- | Adrian Awasom | 60- | Fouts Field | 35- | Galbreath Seals NO Bowl Win | 10- | Wednesday, August 31 |
| 84- | Brown Delivers For NT | 59- | The '59 Sun Bowl Squad | 34- | Ja'Quay Wilburn | 9- | Thursday, September 1 |
| 83- | 83 All-Conference Selections | 58- | Mitchell Claims COY | 33- | Ray Renfro | 8- | Friday, September 2 |
| 82- | Corky Nelson | 57- | Thomas Scampers For 57 | 32- | The First All-American | 7- | Saturday, September 3 |
| 81- | One Of The Greats | 56- | Scott Davis Completion Pct | 31- | 31 NT All-Americans | 6- | Sunday, September 4 |
| 80- | Cedric The Sack- Getter | 55- | Gill, NT's First Retired Number | 30- | Former NCAA Record 30 TDs | 5- | Monday, September 5 |
| 79- | "Blow George, Blow!" | 54- | Pair's Punts | 29- | 29,473 Fans | 4 | Tuesday, September 6 |
| 78- | J.T. Smith Joins the NFL | 53- | OSU's 53 Passing Yards | 28- | Abner Haynes | 3- | Wednesday, September 7 |
| 77- | North Texas Goes 10- 1 | 52- | Fouts Field Opens | 27- | Maher Destroys Passing TD Mark | 2- | Thursday, September 8 |
| 76- | Blizzard Battle With FSU | 51- | Bahnsen Named All-American | 26- | Consecutive SBC Wins | 1- | Friday, September 9 |
