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Herschel Walker became eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. He never has been a serious candidate.

Every few years the former running back argues he is a Hall of Famer. He made his case again recently.

“If you look at my stats, I should be in the Hall of Fame,” Walker told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “My stats showed that I produced.”

Walker rushed for 8,225 yards and added 4,859 receiving yards and 5,084 kickoff return yards in his 12 NFL seasons.

Only a handful of running backs, including Terrell Davis and Larry Csonka, who played after the 1970 merger have a bust in Canton with fewer rushing yards than Walker had in the NFL.

But Walker’s 18,168 all-purpose yards rank 12th in NFL history. He was second to Walter Payton when he retired.

“Let’s just forget about my USFL days,” Walker said. “Look at my stats in the NFL. Look at my combined yards. Plus, I had 500 some catches (512). Those stats are good enough to be in the Hall of Fame. That’s what people need to look at when they start talking about numbers and all that.”

Actually, since it is the Pro Football Hall of Fame and not the NFL Hall of Fame, why should Walker’s USFL numbers be forgotten?

Walker, the 1982 Heisman winner, rushed for 5,562 yards with the New Jersey Generals of the USFL from 1983-85. That gives Walker 13,787 rushing yards in pro football. Only six rushers in NFL history have more.

So the two-time Pro Bowler has a case. But then, so do a lot of players who aren’t in the Hall of Fame.