JOURNAL SPORTS
He was a standout as a tight end. And across the ball at defensive end, and linebacker. His impact didn’t just elevate him among the greatest players in Ole Miss football history, but all the way to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Then he became a star with the New Orleans Saints, and went to five Pro Bowls while playing for the Carolina Panthers.
That made Wesley Walls an easy choice for the media panel choosing the top 50 players in the half-century history of the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. The 50th annual edition kicks off Dec. 22 in Shreveport’s Independence Stadium.
Five Ole Miss teams have played in the local bowl game. Walls was on the second one, in 1986, and comes in at No. 16 on the I-Bowl’s top 50 rankings.
He is continuing to impact college football. Ahead of the 2025 season, Walls was named one of five new members of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee and will serve his second season on the committee in 2026.
Walls totaled three tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and one pass breakup in the 1986 Independence Bowl vs. Texas Tech. He helped the Rebels’ defense hold the Red Raiders to 181 yards and 17 points, bringing Ole Miss their first of four Independence Bowl victories.
After playing both offense and defense his first three seasons at Ole Miss, Walls switched permanently to tight end – the position that would turn him into an NFL star. As a tight end, he earned first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC honors in 1988 after catching 36 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns. Walls was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
After flashing as a tight end his senior year, Walls was selected in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He spent five years in San Francisco, catching only 11 passes, but he was on the Super Bowl XXIV championship team his rookie year and caught one pass in that game.
After playing only six games combined in 1992 and 1993 due to injury, Walls signed with the New Orleans Saints in 1994 and his career took off. He made immediate impact in 1994, hauling in 38 passes for 406 yards and four touchdowns, before setting the Saints tight end record for receptions in a season in 1995 with 57. Those 57 receptions led to 694 yards and four touchdowns.
Walls signed with the Carolina Panthers in 1996 and had his best years in Charlotte, making five Pro Bowls and earning second-team All-Pro honors three times. He surpassed the 700-yard mark three times, and in seven seasons, he averaged 46 receptions and 557 yards. He was inducted into the Carolina Panthers Hall of Honor in 2019 alongside Jake Delhomme, Jordan Gross and Steve Smith Sr.
The next player on the I-Bowl’s list, No. 15, will be announced on Monday, August 31. Players will be announced individually every week, with No. 1 being announced on Monday, December 7.
Players already unveiled on the Independence Bowl’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team:
No. 17 – Joe Morris (RB, Syracuse, 1979); No. 18 – Ray Childress (DT, Texas A&M, 1981); No. 19 – Sidney Rice (WR, South Carolina, 2005);
No. 20 – Brad Smith (QB, Missouri, 2003 and 2005); No. 21 – Derrick Mason (WR, Michigan State, 1995); No. 22 – Garrison Hearst (RB, Georgia, 1991); No. 23 – Jacob Rodriguez (LB, Texas Tech, 2023); No. 24 – Tim Krumrie (NG, Wisconsin, 1982); No. 25 – Muhsin Muhammad (WR, Michigan State, 1995); No. 26 – Ja’Mar Toombs (RB, Texas A&M, 2000); No. 27 – Otis Wilson (LB, Louisville, 1977); No. 28 – A.J. Green (WR, Georgia, 2009); No. 29 – Rocky Calmus (LB – Oklahoma, 1999); No. 30 – Flozell Adams (OT – Michigan State, 1995);
No. 31 – Willie Blade (DT, Mississippi State, 2000); No. 32 – Scott Thomas (S, Air Force, 1983 & 1984); No. 33 – Chad Hennings (DT, Air Force, 1984); No. 34 — Dameyune Craig (QB, Auburn, 1996); No. 35 – Geno Atkins (DT, Georgia, 2009); No. 36 – Rondell Mealey (RB, LSU, 1997); No. 37 – Rolando McClain (LB, Alabama, 2007); No. 38 – Weldon Brown (CB, Louisiana Tech, 2008); No. 39 – Andre Smith (OT, Alabama, 2006 & 2007; No. 40 – Tiki Barber (RB, Virginia, 1994);
No. 41 – Puka Nacua (WR, BYU, 2021); No. 42 – Gary Kubiak (QB; Texas A&M, 1981); No. 43 — Seneca Wallace (QB, Iowa State, 2001); No. 44 – Todd McClure (C, LSU, 1995 & 1997); No. 45 – Gary Anderson (K, Syracuse, 1979); No. 46 – Booger McFarland (LB, LSU, 1995 & 1997); No. 47 – Tremaine Edmunds (LB – Virginia Tech, 2015); No. 48 – Bill Musgrave (QB – Oregon, 1989); No. 49 – Larry Anderson (DB – Louisiana Tech, 1977); No. 50 – Lorenza Baker (LB – Louisiana Tech, 1990).