Sept. 10, 2020

Football legend Herschel Walker will be the keynote speaker at this year’s South Dakota Law Enforcement Appreciation Dinner and Children’s Charity Fundraiser.

The event, which is in its 39th year, typically draws nearly 2,000 people, making it the largest of its kind in the nation.

This year, attendance at the Nov. 18 dinner will be dramatically limited to allow for attendee spacing at the Ramkota Exhibit Hall. It’s likely tickets will not be available given the amount already reserved, said Scott Abdallah, whose father, Gene, founded the event.

Those who can attend will hear from the Heisman trophy winner, who played professional football for 12 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, the Minnesota Vikings, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants before retiring in 1997.

The goal is to seat as many law enforcement officers as possible, Abdallah said.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Herschel Walker has accepted our invitation to speak to our men and women in law enforcement this year,” Abdallah said. “This year, more than ever, we need to honor law enforcement and recognize the dangerous and oftentimes thankless job they do each day to protect all of us.”

The dinner was founded by Gene Abdallah as a way for local business and community leaders to come together and honor law enforcement officers throughout South Dakota. It also has raised millions of dollars for children’s charities in the name of law enforcement. Each year, one law enforcement officer receives the William J. Janklow Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award.

In Walker, attendees will hear a powerful story. The Georgia native participated in football, basketball and track while in high school, scoring 86 touchdowns in football and leading his school to state championships in both football and track, while maintaining an “A” average.

After graduating valedictorian from high school, Walker was the most sought-after college football recruit in the nation. He played football for three years at the University of Georgia and is considered one of the greatest college football players ever to play the game. Walker is the only player to finish in the top three of Heisman voting in all three of his collegiate seasons, winning the Heisman Trophy during his third and final year in 1982.

Walker gave up his final year of eligibility in 1983 and joined the newly formed USFL, where he played for Donald Trump’s New Jersey Generals. No player dominated the USFL like Walker, setting the single-season professional football rushing record of 2,411 yard. Following his career in the USFL, Walker joined the Dallas Cowboys in 1986, where he led the NFL in rushing and was named All-Pro.

In 2019, college football celebrated its 150th anniversary, and sports journalists from around the country voted Walker the greatest running back ever to play college football. He was also a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic bobsleigh team in Albertville, France.

Walker has been outspoken in his opposition to the recent riots in American cities, stating that “outsiders coming to riot into other communities should get federal time for destroying lives and businesses,” according to a release about his upcoming appearance, which added he also has voiced strong opposition to the “defund police” movement. This will be the first time that Walker has spoken publicly in Sioux Falls.