Max Walker

Max Walker

Source: [1], January 4 2006

For the actor, see Max Walker (actor).

Maxwell Henry Norman Walker (born September 12 1948 in Hobart, Tasmania) is a former Australian cricketer and VFL/AFL footballer. Formerly an architect, he currently works as a media commentator and motivational speaker and has diverse business interests.

Football career

Walker was educated at The Friends' School, Hobart and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology graduating with a Fellowship Diploma of Architecture.

His father and mother were until their divorce the licensees of the Empire Hotel (now called the Republic Bar & Café), North Hobart and Walker lived on the premises with his parents and his older sister, Lexie.

Walker started his sports career when he played Australian rules football with the Melbourne Football Club from 1967 to 1972. He was a big ruckman and defender who played 85 games and booted 23 goals. He only played football at VFL level, never playing locally in Tasmania. After his foray in football he moved to cricket.

Cricket career

Walker then moved to cricket and played 70 first-class games for Victoria and 38 Tests for Australia, taking 138 wickets as a medium-fast bowler. He played in 29 ODI's between 1974 and 1981, including matches during World Series Cricket from 1977 to 1979. His strange bowling action, particularly the way he moved his feet, earned Walker the nickname of "Tangles" or "Tanglefoot".

Writing career

Max Walker famous for his sporting exploits is also the author of 14 books with his sales exceeding 1 million copies. This includes seven Number 1 best sellers. His first book was Tangles (written with Neil Phillipson), was published in 1976 while his fourteenth book Caps, Hats and Helmets came out in 2006.

and eats alot of poo

Media career

Once he retired from cricket, Walker became a big celebrity on television and radio. He appeared on the Sunday Footy Show as a panellist, and also hosted the Nine Network's Nine's Wide World of Sport program until it was cancelled in 1999. He was also a commentator for international cricket matches.

Walker is also a writer, and has written many light hearted books including The Wit Of Walker, How To Kiss A Crocodile and How To Puzzle A Python. Today, Walker is prominent on the public speaking circuit, and in 2005 made a rare TV appearance on the Nine Network's sports show Any Given Sunday, hosted by James Brayshaw, as well as ABC2's sports programme "Late Night Legends" featuring highlight of the 1974/75 Ashes series in which Walker played a prominent role.

Walker has also been parodied by The Twelfth Man, on the 1994 album Wired World of Sports II. It follows Walker through a day at his job at the Nine Network in which he is involved in an assault on co-host Ken Sutcliffe in order to increase his chances of being included on the cricket commentary team. He also kept walking and sitting down at his old desk every day and he gets dragged off! Even if there is someone sitting in his old office he would push then off his old chair. Walker has a history of ill behavior, being caught twice 'punching cones' at his daughter's engagement. Also, there is a reference to Walker's book publishing when on the album Billy Birmingham (as Walker) remarks, "Have you got my latest book, Alligators and Arseholes? What about Dingoes and Dropkicks?"

He is a supporter of the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League.

Personal life

Married to Kerry Walker he has five illigitimate children (three of them from a seventh marriage).

Walker is an avid collector of little rubber dildos and in fact uses one when writing the manuscripts for his books.

External links

• Max Walker at ESPNcricinfo
• AFL Statistics: Max Walker
• Brydon Coverdale, "Australia's Winter Allrounders: XI Test Cricketers who played Australian Rules football at the highest level", Cricinfo, 28 May 2007
• Max Walker's Full Biography
• Max Walker - Official Website
• Max Walker's Bird World Online Show
• Speaker Solutions - Max Walker
• Interview on ABC Television's Talking Heads February 2007
• List of Max Walker's books