Doak set the standard:

Doak Walker epitomized leadership, sportsmanship, and academic and athletic achievement during his storied career at SMU in the late 1940’s.
The versatile Walker, who punted, returned punts and kickoffs and kicked extra points, earned All-America honors in 1947, 1948 and 1949. After starting as a freshman in 1945, he missed the 1946 season due to his service in the Army; however, by his junior season, his exploits on the field had become legendary, and in 1948, Walker won the Heisman Trophy.

The Doak Walker Award is given annually to the nation's top running back.

Because of extraordinary fan interest in Walker, who led the Mustangs to Southwest Conference championships and Cotton Bowl appearances during the 1947 and 1948 seasons, SMU moved its home football games from campus to an expanded Cotton Bowl.
The Cotton Bowl recognized Walker’s achievements with a plaque at its main entrance that reads: “The Cotton Bowl, the House that Doak Built.”

Doak Walker Award

The prestigious Doak Walker Award was created in 1989 to recognize the nation’s premier running back combined achievement in the classroom and citizenship in the community. It is the only major collegiate football award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.