Background
Dean was born on June 1, 1968 in Ruston, Louisiana to Walter, a concrete company dispatcher, and Betty Dean, an administrative secretary at Grambling State University.
Dean was born on June 1, 1968 in Ruston, Louisiana to Walter, a concrete company dispatcher, and Betty Dean, an administrative secretary at Grambling State University.
Walter Dean attended Grambling State University Laboratory High School in Grambling, Louisiana and turned down offers from major college football programs such as Nebraska and Louisiana State in order to attend Grambling State.
He played college football for the Grambling State Tigers at Grambling State University. He played professional football for one season in the National Football League (NFL) after he was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. Dean said, "I wanted to go to a college where everybody I knew wouldn"t have to sign up for a frequent-flyer program in order to see me play."
At Grambling, Dean studied business management and played football for the Grambling State Tigers as a running back.
He earned the nickname "American Express" due to the belief of his coach, Eddie Robinson, that the team should "never leave home without him", a saying similar to the slogan of the eponymous cr card company.
Sports Illustrated called Dean possibly the "best runner produced by a predominantly black college since Walter Payton came out of Jackson State in 1975." Former Grambling and Los Angeles Rams fullback Paul "Tank" Younger said about Dean, "You take one look at him and you think, hey, he doesn"t look that tough. He isn"t the huge, muscle-flexing type of back, but once you see him run the ball, you want to check out his scrapbook."
At Grambling, Dean recorded a career total of 3,328 yards and 41 touchdowns.
As a junior in 1989, Dean scored 18 touchdowns and set a school rushing record when he compiled 1,269 yards. In 1990, Dean recorded 17 touchdowns and the Division I-Associate of Arts season-best 1,401 rushing yards.
Against Elizabeth City, he recorded 137 yards on just 15 carries (913 average).
Against Hampton, he compiled a career-high 232 yards and helped lead the Tigers to a 22-3 victory. Dean was selected in the sixth round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers (149th pick overall). He then played one season for Green Bay.
In 1991, he saw action in nine games and recorded one kick return and one fumble.