Full Name:  Julian William Walton, III
     Born:  March 23, 1978, Jacksonville, Fla.
     Died:  January 19, 2009, Daytona Beach, Fla.
   School:  Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida

Year  No  Pos     Hgt  Wgt  Cl  Ltr  Hometown
1996   3  WR      6-0  185  Fr       Daytona Beach               
1997   3  FLK     6-0  185  Fr-R     Daytona Beach               
1998   3  FLK     6-0  185  So-R     Daytona Beach               

January 23, 2009

Former Mainland star dies unexpectedly

By MICHAEL LEWIS
Staff Writer

Sunday afternoon Rod Smith and his friend Julian "Tres" Walton were hanging out at Ormond Lanes, throwing strikes and laughing it up.

They made plans to go fishing this Saturday. Maybe catch some black drum and some redfish. Two good buddies and former teammates enjoying each other's company. But instead of fishing, Smith will be going to his good friend's funeral.

Walton, 30, a former Mainland football star, died while sitting at his desk at work Monday afternoon, dealing another blow to the already-grieving Mainland community.

The cause of death is still pending.

Walton, whose Florida State football career was cut short due to knee injuries, is survived by his wife, Renae, and three children: Julian IV, Jasmine and Jaylen.

"It's just so shocking to me right now, because Sunday he was so happy and looking forward to so many things," Smith said Thursday. "This was a guy who was always smiling and always happy. There's not anyone who didn't like Tres."

Walton, who was born in Jacksonville, had started working for Brown & Brown two months ago. According to Decker Youngman, the executive vice president-sales at Brown & Brown, Walton was having a normal day at work Monday when a co-worker suddenly heard a strange noise coming from his desk.

"The guy walked over there when he heard a sound and said, 'Tres, are you all right?'" Youngman said. "When he reached him he saw Tres slumped over in his chair, not moving."

Youngman said paramedics were on the scene within minutes with defibrillators and other equipment, but they were unable to revive Walton.

"He was one of the nicest people I've ever met; really a remarkable young man," Youngman said. "He had fit in very well here and was picking things up very quickly."

Former Mainland star T.T. Toliver, who was the quarterback while Walton was a running back for the Bucs in 1995 and '96, said he was "devastated" by the news.

"He was a laid-back guy off the field, but he had that speed and determination that great players have," Toliver said. "He had the grades and the smarts to do anything he wanted."

Walton's senior year with the Bucs was cut short when he suffered a serious knee injury, but he went to Florida State still hoping to be a star.

After further knee problems derailed his hopes, he stayed in school and graduated from FSU in 2001.

He later worked as an assistant football coach in Georgia, and Smith said Walton often talked about wanting to get involved in coaching again.

"He loved kids so much, and he wanted to teach them the right way to play," Smith said. Walton's death comes two days after Mainland's offensive line coach, 34-year-old Eric Chojnowski, died in his sleep. In 2007, three members of the Bucs' 2003 championship team also died.

Walton's funeral will be at noon Saturday at the Greater Friendship Baptist Church in Daytona Beach.

Walton's Schools

HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from Mainland, 1996.

COLLEGE: Graduated from FSU, 2001, with B.A. in English/Creative Writing.

Season Statistics
Defense
         |       Tackles        |   Sacks  |    Fumble    |     Pass Defense    | Blkd |   PAT Attempts  |        |         |    |
Year  GP |  ua   a Tot  tfl-yds |   no-yds | ff fr-yds-td | int-yds-td qbh brup | kick |   kick  rsh rcv |   fg   | saf dxp | td | pts
---------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
1996     |   0   0   0  0.0-    |  0.0-    |  0  0-  0- 0 |   0-  0- 0   0   0  |   0  |   0- 0   0   0  |  0- 0  |   0   0 |  0 |   0
1997     |   0   0   0  0.0-    |  0.0-    |  0  0-  0- 0 |   0-  0- 0   0   0  |   0  |   0- 0   0   0  |  0- 0  |   0   0 |  0 |   0
1998     |   0   0   0  0.0-    |  0.0-    |  0  0-  0- 0 |   0-  0- 0   0   0  |   0  |   0- 0   0   0  |  0- 0  |   0   0 |  0 |   0
---------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Tot    0 |   0   0   0  0.0-  0 |  0.0-  0 |  0  0-  0- 0 |   0-  0- 0   0   0  |   0  |   0- 0   0   0  |  0- 0  |   0   0 |  0 |   0

Offense/Kick and Punt Returns
         |       Rushing        |      Receiving       |         Passing          |     Kick Returns      |     Punt Returns      |  all
Year  GP |  no  yds  avg td lg  |  no  yds  avg td lg  | cmp- att-int  yds td lg  |  no  yds  avg td  lg  |  no  yds  avg td  lg  | purp
---------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
1996     |        0  0.0        |           0.0        |    -    -                |           0.0         |           0.0         |     
1997     |        0  0.0        |           0.0        |    -    -                |           0.0         |           0.0         |     
1998     |        0  0.0        |           0.0        |    -    -                |           0.0         |           0.0         |     
---------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Tot    0 |   0    0  0.0  0     |   0    0  0.0  0     |   0-   0- 0     0  0     |   0    0  0.0  0      |   0    0  0.0  0      |    0

Game Statistics