The Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III is set to play in Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, versus the New England Patriots.
Walker burst onto the NFL scene after a standout collegiate career at Michigan State University and Wake Forest. He has been the mainstay of Seattle’s attack in the postseason, according to NFL.com.
Walker has carried for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns in the 2025 regular season, with 38 touches for 178 yards and four running scores going into the Super Bowl.
Here’s what we know about his parents.
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Kenneth Walker III’s parents: Support behind the star
Kenneth Walker III was born in Arlington, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis. Walker is the son of Kenneth Walker II and Shaunteshia Brown.
According to the Detroit News, his parents divorced when he was about 7 years old, but they continued to be very active in their son’s upbringing and athletic growth, much like Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
According to Town & Country, Walker credited both of his parents for keeping him grounded during trying times when he was questioned about his future with the Seahawks during Super Bowl week.
“They just told me not to make a decision based on emotion,” he said.
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Kenneth Walker III’s mother: Shaunteshia Brown
Kenneth Walker III’s mother, Shaunteshia Brown, raised Kenneth and his six other siblings in the Memphis area.
Brown is frequently cited as a guiding force in Walker’s life and athletic career. According to Town & Country, Brown’s encouragement and disciplinary presence helped Walker through early challenges, including a serious health scare in high school.
Walker was he was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs, and doctors initially told him he might never play football again. But Brown said that she believed the doctor’s words to be not true. And she was quite right.
Kenneth Walker III’s father: Kenneth Walker II
Walker II served as an early trainer and mentor, helping instil a physical ethic that has defined his son’s game. “My dad, that’s who really instilled that in me as a kid. I probably was four when I started working out, and I worked out with my dad 24/7,” Walker said.
Walker said that his dad’s whole house was a gym. He said that the house was full of gym equipment and backyards had “two smaller houses, and we had a wrestling mat and more gym equipment back there.”
Walker told Fox Sports, “I had tears in my eyes while we were working out. But it brought me to this point in my life, and I thank him for it.”
His father said, smiling at Walker’s statement, “Grown men didn’t want to do the workouts I was putting him through.”
Walker’s father is known to have worked night shifts at Rich Products in Arlington, according to the Detroit News.
