Palmer attended
Churchill High School in
Potomac, Maryland. He was a versatile
running back and led the state in kickoff returns as a senior. Paul accepted a football scholarship from
Temple University, to play under head coach
Bruce Arians. As a freshman he was a backup that struggled with ball security. He registered 141 carries for 628 yards (4.5-yard average), 6 rushing
touchdowns, 33 receptions for 271 yards and 2
touchdowns. As a sophomore, Palmer replaced the injured starter Brian Slade at
running back against
Boston College, making 11 carries for 98 yards. The next game against the
University of Cincinnati, he registered 92 rushing yards. His first start came against the
University of Delaware, collecting 144 rushing yards. He posted 182 carries for 885 yards (4.9/yard average), 9
touchdowns, 29 receptions for 197 yards and one
touchdown. As a junior, he became one of the top
running backs in the nation, recording 275 carries for 1,516 yards, 9
touchdowns, 13 receptions for 131 yards and one
touchdown. Against
Penn State, he rushed for 206 yards. As a senior in 1986, Palmer led the
Division I in rushing yards (1,866) and all-purpose yards (2,633), breaking
Marcus Allen's single-season all-purpose yardage
NCAA record. He also registered 346 carries and 15
touchdowns. Against
East Carolina University, he tallied 349 rushing yards (school record), 3
touchdowns and tied the single-game record for all-purpose yards with 417. In his next three games he rushed for 239, 187, and 212 yards respectively, setting
NCAA records for rushing yards in consecutive games, three straight contests and four consecutive games. Paul was the runner-up to
Vinny Testaverde for the 1986
Heisman Trophy award, even though Temple did not have nationally televised games. In July 1988, it emerged that Palmer had signed with agent Norby Walters before his eligibility expired (he received monthly payments and a $5,000 loan). Temple forfeited all six of its wins from the 1986 season, erased all of Palmer's records from the books, and withdrew all of Palmer's athletic prizes and rewards. School president
Peter Liacouras also ordered Palmer to reimburse Temple for his senior year scholarship. In a deal with federal prosecutors who were investigating Walters, Palmer agreed to perform 150 to 250 hours of community service. Years later, the school decided to recognize Palmer’s 1986 season, after he showed remorse for his decisions and their effects on Temple. During Palmers college career he ranked sixth in
NCAA Division I history in rushing yards and fourth in all-purpose yards, setting 23 school records including career rushing yards (4,895), career rushing attempts (944), career all-purpose yards (6,613), career rushing touchdowns (39), career 100-yard games (21), career 200-yard games (6) and points (264). In 2000, Palmer was inducted into the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame. On January 8, 2018, he was elected to the
College Football Hall of Fame, becoming the first player from Temple to receive such an honor. ==Professional career==