Fanbogs - College Football Weblogs

June 30, 2006

Randy Walker dies of apparent heart attack

Members of the Norhwestern football team were informed Thursday night and Friday morning that Wildcats' head Coach Randy Walker died Thursday night. He was suffering from chest pains. Walker was diagnosed with myocarditis in 2004.

A team meeting with members of the athletic department and university staff was held Friday morning and grief counseling was a available. No funeral details have emerged yet, let alone names of any potential replacements.

Walker was Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2000. He was the winningest coach in Miami University history before taking the Northwestern job. He was the 27th most winningest coach on the list of active coaches. His overall coaching record was 96-81-5. Walker was the first coach of the Wildcats to take a team to three bowl games.

Walker was 52 years old and is survived by his wife and two children.

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Comments:

  1. Buckeye Sparks said:

    posted on June 30, 2006 6:01 PM — 66.145.192.239 — link — abuse?



    Randy was one of the truly bright coaches and did a wonderful job at both Miami of Ohio and Northwestern.

    May God bless him.

    Our thoughts and prayers to the Walker family, friends and to the Northwestern University.

  2. Diggs the Mountie said:

    posted on July 1, 2006 2:46 AM — 68.55.116.210 — link — abuse?



    Sad, so young so much to more of a life to live.... my condolescences go out to his family and friends.

  3. Rusty Shackleford said:

    posted on July 1, 2006 10:08 PM — 64.12.116.199 — link — abuse?



    I can't believe that happened, hopefully we'll see him in heaven one day.

  4. thechad said:

    posted on July 2, 2006 4:18 PM — 64.12.116.199 — link — abuse?



    very underated coach and did wonders for northwestern and how they competed in the big ten very sad day for colleage football may he rest in peace and god bless.

  5. RollFreakenTide said:

    posted on July 3, 2006 7:53 PM — 152.163.100.196 — link — abuse?



    I hate that for them he had that program turned around

  6. Bob Denari said:

    posted on July 4, 2006 12:19 PM — 205.188.116.133 — link — abuse?



    Randy was an outstanding person. I had the good fortune to have Randy in class at Troy High School. He was one of the most well-rounded students I have ever been associated with. Not only was Randy an outstanding athlete...he was an active student in all aspects, including the leading role in a high school musical production. My heartfelt sympathy goes to Tammy and the Walker family. My prayers are with you and Randy.

  7. Gatorpilot said:

    posted on July 6, 2006 12:26 PM — 72.154.129.94 — link — abuse?



    He's undoubtedly scribbling Xs and Os in the clouds now.

  8. jeremy sabbath said:

    posted on July 11, 2006 10:32 AM — 64.107.2.156 — link — abuse?



    coach walker helped bring the football program at northwestern out of the ground. He brought us to 3 bowl games and we won 6 games in a season 3 times in a row. He will be greatly missed.

  9. Duck Fan said:

    posted on July 13, 2006 8:03 AM — 198.237.180.60 — link — abuse?



    Sad news, so very sad. Coach Walker was one of the truly great coaches of College Football. Whenever ESPN aired a Northwestern game on T.V. I was glued to the set. He made football at Nortwestern fun to watch. Best wishes to his family, to the players, to the student body of Northwestern and the fans. He will be a hard act to follow. God Bless

  10. TN TW said:

    posted on September 1, 2006 8:04 PM — 70.19.95.47 — link — abuse?



    also a nice testiment looking over this blog of how sports brings folks from everywhere together. Sure, we all love to root for our own and have somebody different to hate game to game and season to season, but something tragic like this happens and the support it obviously draws transcends the game itself and everyone shows their true colors, thus making one realize that sports just brings out the best in human nature.

    Any team in the league would've loved to have Mr Walker as their coach and I think just from reading these notes that everybody is going to miss him, whether you were a bandwagon fan of Northwestern, as I was, or not.

  11. J. Jones (UNC #48, '80-'84) said:

    posted on October 28, 2006 3:25 PM — 144.226.230.36 — link — abuse?



    While watching ESPN on Oct. 28, 2006(Mich vs Northwestern), I heard the annoucer make positive comments about the current coach and mentioned how/why he was named to that position at such a young age. Out of disbelief, I ended up at this site. Coach Walker was a wonderful player coach. I had the privilege to learn from him from 1980-1984. I walked-on in 1980 at the University of North Carolina and he gave me a chance in his back field. Coach Walker was a very good person and he deinitely made a positive difference in whatever he touched. He made a difference.

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