Northwestern University Athletics
Randy Walker Named Head Football Coach
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
January 20, 1999
EVANSTON, Ill. - Randy Walker, head football coach at Miami University for the past nine seasons, will take over the reins of the Northwestern University football program, effective immediately. The announcement was made today by Northwestern athletic director Rick Taylor. Walker replaces Gary Barnett who resigned last evening.
Walker, 44, comes to Northwestern with an impressive coaching resume. He departs Oxford as the winningest head coach in school history with a mark of 59-35-5 (.621) -- a great honor considering the list of coaches which have gone before him. Dubbed the "Cradle of Coaches," Miami has produced such football legends as Earl "Red" Blaik, Paul Brown, Carmen Cozza, Sid Gillman, Weeb Ewbank, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler and Dick Crum, to name a few.
"We are extremely pleased to name Randy Walker as the 28th head football coach of Northwestern University," said Taylor. "His record at Miami University speaks for itself. That he is the winningest coach in Miamis history reflects his excellence in all phases of his chosen profession. We look forward to the future with Randy Walker as our coach."
The native of Troy, Ohio, guided the RedHawks to a 10-1 record in 1998, as Miami finished atop the Mid-American Conference (MAC) for the fourth-straight year in total defense. Nationally, Walker's troops ranked 16th in total defense and tied for fourth in scoring defense. In addition, they led the nation and tied an NCAA Division I-A record by losing just one fumble in 11 games and their pass efficiency defense rating was the fifth best overall.
"Obviously, I am very excited about this opportunity and the new challenges it presents," said Walker. "I am very familiar with Northwestern having been an assistant coach here in the late 1980s. However, nine years changes a lot and Northwestern is a very different place now. I have always been very impressed with Northwestern as an institution and the commitment it has made over the years towards academic excellence. I am also equally impressed with the positive direction that the athletic program has taken in recent years."
Walker graduated from Miami University in 1976 with a B.A. in social studies education and, in 1981, earned his master's degree in educational administration. As a fullback, he led MU to 11-0, 10-0-1 and 11-1 records in 1973, 1974 and 1975, respectively, and three-straight Tangerine Bowl victories. In fact, Walker has been a part of all five of Miami's 10 or better win seasons, having been an assistant coach of the 10-1 1977 squad.
While his record as a head coach and a player are impressive, so are the student-athletes he has recruited to play for him. An example would be some of the standouts on the 1998 squad: three All-America honorees; a two-time MAC Defensive Player of the Year; the nations second leading rusher in 1997 (who also was a two-time Doak Walker semifinalist); a player selected to participate in the Hula Bowl; a placekicker who finished his career with the nations longest active string of consecutive PATs; and a safety who led the nation in interception return yardage, and returned three picks for scores (tying an NCAA single-season record).
Walker is no stranger to Big Ten football and Evanston, having served as the running backs coach for the Wildcats during the 1988 and 1989 seasons. Prior to NU, he spent 10 seasons (1978-87) at the University of North Carolina. In 1985, Walker was named offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Tar Heels after spending the previous seven campaigns as the running backs (1978-81) and quarterbacks (1982-87) coach. While at UNC, the Tar Heels made six bowl game appearances, winning four times.
Walker, presently 17th in winning percentage among active Division I-A coaches, is married to the former Tamara Weikert. The couple has two children, Abbey, 20, a sophomore at Miami University, and, Jamie, 17, a junior in high school.
The Walker File
Born: May 29, 1954; Troy, Ohio High School: Troy High School; Troy, Ohio Alma Mater: Miami University; Oxford, Ohio Degrees: Bachelor's Degree in social studies education, 1976 Master's Degree in educational administration, 1981 Coaching Experience: Miami University, 1977 running backs coach University of North Carolina, 1978-87 running backs coach, 1978-81 quarterbacks coach, 1981-87 offensive coordinator, 1985-87 Northwestern University, 1988-89 running backs coach Miami University, 1990-98 head coach Notes of Interest: * Winningest coach in Miami University history, 59-35-5 (.621) * Owns a 19-5 record in the month of November * Recorded victories over nonconference teams such as: Army, North Carolina, Northwestern and Virginia Tech * Coached in six bowl games while an assistant at North Carolina * Played in three bowl games while a fullback at Miami University
