Inside NU - Honoring Randy Walker 10 years after his deathRoll Damn 'Catshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52532/insidenu_fav.png2016-06-29T14:05:05-05:00http://www.insidenu.com/rss/stream/118214332016-06-29T14:05:05-05:002016-06-29T14:05:05-05:00Northwestern Athletics releases Walker tribute
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<figcaption><a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu3QhHwXU_Q'>Northwestern Athletics</a></figcaption>
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<p><em>Today, 10 years to the day that Randy Walker passed away unexpectedly, Northwestern Athletics released a tribute to the former coach featuring his successor, Pat Fitzgerald, other coaches, former players and Randy's wife Tammy.</em></p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2016/6/29/12060886/randy-walker-northwestern-tribute-northwestern-athleticsZach Pereles2016-06-29T10:02:03-05:002016-06-29T10:02:03-05:00ESPN College Gameday's Tribute to Randy Walker
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<figcaption><a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE9O3GPjebk'>Rick Sheets on YouTube</a></figcaption>
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<p><em>On the 10 year anniversary of Walker's death, we look back upon his career. This, from ESPN College Gameday from September 2, 2006, is one of many tributes paid to the late coach.</em></p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2016/6/29/12053908/randy-walker-northwestern-tribute-college-gamedayZach Pereles2016-06-29T08:03:03-05:002016-06-29T08:03:03-05:00Remembering Randy Walker and his greatest team
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<figcaption>Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The 2000 Wildcats provided us with memories that will last a lifetime</p> <p>First and foremost, I'm not sure anyone here at Inside NU can really speak to the immense importance Randy Walker had, and continues to have, at Northwestern, nor can anyone really attest to the man that he was. As we hit the 10-year anniversary of Walker's sudden and tragic passing, there are a number of ways we can choose to think back on him as a mentor, a father, or perhaps the least important aspect of his character, a coach.</p>
<p>Throughout this last season, Northwestern celebrated its 20th anniversary of its <a href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/12/28/10670520/northwestern-football-rose-bowl-1995-oral-history" target="_blank">1995 Rose Bowl team</a>, and for good reason. That season remains one of the most unlikely stories in sports history. But lost in the shuffle was that last year marked the 15th anniversary of the last Northwestern team to earn a share of a Big Ten Title, Randy Walker's 2000 Wildcats. And if there is a season worth thinking back on, it's hard to beat what had to have been one of the most insane seasons ever recorded.</p>
<p>Northwestern in 2000 was the football equivalent of washing down a nice cup of black coffee with an adrenaline shot straight into your heart while jumping out of an airplane. The team averaged nearly 37 points per game. They gave up a little more than 33 points per game, but who cares. Defense is boring. It included three wins over top-20 teams, probably the best individual offensive season in Wildcat history, run-ins with both parts of one of the best NFL backfield batteries of the 2000s, and maybe the best game Northwestern's ever played. The whole year made no sense, it was awesome, and it changed the way college football was played.</p>
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<div class="pullquote">Northwestern in 2000 was the football equivalent of washing down a nice cup of black coffee with an adrenaline shot straight into your heart while jumping out of an airplane</div>
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<p>Almost every single game in that season was must watch television. Even the games Northwestern lost, including the blowouts, had something worth watching. Northwestern got a first row seat to watch future NFL Hall of Famer Ladanian Tomlinson bust loose for 243 yards for TCU as the Horned Frogs pulled away in Corpus Cristi to a 41-14 win. Tomlinson's future Charger backfield battery-mate, Drew Brees, would hit Northwestern for five passing touchdowns in Evanston, which is a reminder that Purdue was once decent at football. Nebraska ran a double pass against Northwestern that went for a touchdown when they were <i>up more than 30 points </i>in the<i> </i>Alamo Bowl<i>.</i> And those are just the losses.</p>
<p>You throw a dart at the schedule from that year and odds are you're going to hit a crazy game. Northwestern may have been dubbed the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbp8C9cff0Y" target="_blank">Cardiac Cats</a> in the 90's, but the team earned it in 2000. Which game was your favorite? Was it going into Camp Randall and slapping 47 points down on Barry Alvarez and his No. 6 Badgers and winning in double overtime ("Anderson! To the endzone! Northwestern wins!")? Maybe it was in the Metrodome, where Zak Kustok heaved a ball to the endzone while getting thwacked and still getting enough on it for Kunle Patrick to tip it to Sam Simmons in the corner of the end-zone, completing a Hail Mary and an absurd 4th-quarter comeback that included a perfect 5/5 conversion rate on 4th down? That's the first sports memory I have, running around my living room losing my mind after the most ridiculous plays I'd ever seen.</p>
<p>Or maybe you add those games together and you equal half of the ridiculousness of that Michigan game.</p>
<p>That Michigan team was loaded. Anthony Thomas, David Terrell, and Drew Henson combined to lead an offense that averaged some 34 points per contest. On the other side of the ball, Larry Foote marshaled a defense that in the two weeks prior to facing Northwestern surrendered exactly zero points.</p>
<p>Northwestern would roll for 654 yards and 54 points against the Wolverines.</p>
<p>The game was bonkers. Damien Anderson rushed for 268 of his 2063 yards on the season against Michigan and should have cost Northwestern the game. His drop of a would-be touchdown with two minutes left in the game on a 4th and goal should have sealed it. Michigan could have kneeled the ball 3 times and gotten their victory. Instead, it didn't. Anthony Thomas carried the ball 39 times for 200 yards and was the goat of the game. Thomas getting stripped from an innocuous hit and reaching back for the ball in vain remains one of the most iconic images in Northwestern sports history.</p>
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<p>Raheem Covington fell on the ball, and 30 seconds later, Sam Simmons was in the end zone. Michigan had the game won. And then they didn't. And then Northwestern stole it.</p>
<p>The game marked the beginning of the popularization of the spread offense. In front of a national audience on ABC with Brent Musberger calling the shots, Randy Walker and Kevin Wilson showed the world that with some creativity and just the right amount of gimmickry, a dramatically athletically-disadvantaged team can absolutely embarrass a really good defense. Randy Walker was a brilliant offensive football mind. Look at the list of great college running backs he put through the program. Damien Anderson. Jason Wright. Noah Herron. Tyrell Sutton. Only once in Walker's tenure did Northwestern fail to have a back rush for 1000 yards. The concepts he and Wilson innovated at Northwestern are found in just about any successful spread attack today. That's Walker's legacy on the football field.</p>
<p>But that feels unsatisfactory.</p>
<p>That 2000 season was a gift from Randy Walker, his players, and everyone involved to all of us. Big Ten titles are few and far between, and to earn a share of one while also playing perhaps three of the ten best games in program history kicked it over the top. But however that season defines his "legacy," it pales in comparison to his legacy as a father, husband, and, yes, a leader of young men.</p>
<p>For most of us as fans, the closest we ever get to the man who leads our favorite team is by watching him for a few hours on a Fall weekend stand on the sidelines of a big grass field. Those who knew Randy Walker personally are immensely fortunate. But even those of us who were sitting in the stands watching Randy Walker in his windbreaker and his glasses were fortunate too. Fandom at its best gives us moments that stick with us forever. A forced fumble. A Hail Mary. Randy Walker gave us a lifetime's worth of moments in one season.</p>
<p>And that's worth remembering.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2016/6/29/12037468/randy-walker-northwestern-tribute-2000-big-ten-football-championsBen Goren2013-08-12T09:00:48-05:002013-08-12T09:00:48-05:00Randy Walker's legacy at Northwestern and Miami OH
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<figcaption>Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p><em>(h/t to reader Ted Whalen for the video)</em></p>
<p>As demonstrated by his whirlwind media appearances in the past couple weeks (ranging from Big Ten Media Days to the ESPN “Car Wash” in Bristol), Pat Fitzgerald has emerged as a rock star among college coaches. Already the winningest coach in Wildcat history, his youth and charisma have made him a popular figure in media circles. However, Fitz took a break from his schedule to join the NU football community for the “Run for Walk” on July 26. The event commemorates the life of former head coach Randy Walker, the coach who has never been as widely appreciated as Fitzgerald. Although never a rock star, he served as a rock on which to build the program. During some of NU’s most difficult times, he kept things at an even keel and moved the program toward sustained success.</p>
<p>On January 20, 1999, the day that many Wildcat fans dreaded finally arrived. After years of flirtations with other jobs, Gary Barnett was introduced as the new head coach at Colorado. Although the Wildcat program had declined during his final two seasons (going winless in Big Ten play in 1998), most observers considered this to be a crippling blow to Northwestern. Barnett was the head coach during the glorious 1995 and 1996 seasons, and many thought it would be impossible for anyone else to win in Evanston. Most national pundits wrote off the NU program, believing that a return to the Dark Ages was at hand.</p>
<p>Luckily, Athletic Director Rick Taylor had planned ahead. After numerous Barnett overtures to other schools, he targeted the man he wanted to take the reins when Gary was gone. Taylor liked Randy Walker, the head coach of Miami University. Not only was Walker a very successful head coach, but he had previous experience at NU. Walker was running backs coach under Francis Peay during the 1988 and 1989 seasons. These seasons produced the first back-to-back 1,000 yard rushers in Wildcat history (Byron Sanders and Bob Christian). Walker left Peay’s staff to take the highly coveted Miami job in 1990. As a former Wildcat assistant, he knew the academic restrictions of the school, but did not shy away from the notion of returning.</p>
<p>As demonstrated by his whirlwind media appearances in the past couple weeks (ranging from Big Ten Media Days to the ESPN "Car Wash" in Bristol), Pat Fitzgerald has emerged as a rock star among college coaches. Already the winningest coach in Wildcat history, his youth and charisma have made him a popular figure in media circles. However, Fitz took a break from his schedule to join the NU football community for the "Run for Walk" on July 26. The event commemorates the life of former head coach Randy Walker, the coach who has never been as widely appreciated as Fitzgerald. Although never a rock star, he served as a rock on which to build the program. During some of NU’s most difficult times, he kept things at an even keel and moved the program toward sustained success.</p>
<p>On January 20, 1999, the day that many Wildcat fans dreaded finally arrived. After years of flirtations with other jobs, Gary Barnett was introduced as the new head coach at Colorado. Although the Wildcat program had declined during his final two seasons (going winless in Big Ten play in 1998), most observers considered this to be a crippling blow to Northwestern. Barnett was the head coach during the glorious 1995 and 1996 seasons, and many thought it would be impossible for anyone else to win in Evanston. Most national pundits wrote off the NU program, believing that a return to the Dark Ages was at hand.</p>
<p>Luckily, Athletic Director Rick Taylor had planned ahead. After numerous Barnett overtures to other schools, he targeted the man he wanted to take the reins when Gary was gone. Taylor liked Randy Walker, the head coach of Miami University in Ohio. Not only was Walker a very successful head coach, but he had previous experience at NU. Walker was running backs coach under Francis Peay during the 1988 and 1989 seasons. These seasons produced the first back-to-back 1,000 yard rushers in Wildcat history (Byron Sanders and Bob Christian). Walker left Peay’s staff to take the highly coveted Miami job in 1990. As a former Wildcat assistant, he knew the academic restrictions of the school, but did not shy away from the notion of returning.</p>
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<p>Randy Walker was introduced as the 28<sup>th</sup> NU head coach on the same day that Barnett had left. Walker, a folksy fellow from southern Ohio, did his best to put Wildcat fans at ease. "I’m not a 1-800 guy. Some guys are on the phone all the time and they're looking for their next job," <a target="_blank" href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-01-21/sports/9901210110_1_colorado-job-gary-barnett-nu">he said at his introductory press conference</a>. Although fans appreciated the sentiment, they were understandably skeptical of his ability to win at NU. Yes, he was the winningest coach in Miami U history. Yes, Ara Parseghian came from Miami, too. Yes, Walker beat the legendary 1995 team in Evanston. But those things didn’t mean he could win here.</p>
<p>Walker’s first season at NU did little to quell the concern over Barnett’s departure. The Cats went 3-8, with only one Big Ten win (over Iowa’s rookie head coach Kirk Ferentz). The most embarrassing loss was Walker’s very first game, a matchup against the Miami team that he had just left. The RedHawks, who were coming off a 10-1 season under Walker, pummeled NU 28-3 at Ryan Field in a game that was as ugly as the score. RedHawk running back Travis Prentice had 153 yards that day. "We expected to win", Prentice told the media after the game. Linebacker Dustin Cohen was harsher in his assessment. "Are [the Wildcats] a Big Ten team?" he asked.</p>
<p>Not only were the Wildcats a bad team, but they were boring. They only hit the 20 point plateau twice in 1999, and were held to single digits four times. Walker’s conservative running approach, which served him so well in Miami, had to go. The spread offense was gaining popularity around this time. Joe Tiller brought it to Purdue when he arrived from Wyoming in 1997. The St. Louis Rams won the Super Bowl in January 2000 with a former grocery store clerk at QB. During the offseason, Walker and assistant coach Kevin Wilson (now head coach at Indiana) visited spread gurus such as Rich Rodriguez and Mark Martz to learn the system. They installed it at NU, and the rest is history. The ‘Cats exploded in 2000, winning the Big Ten title with an incredible offensive juggernaut. The season featured numerous great wins and comebacks, some of which (Michigan, Minnesota) continue to be featured regularly on Big Ten Network.</p>
<p>Wildcat fans were feeling much better after the 2000 season. The program proved that it could win without Barnett, and Walker made his own stamp on Wildcat history. Walker bolstered his staff by adding the beloved Pat Fitzgerald, star of the mid-1990s teams. This very popular move tied together elements of both the Barnett and Walker championship teams, and had fans looking forward to 2001. But then came another dark day in NU football history: August 3, 2001. Defensive back Rashidi Wheeler died during offseason conditioning drills, a tragedy that deeply impacted the team. Although preseason favorites to win the league, they struggled to a 4-7 record. Wheeler’s parents sued the university over their son’s death. Walker came under heavy fire, especially from local media. The Sun-Times, particularly then- columnist Jay Mariotti, was especially harsh. There were widespread calls for Walker to be fired, and the protracted legal action damaged his reputation.</p>
<p>Walker soldiered on, working to bring NU back to winning form. After a very poor 2002 season (3-9, 1-7 Big Ten), the calls for his firing grew. After a 2-4 start in 2003, the ‘Cats seemed destined for another bowlless holiday. However, the team found itself at midseason, and managed to make it to the Motor City Bowl. Although this may not sound like a great accomplishment nowadays, it was an important taste of success after three years of on- and off-field struggles.</p>
<p>2004 was another solid season, as NU went 6-6. The most widely remembered game is the October win over Ohio State, Walker’s childhood favorite team. Northwestern beat the Buckeyes 33-27 in OT, in what today is another very popular BTN rerun. It was NU’s first win over OSU since 1971, and the first win over OSU in Evanston since 1958. Walker’s team was finally able to accomplish something that Barnett’s teams didn’t: beat the Buckeyes.</p>
<p>Although the Buckeye win got the most attention, the most notable occurrence of the season happened during the week of the Purdue game. Walker spent two nights in the hospital with a heart ailment before being released for the game. The Wildcats won 13-10, in what was another important win for the program. It was NU’s first ever win over Joe Tiller, who had beaten both Barnett and Walker in every previous matchup. Walker joked about his heart condition (diagnosed as myocarditis, a heart muscle inflammation) after the game, and most people forgot about the incident. In response to the illness, Walker adopted a new diet and work schedule. "I've really taken my doctor's orders to heart, because frankly, I want to see my grandkids someday," he told the media.</p>
<p>The 2005 season was the best since 2000, as the ‘Cats went 7-4 and made a trip to the Sun Bowl. Optimism was beginning to set in, as NU demonstrated that it could be consistently competitive. Walker was especially looking forward to the 2006 opener, a road trip to Miami to play the RedHawks. As coach at Miami, he had tried to schedule NU in a two-for-one arrangement that would bring the Wildcats to Oxford, Ohio. Like most Big Ten coaches in that position, Barnett declined. When Walker took the job, he agreed to the deal with new Miami of Ohio coach Terry Hoeppner.</p>
<p>June 29, 2006 was another terrible day in Wildcat history. Coach Walker died suddenly of an apparent heart attack during the night. The next morning the college football world was shocked to learn of his passing. Condolences poured in from around the country, and his funeral was attended by numerous football dignitaries. Northwestern AD Mark Murphy, faced with the difficult task of filling the job in mid-summer, made the choice to promote Fitzgerald to head coach. Although Fitz was being groomed to eventually be the head man, many at the time questioned the decision. After all, he was only 31 years old, and just a position coach.</p>
<p>The 2006 opener at Miami was a Thursday night game, preceded by a 35 minute ceremony outside Yager Stadium. Despite his death, it still felt like a homecoming. A plaque of Walker was unveiled in Miami’s Cradle of Coaches Plaza. Tammy Walker, Randy’s widow, tossed the coin after the pre-game moment of silence. Both teams had decals of Walker's uniform number and nickname above their face masks. The entire NU section wore special shirts — plain white t-shirts that simply had the word "WALK" printed in large letters. After a scoreless first half, NU went on to win 21-3, giving Fitz his first-ever win as head coach. Unlike the opening day game from 1999, there would be no post-game trash talking, just somber reflection on the coach.</p>
<p>Walker’s accomplishments at both Miami and Northwestern are astounding. He is the winningest coach in the history of "The Cradle of Coaches". If not for his premature death, he would have become NU’s winningest coach. During his career, he defeated all 11 (at the time) Big Ten teams. He installed the spread offense at NU, which is still in use today. He hired Pat Fitzgerald, his heir and current symbol of all things NU.</p>
<p>Despite these deeds, there is a high chance that Walker will be overlooked in history. Although the winningest Miami coach, his name is not as revered as those who moved on to higher-profile programs (Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Ara Parseghian, etc). His greatest win at Miami was completely overlooked at the time. His Miami team came into Dyche Stadium and beat the 1995 Wildcats, a feat no other team accomplished that season. At the time, fans and media generally viewed that game as a "return to reality" for NU, which had beaten Notre Dame two weeks earlier. RedHawk fans left Dyche jokingly chanting "We Want Notre Dame!" It wasn’t until two months later that they realized they beat the Big Ten champions.</p>
<p>In Evanston, many fans reminisce about the mid-1990s teams, then look ahead to Fitz’s tenure. Walker’s tenure, sandwiched between the much more media-savvy Barnett and Fitzgerald, can easily be forgotten. Thankfully, the NU Athletic Department is doing many things to keep Walk’s memory alive. The school dedicated "Walker Way" outside of Ryan Field in 2006, and began the pregame "Walk with Us" tradition before each home game. This summer the school hosted the second annual "Run for Walk", which attracted over 1,000 participants. The event, annually attended by Fitzgerald, raised funds and awareness for CARE (Community Animal Rescue Effort), in honor of Walker’s love of dogs. Tammy Walker, who participates in the annual event, continues to work in the NU Athletic Department. Sadly, Walker never did live to see his grandkids.</p>
<p>However, he left a great legacy at NU.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2013/8/12/5907271/history-book-randy-walkers-impact-on-northwesternMike Deneen