Shocking and sad http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-060630walker,1,5053018.story?coll=chi-news-hed
A really sad day. NW is my second favorite team probably because of the obstacles they have to overcome to even field a competitive team. Walker was basically the anti-Barnett. After Barnett left NW, I think most B10 fans thought NW would sink to the depths for decades as they did after Ara left NW to go to ND. But, after a bad first season, Walker scraped the power I offense and instituted a no-huddle, spread offense which many teams have now copied. No B10 team was really able to figure out that offense the first season it was used and NW ended up sharing the B10 title. The most exciting football game I have ever seen in person took place that seson when NW beat M 54-51 that season in Evanston. M had an off week before that game and most thought that M's defense had the speed to shut down NW. Instead, NW ripped Michigan for over 600 yards of offense. The main thing that stuck in my mind that game was while both teams were warming up how small and unathaletic NW players seemed compared to all of the five-star studs trotting on M's sideline Michigan. I think this was the year that M had 3 players drafted in the first round by the NFL. Yet, despite M's incredible overwhelming physical advantage, NW won on a last minute touchdown after recovering a fumble caused when a NW player punched the ball out of Anthony Thomas's arms as Michigan was running out the clock. It really was a remarkable victory and one of many nail biting victories NW won that year. Following that season and in later season, Walker had the opportunity to go elsewhere and coach for more money teams with far greater talent but, unlike Barnett, Walker stayed at NW and continued to field exciting teams that, although usually outmanned, were credible teams, a rarity in NW's football history. My guess is that he wanted to be a lower case version of Joe Paterno i.e. a talented coach, who truly cared about making sure his players were both serious players and students, and who stayed with a program during good and bad times And he endured bad times. Following that magic season, his starting defensive back, Rashidi Wheeler died during off season, summer drills. Wheeler suffered from asthma and that combined with taking large doses of Ephreda prior to the practice probably caused his death. But, in the papers, Wheelers death was solely blamed on Walker's tough conditioning program and he was crucified in the Chicago papers. A very ugly lawsuit followed with Walker, during his deposition, being called a murderer by Wheeler's mother. I suspect the strain of that ordeal and the thought that his actions may have been a cause of death of his player took a horrible toll on him. Yet, he never took the low road during this time and silently withstood the barrage of abuse. He was able to rebuild the program taking it to two bowl games, signing at the end of last year a six year extension to coach NW. Today, they were interviewing Jay Howell, NW's much maligned kicker. Howell cost NW several games in the past two years and was a frequent target of fan abuse but Walker stubbornly refused to throw the kid off the sled. Howells ended up making a key kick in NW end-of-the-year upset of Iowa but his was not a fairy tale ending for Howells then had a miserable game against UCLA in the Sun Bowl missing xtra points and fgs, and with two of his onsides kicks being returned for touchdowns. At this year's letter of intent press conference, Walker berated NW fans who loudly cheered when it was announced that NW signed a highly regarded kicker, defending Howell. I am not sure if Walker's decision to stick with Howell was the right thing to do or not from a coaching standpoint but the kid and other teammates interviewed were totally devastated today.
Wow that is a shocker, the guy did a great job at Northewestern. In fact you kept thinking he was on the fast track to a job at a place where he could get the best talent and win even more. 52, hard to believe. Terry
Sad Indeed. Much too young to end his coaching career and I have always been impressed by his coaching ability and I think he was a very honest and sincere individual. Replacing him at this stage is going to be very difficult. Don
If I recall correctly, wasn't walker a heckuva running back for the Miami (OH) Redskins? I think he played a few years in the NFL as well. Very sad. Good job, Bobda.
Pat Fitzgerald, 31, a former Northwestern LB and the current LB coach and recruiting coordinator was hired today as his replacement. Bold move by the Wildcats, it's a tough time to hire a new coach and I'm sure they were tempted to put the "interim" tag on him like Mich did for Lloyd his first year. I remember Fitzgerald as a player, he was a very good college linebacker. I hope he does well for the Wildcats, after all he is a fellow Irishman! Terry Fitzgerald New Northwestern Coach
That was a gutsy move but one strongly approved by the NW fans on their message board. F is very young, 31, with only, I believe, five years of assistant coaching experience starting with Barnett in Colorado, spending two years in Idaho, and then coaching linebackers and serving as a recruiting coordinator for Walker at NW. Fitzgerald is a hero in Evanston from his days as a great middle linebacker on their 95 Rose Bowl team and 96 B10 championship team. Sadly, he never had an opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl having broke his leg late that season in a game against Iowa. Had he played, NW might have beaten USC. I remember him well due to his superb play against M in 95 and 96. In the 95 game, a 19-13 NW victory, the first time NW beat Michigan since 1965, his hit on Griese on a delayed blitz caused a game saving NW interception during M's last drive as they were deep in NW's territory. In 96, he made, I believe, 19 tackles in NW's 17-16 victory, stuffing M's running game. Being a Illinois native, he wore number 51 in honor of his hero, Dick Butkus. He was not a monstrous physical specimen like Butkus who could chase down running back and toss linemen around as if they were wet newspaper; but, like his idol, he was an extremely intelligent player and the leader on the field. I saw clips of his press conference today. He is extremely well spoken and poised for his age, and I suspect will be a very formidable recruiter. He probably will have a rocky year for NW is in a rebuilding mode this year, having lost Baszanet and several other very good players to graduation. He is handicapped further by the fact that their excellent offensive coordinator, Mike Dunbar, left to take the same position at Cal. But, this is a quality guy and I think he will be able to sustain a program that was rebuilt from ruins by Barnett and Walker. Also, having played under Barnett and coached under Walker, he serves a bridge between the two programs and will probably heal some of the wounds that still remain in Evanston from Barnett's sordid departure. I would not be surprised in time to see some of Barnett's ex assistants return to NW to coach under Fitzgerald and for Barnett to be an unofficial advisor and no longer persona non grata in Evanston.