Grinnell College Athletics

Dick Walker '56 joins the Hall of Fame in honor of his performances in football, track, and wrestling, as well as his devotion to coaching and athletics. While at Grinnell, Walker earned six letters: two in football, three in track, and one in wrestling. Walker earned Midwest Conference Honorable Mention status as a football tackle in 1954 and 1955. In track and field, Walker was the discus champion for three consecutive years (1954-56). In his lone season on the wrestling mats, Walker not only finished third at the Midwest Conference wrestling tournament, but he also discovered his true passion, which would lead to his successful career as a wrestling coach. After graduation, Walker earned an M.A. from South Dakota State University in 1959, and a doctorate in education from the University of Northern Colorado in 1972. Walker devoted his life to education and athletics. He never held a job where the two were separated. He taught and coached at West High School
in Waterloo, Iowa, from 1959-65, and then returned to Grinnell to teach swimming and coach football, track, and wrestling. Walker later joined the faculty at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. He served there as the athletic chair and wrestling coach for 22 years. During that period, he served as the Division III representative on the NCAA wrestling rules committee, contributing the local coaching standpoint as well as a national view. Dick Walker's passion for wrestling fueled him to lead by example; his true legacy is in the lives of the wrestlers he coached, taught, and shaped at Wartburg College and elsewhere.