RIP Randy Walker, Northwestern football coach

Yeah, he said he would never leave Northwestern and then Colorado came calling and he ran so fast the door didn't hit him on the way out. Basically lied to his players.

 

I don't see it happening either...but he was at Northwestern this spring taking in a few spring practices.

Still I don't think there's a chance we see Barnett take over. Probably just a promotion from within. Maybe Pat Fitzgerald?

 

Fitzgerald would be an excellent choice... a star alum, and well-liked by the players.

 

Well, every coach who takes another job does that. Every single one.

 

Let's not sully this thread about Randy Walker with talk of Gary Barnett. Please.

 

He was one of the fun coaches to watch on a Saturday. Terrible feeling.

 

damn....

 

I just loved watching that Northwestern offense play, especially when they had Kustok. I've talked about this many times before when people ask me about football: I tell them I like watching Northwestern more than anyone. I get a lot of weird looks down here in SEC-dom.

I wasn't there but that Michigan game referenced earlier is the best game I've ever seen. Defending that offense is a bitch when the timing is on, the game is tight and Randy Walker is making the right calls.

 

This is so sad.

And I know it's totally unrelated, but not only is this the second death in the football program in the recent years, it's also the second way-too-young death of a current or former Northwestern coach in the last several years.

I can't help thinking of when Northwestern's former men's hoop coach, Ricky Byrdsong, was shot and killed by that white supremacist creep on a shooting spree.

I did a search and came upon this story about his daughter, WHO WAS WITH HIM WHEN HE WAS SHOT. I cannot imagine what that must have been like, and I don't want to. [For some reason, the story literally repeats itself in the link.]

http://www.hssp.cc/print/?action=article&id=2674

 

A very good guy. Funny, smart, accessible, a lot of good superlatives. Super intense, as any good coach should be. Extremely, extremely shocking and sad for those who knew him and for the NU, Miami, Big Ten and college football community. Something will be named for him at NU soon.

They should do a moment of silence at the Cubs-Sox game today.

As for his job, his OC left this year to go to Cal, so I'm not sure who would be in line to replace him.

 

Walker, Byrdsong and the player (sorry, can't recall his name) who died during off-season workouts. A tragedy trifecta in Evanston.

 

Rashidi Wheeler.