RIP Randy Walker, Northwestern football coach

Thanks, Doc.

 

Don't forget Matt Hartl, a Rose Bowl standout who died on Hodgkin's Disease in 1999

 

Stunning and sad. RIP.

And all of you ... take care of yourselves.

 

I think Hartl's cousin is still on staff with the football program. A tragedy as well.

 

I had the opportunity to deal with Randy Walker many, many times in years past. He was great to reporters, very accessible ... heck, you could ask him a question, leave your tape recorder running and come back 20 or 30 minutes later and he'd still be talking.

Shocked the hell out of me when I saw the headline this morning.

RIP, Randy.

 

I woke up this morning and didn't think about turning on the t.v. until I heard FSR's "Out of Bounds" briefly mention it. I stood there in my bathroom stunned as I heard the story. I ran back into the bedroom and flipped on the t.v. and caught the presser with the A.D. and the President. I still in a state of shock on what happened.

The 13-point comeback win against Iowa was just unreal to watch; the Michigan shoot-out was the stuff of Big 10 legend. When Anthony Thomas put the ball on the ground, I was laughing like a kid in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory because NW was going to win the game.

A very sad day indeed in Evanston. Prayers and sympathies to the Walkers, the team, and the Windy City area.

 

Northwestern's opening game should be a very emotional one. It's at Miami (Ohio) which was Walker's first head coaching stop and is his alma mater.

 

Didn't Walker tried to get that game set up between the Redhawks and the 'Cats? It's a home and home, right?

 

The schools have been playing for years, and a few of those Northwestern-Miami of Ohio games have very strong Walker connections.

He was Miami's coach in 1995, the year the Wildcats reached the Rose Bowl, and gave Northwestern its only loss in the regular season.

Then, in 1999, Walker took the Northwestern job and his first game there was against Miami and his close pal and former assistant Terry Hoeppner.

Also, in 2003 the Roethlisberger-led RedHawks routed NU 44-14.