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2 0 1 2 - 1 3 S w i mm i n g a n d D i v i n g Me d i a Gu i d e
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Rick Walker
He a d C o a c h
21st Year • Texas A&M (1984)
Kankakee, Ill.
Rick Walker begins his 21st year at the helm and 26th year overall as the
Southern Illinois University swimming coach. He has served as men’s
head coach since 1992 and added women’s head coaching responsibilities
in 2005.
Walker has earned 12 Coach of the Year honors. Walker is a three-time
Eastern Independent Championships Coach of the Year (1993-95), two-
time National Independent Championships Coach of the Year (1996, 97),
four-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year (1995, 96, 98,
2002) and two-time MVC Invitational Coach of the Year (2004, 05). Most
recently, Walker earned 2012 Mid-American Conference Coach of the
Year honors in just the men’s second year in the conference.
Walker has won eight conference championships in his tenure. He has
coached SIU swimmers to 212 individual and relay conference titles.
Under his watch, Walker has coached Saluki swimmers to three MVC
Swimmer of the Year honors, 174 first-team All-Conference selections and
eight Olympic births.
Under Walker’s direction, the men’s teamwon five-straight Missouri Valley
Conference titles from 1994-1999, the longest streak in the conference.
He was named head coach of the Egyptian Olympic swimming team
for the 2012 London Olympics. He was a 14-time member of the USA
Swimming Olympic Committee and a five-year chairman on the USA
Swimming Open Water Committee. He has been on 13 staffs for USA
Swimming at World Championships. In 2009, he was honored as the
America Continental Open Water Swimming Man of the Year.
Walker was head coach and director for USA Swimming’s Open Water
National Team for 12 years and the head coach for USA Swimming’s
development camp for 15 years.
In spring 2010, Walker
coached Kirsten Groome to
the NCAA Championships,
the first Saluki to advance to
the national stage in 20 years.
In the fall, he was honored
with the Adolph Kiefer
Safety Commendation award
at the annual United States
Aquatic Sports convention
for heroically saving the life
of an Australian swimmer at
the 2009 World Swimming
Championships in Rome,
Italy.
The
Kankakee,
Ill.,
native has coached seven
Olympians, including three
that competed at the 2012
London Games, 11 World
Championship swimmers,
three Olympic Trials competitors and one Olympic Sports Festival
contestant.
SIU produced its first male Academic All-American under Walker in
2003, when Jake Sinclair was named to the 2003 CoSIDA Academic All-
American At-Large First Team with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Sinclair was also
named to the 2003 CoSIDA Academic All-District V At-Large First Team.
Before serving as head
coach, Walker served
as an SIU assistant
from 1987-92, coaching
former women’s head
coach Jeff Goelz and his
former assistant Gustavo
Leal.
Goelz
earned
multiple All-American
honors under Walker’s
tutelage. During that
span, the Salukis also
advanced to the NCAA
Championships twice,
finishing 18th and 27th.
Prior to coaching at
SIU, Walker coached at
the YMCA in Joliet, Ill.,
for the 1984-85 season,
Texas A&M and the
Aggie Swim club during
the 1985-86 season, and
Walker was named the 2012 MAC Coach of the Year.
Walker Coaching Awards
• Eastern (1993-95) & National Independent (1996-97)
Championships Coach of the Year
• MVC Championships Coach of the Year (1995, ‘96, ‘98, 2002)
• MVC Invitational Coach of the Year (2004, ‘05)
• 2012 MAC Coach of the Year
• Won five straight MVC titles from 1994-99
• Coached SIU to the 1998 25K Open Water Collegiate National
Championship Title
• Head Coach USA National Open Water Team (1996-present)
• Coached seven individuals and five relay teams to National
Independent Championships titles
• 2008 season marked 100th win as head coach
• Americas Open Water Swimming Man of the Year (2009)
• Adolph Kiefer Safety Commendation Award - United States
Aquatic Sports convention (2010)
• 2012 Egyptian Olympic Swim Coach
Walker’s Coaching Career
(1984-present)
Aug. 2004-Pres.. ........Southern Illinois Head Coach (M & W)
1992-2004...................... Southern Illinois Head Coach (Men’s)
1987-1992................Southern Illinois Assistant Coach (Men’s)
1986-1987................ Houston YMCA Head Age Group Coach
1985-1986...................................Aggie Swim Club Head Coach
1985-1986........................ Texas A&M Assistant Coach (Men’s)
1984-1985........................................... Joliet YMCA Head Coach