Jimmy Walker

Jimmy Walker enters his second season as head coach of the Bowling Green State University women's soccer program, having guided the Falcons to a MAC title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first year.

Walker was named head coach on Jan. 24, 2020. returning to the Falcon program after two highly-successful seasons at the University of Findlay.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jimmy, his wife Kerri and their two daughters to the Bowling Green State University family,” said BGSU Director of Athletics Bob Moosbrugger at the time of Walker's hiring. “Coach Walker has proven to be successful at varying levels of college soccer. He too believes in our ‘Win it Right’ mantra at BGSU. The student-athlete experience is our top priority and success athletically, academically and socially are critical to a holistic collegiate experience.”

Walker took over a team that had won two consecutive MAC titles. The new coach, at the helm of a program that was expected by many observers to win yet another title, barely had time to get to know his new team before everyone’s world changed due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic.

But, when all was said and done, a season that was unlike any other ended just as the previous two seasons had ended – with BGSU capturing the MAC championship. Walker guided the Falcons to a 6-1-1 overall record and a 5-1-0 mark in MAC regular-season play in the spring of 2021, and BG downed Ball State in the conference championship.

The Falcons outscored opponents, 17-3, and all 11 starters return in the fall of 2021. The returning players accounted for all 17 of the goals and 10 of the team’s 11 assists in the spring. Nikki Cox and Madi Wolfbauer were named to both the All-MAC First Team and the United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team in 2020(-21). Lili Berg, Jasmijn Dijsselhof and Audrey Shea each earned All-MAC honors as well, while Berg and Kennedy White also represented the Falcons on the all-region squad.

Berg, Shea and the BGSU defensive corps helped the Falcons tie for first in the entire nation in shutout percentage (.750), with six shutouts in the eight matches. At the other end of the pitch, Wolfbauer led a balanced scoring attack with five goals.

In the classroom, a school-record 17 Falcons were named to the Academic All-MAC Team, and BGSU had an eye-popping 3.806 team GPA in the spring 2021 semester.

The 2020(-21) Falcons received votes in a national poll for the first time in program history, and BGSU ended the season ranked fourth in the final United Soccer Coaches Midwest Region poll, trailing only TCU, West Virginia and Oklahoma State.

In his two years at Findlay, Walker guided the Oilers to an overall record of 25-7-4 and the program’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. The Oilers advanced past Rockhurst via penalty kicks in the first round of the national tournament, before seeing the historic season come to a close with a narrow, 1-0 loss in the NCAA Regional Semifinal round.

His first season with the Oilers saw Walker lead the team to an 11-4-2 record, which was a six-win improvement from the year before. Then, in 2019, Findlay went 14-3-2 overall, posting the program’s highest win total since 1997 and winning the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) regular-season championship.

“I want to thank Bob Moosbrugger and the administration at BGSU for this exciting opportunity,” said Walker. “When meeting with everyone at BG it was fantastic to see the vision in place for the program. I can’t wait to get started with the players at Bowling Green and to help build on the foundation left in place by Matt Fannon and his staff.”

Walker was named the G-MAC’s Coach of the Year in 2019, and seven of his players earned all-league recognition. That group included Jayla Campbell, the G-MAC Freshman of the Year. Campbell was one of three Oilers to earn All-Midwest Region honors from the United Soccer Coaches.

Walker joined the Oilers in January of 2018 after spending eight years as Executive Director of Coaching at Pacesetter Soccer Club in Sylvania. He spent the 2011 season as an assistant coach at BGSU, on the staff of head coach Andy Richards.

Prior to his arrival at Pacesetter, Walker spent two seasons (2007 and ‘08) as the associate head coach for the men’s soccer program at Penn State University. Walker helped mentor a young Nittany Lion squad that featured a conference-high three All-Big Ten Freshman Team honorees in each of his two years. He coached the NCAA Division-I Senior CLASS Award Student of the Year as well as a total of 10 all-Big Ten performers and four first team all-region selections.

In addition to Findlay, Walker has had collegiate head-coaching experience at both Duquesne University and Tiffin University. He took over at Duquesne in January of 2003, inheriting a team that had gone 5-13-1 overall and 1-9-1 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. Three years later, Walker and the Dukes posted the program’s first-ever double-figure win total, boasting a 10-6-1 overall record in 2005 and receiving votes in the Soccer Buzz regional poll in early October. DU advanced to the A-10 Tournament’s championship match for the first time in program history.

Walker’s first head-coaching job was at Tiffin, his alma mater, where he coached from 1997 to 2002. He led the Dragons to four American Mideast Conference championship crowns and an overall record of 84-33-5 in those six seasons. The Dragons went 45-2-1 in the AMC during his tenure. Tiffin was nationally ranked from 1998 to 2002 under his guidance and advanced to the Regional Final Four in each of his six seasons. Walker also led his team to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Tournament in both 2000 and 2002.

A three-time league Coach of the Year at Tiffin, Walker was runner-up for the BRINE National Coach-of-the-Year award in 2000. He was also a three-time winner of the Ohio College Soccer Association C-O-Y award and was twice voted Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year.

A native of Birmingham, England, Walker earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Tiffin in 1997 and completed his MBA in 2000. He competed as a forward for the Dragons from 1992 to 1995 and twice earned NSCAA All-America honors (1994, 1995). Walker helped Tiffin capture the 1992 and 1995 AMC titles, and finished his career ranked seventh in program history in career scoring.

After graduation, Walker played professionally for the Kalamazoo Kingdom of the USISL from 1996 to 1997 and was a member of the Cleveland Caps in 1998. He was also the assistant men’s soccer coach at Tiffin for two seasons before taking over the women’s helm in 1997. Walker was a head coach for the Ohio North ODP squad in 2001 and 2002 and served as the head coach for PA West ODP in 2003.

He was inducted into the Tiffin University Hall of Fame in 2006.

Walker played with the Academy team at Aston Villa in the English Premier League prior to coming to the United States. His father, James, played and coached professionally in England for over 25 years. His father played for Derby County, which captured two EPL championship crowns, and also coached in the English Premier League with Aston Villa for 15 years where he was the Director of Sports Science for the club.

Walker is married to the former Kerri Destatte, a native of Temperance, Mich. They reside in Bowling Green with their two daughters, Emma and Anna.

WALKER YEAR BY YEAR AS A HEAD COACH
1997 – Tiffin 7-10-4
1998 – Tiffin 16- 6-0
1999 – Tiffin 16- 4-0
2000 – Tiffin 18- 2-0
2001 – Tiffin 15- 3-1
2002 – Tiffin 12- 8-0
2003 – Duquesne 8-10-2
2004 – Duquesne 9-10-1
2005 – Duquesne 10- 6-1
2006 – Duquesne 4-10-2
2018 – Findlay 11- 4-2
2019 – Findlay 14- 3-2
2020(-21) – BGSU 6- 1-1 5-1-0 MAC
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Record at BGSU 6- 1-1, 5-1-0 MAC (one season)
Career Record 146-77-16 (13 seasons)