Army West Point Athletics
Joe Walker: The Utility Man
October 17, 2016 | Football
Senior running back Joe Walker never played a down at his current position during his high school days, at Sandy Creek High School and Eagle's Landing Christian Academy in Georgia. Instead, he took the field at nearly every other skill position, including quarterback, receiver and cornerback.
It wasn't until entering the United States Military Academy Prep School in 2012 that he played as a slot back under former prep school head coach Tom Simi.
"I was a quarterback for three years and then I played a little slot receiver and corner," Walker said. "I was a running back in rec ball, but I was never an official running back in high school."
Walker has since used his variety of offensive skills to become one of the more versatile players in the Army football program. He has registered at least one touchdown by passing the ball, rushing and receiving during his career, and is Army's only player to have a score in those three phases of the game since joining the program.
Third-year head coach Jeff Monken arrived at the Academy prior to Walker's sophomore year and calls his senior slot back "a utility man" for his ability to serve a multitude of roles in Army's triple-option offense.
"He's like the baseball player that can play left field this afternoon and, in the second game of the doubleheader, be the second baseman," Monken said. "He can do a little bit of everything and you have to have guys like that."
But Walker didn't always have the same impact in the Black Knights' backfield as he currently does. After his year at prep school, Walker didn't appear in a varsity game during his entire freshman season.
He played in 10 games as a sophomore, but received limited touches after being slotted behind an impressive contingent of veteran backs, including Terry Baggett, Larry Dixon and Raymond Maples.
Walker remembers drawing on the experiences of those veteran players during his first two years at the Academy, as he worked to balance playing football with the academic and military rigors of West Point.
"I learned a lot of things from them," Walker said regarding his former teammates. "Coach always teaches us to have a short memory and that's one of the things I noticed from those guys. Some things can go wrong, but those guys always had a short memory. And they took just as much pride in being a cadet, especially Terry Baggett, he was in my company during my sophomore year. He took pride in being a cadet in the way he acted, and he did the same thing on the football field. I've kind of carried that on with me and have tried to create that same mantra."
Walker was thrown into the fray as a sophomore, with his first college appearance coming on the road against No. 15 Stanford.
"It was a lot of fun, but it was kind of surreal because my first game was against Stanford of all teams," Walker remembered. "They were a pretty big team, but it was a fun experience. It was interesting to see the speed of college football and how much stronger everyone is. It was a little bit overwhelming, but I think I adjusted pretty quickly."
Walker contributed to the first touchdown of his career during his second appearance of the 2014 campaign, which came in a 24-21 loss at Wake Forest. For the score, he took a page from his high school playbook, completing a four-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Moss after taking a handoff out of the backfield.
Walker scored his first rushing touchdowns in an Army uniform on a pair of short runs to help the Black Knights earn a 35-21 victory over Connecticut at Yankee Stadium.
He finished 2014 with 75 rushing yards and 96 receiving yards, to go along with his touchdown pass, and showed glimpses of what kind of player he could become.
By the time his junior year rolled around, Walker found himself as one of Army's most experienced running backs, following the graduation of the team's top players at that position. In fact, Walker and teammates Matt Giachinta and Aaron Kemper were the program's only running backs to have any previous rushing attempts entering the 2015 season.
Walker took to his new role as leader and helped mentor Army's 13 freshman running backs.
"That was big for me," Walker said of his transition to one of the few veterans at his position. "Coach told me that there's no extra pressure, he said 'you're here to be a leader and now you're being called to be a leader.' There was no pressure for me to do any superhuman things on the field, but just bring those less-experienced guys along and share my experiences."
Walker was Army's fifth-leading rusher among running backs with 203 yards in 2015 and settled in nicely to his position as a veteran leader.
"I'm trying to bring energy to the team and keep guys focused, and mentor guys on and off the field," Walker said. "I share everything that I see from my experience and I do whatever I can to help the younger guys."
Walker did not contribute statistically in Army's 28-13 win over Temple to begin the 2016 season, but still considers the game as a highlight of his playing career after the Black Knights travelled to Philadelphia, Pa., to face an Owl team that went 10-4 in 2015.
"The Temple game was an awesome feeling," Walker said. "Especially coming in as an underdog and proving the world wrong. That was a big thing for our team and was a great way to start the season."
The Army football team has continued its strong start to the 2016 season, thanks to its young talent and its veteran leadership, both of which are key to any team's success.
"I really like having him in our program," Monken said. "He's a very positive guy. You never get the feeling around Joe that times are bad or things aren't going our way. He always has a positive outlook and he's always finding a way to get things going in a positive direction."
It wasn't until entering the United States Military Academy Prep School in 2012 that he played as a slot back under former prep school head coach Tom Simi.
"I was a quarterback for three years and then I played a little slot receiver and corner," Walker said. "I was a running back in rec ball, but I was never an official running back in high school."
Walker has since used his variety of offensive skills to become one of the more versatile players in the Army football program. He has registered at least one touchdown by passing the ball, rushing and receiving during his career, and is Army's only player to have a score in those three phases of the game since joining the program.
Third-year head coach Jeff Monken arrived at the Academy prior to Walker's sophomore year and calls his senior slot back "a utility man" for his ability to serve a multitude of roles in Army's triple-option offense.
"He's like the baseball player that can play left field this afternoon and, in the second game of the doubleheader, be the second baseman," Monken said. "He can do a little bit of everything and you have to have guys like that."
But Walker didn't always have the same impact in the Black Knights' backfield as he currently does. After his year at prep school, Walker didn't appear in a varsity game during his entire freshman season.
He played in 10 games as a sophomore, but received limited touches after being slotted behind an impressive contingent of veteran backs, including Terry Baggett, Larry Dixon and Raymond Maples.
Walker remembers drawing on the experiences of those veteran players during his first two years at the Academy, as he worked to balance playing football with the academic and military rigors of West Point.
"I learned a lot of things from them," Walker said regarding his former teammates. "Coach always teaches us to have a short memory and that's one of the things I noticed from those guys. Some things can go wrong, but those guys always had a short memory. And they took just as much pride in being a cadet, especially Terry Baggett, he was in my company during my sophomore year. He took pride in being a cadet in the way he acted, and he did the same thing on the football field. I've kind of carried that on with me and have tried to create that same mantra."
Walker was thrown into the fray as a sophomore, with his first college appearance coming on the road against No. 15 Stanford.
"It was a lot of fun, but it was kind of surreal because my first game was against Stanford of all teams," Walker remembered. "They were a pretty big team, but it was a fun experience. It was interesting to see the speed of college football and how much stronger everyone is. It was a little bit overwhelming, but I think I adjusted pretty quickly."
Walker contributed to the first touchdown of his career during his second appearance of the 2014 campaign, which came in a 24-21 loss at Wake Forest. For the score, he took a page from his high school playbook, completing a four-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Moss after taking a handoff out of the backfield.
Walker scored his first rushing touchdowns in an Army uniform on a pair of short runs to help the Black Knights earn a 35-21 victory over Connecticut at Yankee Stadium.
He finished 2014 with 75 rushing yards and 96 receiving yards, to go along with his touchdown pass, and showed glimpses of what kind of player he could become.
By the time his junior year rolled around, Walker found himself as one of Army's most experienced running backs, following the graduation of the team's top players at that position. In fact, Walker and teammates Matt Giachinta and Aaron Kemper were the program's only running backs to have any previous rushing attempts entering the 2015 season.
Walker took to his new role as leader and helped mentor Army's 13 freshman running backs.
"That was big for me," Walker said of his transition to one of the few veterans at his position. "Coach told me that there's no extra pressure, he said 'you're here to be a leader and now you're being called to be a leader.' There was no pressure for me to do any superhuman things on the field, but just bring those less-experienced guys along and share my experiences."
Walker was Army's fifth-leading rusher among running backs with 203 yards in 2015 and settled in nicely to his position as a veteran leader.
"I'm trying to bring energy to the team and keep guys focused, and mentor guys on and off the field," Walker said. "I share everything that I see from my experience and I do whatever I can to help the younger guys."
Walker did not contribute statistically in Army's 28-13 win over Temple to begin the 2016 season, but still considers the game as a highlight of his playing career after the Black Knights travelled to Philadelphia, Pa., to face an Owl team that went 10-4 in 2015.
"The Temple game was an awesome feeling," Walker said. "Especially coming in as an underdog and proving the world wrong. That was a big thing for our team and was a great way to start the season."
The Army football team has continued its strong start to the 2016 season, thanks to its young talent and its veteran leadership, both of which are key to any team's success.
"I really like having him in our program," Monken said. "He's a very positive guy. You never get the feeling around Joe that times are bad or things aren't going our way. He always has a positive outlook and he's always finding a way to get things going in a positive direction."
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
RB
/ FootballArmy vs. Bucknell Baseball Series Highlights
Tuesday, April 21
Army Cycle!
Monday, April 20
Army vs. Lehigh Women's Lacrosse Game Highlights (Senior Day)
Monday, April 20
Army vs. Boston University Softball Game 1 Highlights
Sunday, April 19