This summer, the Pace University football team proudly introduced its new head coach, Chad Walker. With college football season just around the corner, Coach Walker plans to take the Pace team further than ever before.
Initiating new blood to a university football team comes with its own set of challenges. Will the Pace team be driven to success by this new leadership, or will they fail to acclimate to the change of direction?
Nonetheless, Coach Walker is dedicated to promoting leadership, academic success, and hard work amongst his players. In a recent interview, Coach Walker went into depth about his impressive background, priorities for the team, and his vision for this upcoming season.
KENYON LATER: You first began coaching for Pace in 2014 as the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterback Coach. What made you decide to come back to Pace nine years later?
COACH CHAD WALKER: My journey after leaving Pace was unique in many ways, and having time to reflect on my coaching career at that point was exactly what I needed. I started to lose my ‘Why’, and being able to have the time to self-reflect on that was everything. It ultimately led me back to my ‘Why’, which was building relationships and leading young men to become the best versions of themselves on the field and in life. Coming back to Pace was a decision we made based on the relationships we created with faculty, staff, administration, and our former players. I always felt Pace offered a great opportunity for student-athletes. Also, the transformation it has taken in the last decade as an institution and with the facilities, makes this a great opportunity for everyone involved in our program.
LATER: What type of team culture do you want to build at Pace?
COACH WALKER: We aim to BUILD yOUR TRAIL (Trust, Responsibility, Accountability, Integrity, and Leadership). When we use the word ‘your’, we make sure to keep the ‘y’ lowercased and the ‘OUR’ capitalized. We feel that if our players learn to take care of their responsibilities on and off the field, it will make us all better and thus improve OUR program. We will look to do this by understanding Competitive Excellence, on and off the field. We will look to control the inevitable by how we respond to certain situations. At the end of the day, we are looking to Achieve Victory, which is always giving our best effort mentally, physically, socially, emotionally (spiritually) in everything that we do. That is the culture that we want in our program, and hopefully that can permeate throughout campus.
LATER: What are your immediate priorities going into your first season back at Pace?
COACH WALKER: Our immediate priorities were to recruit and retain the student-athletes that we felt fit into our ‘BUILD yOUR TRAIL’ culture. We looked to raise our standard from day one with student-athletes who were serious about being the best version of themselves. Those were students who exemplified our beliefs in excelling in academic excellence, servant leadership, the dignity of hard work, and the understanding that they were a part of something bigger than themselves.
LATER: You are known for increasing the team GPA from 2.4 in 2014 to 3.08 by 2016. How do academics play a role in your coaching process, and how do you plan to continue that legacy this year?
COACH WALKER: I’ve always believed [in] having a well-rounded education is a key pillar to success in life, whether it be in college or trade. I believe we are in this profession to help our students through these four key years of their lives into the next 40 years. Instilling the importance of a Pace degree and what it can provide after you leave here is the driving force behind this. We were happy to achieve over a 3.2 GPA as a team in the spring, but there is still growth in that area to be had. Fortunately, we are surrounded by faculty and administration that provide so many resources for our success off the field that it puts the ownership on our student-athletes.
LATER: You recently aided in raising over $2 million for Pediatric Brain Tumor Research and Cancer Services. What inspired you to make this incredible effort, and do you plan to continue your philanthropic efforts this season?
COACH WALKER: I was extremely fortunate to have mentors in coaches when I was a player at Lafayette. One of them, John Loose, Assistant Head Coach at Army West Point, started Lauren’s 1st and Goal Organization through a football camp when I was still a player in 2004. Over the years, it continued to grow. Having that relationship with Coach Loose and his family, as a player and then as a coach, allowed me to stay involved in the organization and eventually turned into a family affair every year, with my wife taking on a marketing role to help transition the camps into online coaches’ clinics during COVID.
In the spring semester this year, the football team partnered with the Relay for Life here on campus and the ‘BE THE MATCH’ campaign. This allowed us to get out into the school community to educate students on the importance of being a possible bone marrow donor for many in need. We will look to provide our student-athletes with as many opportunities as possible to give back to our school, local, and global community. The best form of leadership is Servant Leadership, and this is a great way for us to grow as a program.
LATER: What do you bring to the Pace team that may differ from past coaches?
COACH WALKER: I like to think I’m uniquely myself. I’ve had the opportunity to work with every level of football players in my career, from youth to the NFL. I’ve had the opportunity to play college football and continue my career after college. I’ve been fortunate to have great mentors along the way and build good relationships with several NFL and College Hall of Fame players and coaches in the last decade, who have given me great insight on how to be successful and what truly matters at the end of the day. I don’t know if that makes me different, but I like to think I’m where I’m supposed to be in the role that I am in for a reason.
LATER: How would you describe your vision for the program over the next few years?
COACH WALKER: Our vision is to use the game of football as a vehicle to grow our student-athletes to achieve academic excellence, develop a passion for their career aspirations, become servant leaders, and become the best version of themselves. We feel as a program that if we can do these things off the field, then the on-field pieces will fall into place. Our goal is to be competitive on the field and grow into the top program in the NE-10. However, one of my favorite quotes is “the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step,” so this is where we are currently in our journey.
LATER: What role do you think fan support plays in the success of a college football team?
COACH WALKER: I would love to see the Pace [family], student body, faculty, and administration at every game. I think we can make this a very special place, but it takes a sense of Pride, Purpose, Passion, and Persistence from everyone involved. I would love to see Pace become the hardest place to play on a Saturday for opposing teams in the NE-10. Home-field advantage is a real thing and can swing the momentum of the game just as much as a big play.
Coach Walker expresses how involvement is not only important on the field, but also in all aspects of college life. Clearly, the Pace football team is gearing up for some big changes this upcoming season.
The Pace community can expect to see heightened GPAs and more community service from the football team. Walker’s vision of the BUILD yOUR TRAIL campaign will undoubtedly permeate the minds of Pace athletes and students alike. With the implementation of new standards, priorities, and improvements, it is safe to say that Pace football will never be the same.
Fans and family alike are excited to see where Coach Walker takes the team this fall. Until then, we wish our Pace football team all the best in their journey to success.