Dr. Billy Walker retired from American University in 2024 after 11 years as the Director of Athletics & Recreation.
Beginning in April of 2013, American University Athletics was under the steady and proven leadership of Dr. William (Billy) Walker for 11 years until his retirement at the conclusion of the 2023-24 school year. Walker was at the helm for 16 Patriot League postseason championships in a department that made strides in so many ways during his tenure.
Walker’s success in athletics led AU President Sylvia Burwell to extend his influence to the campus as a whole. In 2018, he was added to the President’s Cabinet, a group of senior administrators who serve as the university’s officers and who report directly to the president.
"American University is so fortunate to have the leadership of Dr. Billy Walker," said Burwell. "Billy has led our student-athletes with a steadfast commitment to making sure they thrive in their sports and in their studies. His dedication to our AU Eagles, and his long record of national service, is an example to all of us, and I am thankful to have him officially as a member of the President's Cabinet."
In May of 2023, Walker was honored by the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) as the recipient of the 2023 Builders' Award.
Under Walker’s direction, the department wrote and implemented a strategic plan, increased giving significantly, and made numerous facility upgrades. He helped nurture a climate for AU student-athletes to reach their full potential in and out of the classroom. AU student-athletes earned at least a 3.34 department-wide grade point average each semester under Walker's watch.
The success spanned across the board as American University teams had an impressive .517 overall winning percentage in his time as AD, and achieved an even stronger .550 winning percentage within the Patriot League. This included 246 All-Patriot League selections, 172 Academic All-Patriot League selections, 17 All-Americans, an NCAA Sportsmanship Award winner, a PL sportsmanship award winner for both men and women, two Patriot League NCAA Woman of the Year nominees, and the Division I-AAA Female National Player of the Year Award.
Additionally, 16 teams won Patriot League Tournament championships and 16 earned regular-season championships. Eagles coaches earned 11 Patriot League or national coaching awards, and Eagles student-athletes won 52 Patriot League Player of the Year/MVP awards. AU Volleyball advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2015 by beating the University of Kentucky in straight sets and made it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2013 by upsetting the University of Georgia and Duke University in straight sets.
Academically, AU student-athletes earned above a 3.34 GPA as a department every semester since Walker’s arrival, achieving a 3.70 in the Spring of 2020 — the highest single-semester department GPA in recorded history.
Numerous teams were recognized nationally for their team cumulative GPA, with the field hockey team earning the distinction of highest team GPA in the country twice, the women’s track team achieving the same honor in 2021, and the wrestling team earning the second-highest GPA in the nation in 2019 and 2020.
Twenty-three Eagle student-athletes have been named Academic All-Americans or All-District on Walker’s watch and one was named National Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Twenty-six Eagles earned Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, while two were named the overall Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Two Eagle student-athletes were named Fulbright Scholars, while two others earned the President’s Award, one was the Patriot League nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year and yet another earned a NCAA postgraduate scholarship.
Walker also challenged AU student-athletes to increase their presence in the D.C.-Metro community. They responded with numerous community service initiatives and partnerships with District of Columbia public grade schools, and DC Special Olympics.
Walker also oversaw record increases in giving, and more than doubled the Eagles’ exposure on national TV. He focused on making the AU Eagles brand more recognizable nationally by holding booster events across the country, hosting over 272 events, and reaching over 12,000 attendees. Under Walker’s guidance, AU Athletics published the first-ever department strategic plan, implemented the “Eagles Energy” program for student-athletes, and introduced a distinctive new website highlighting innovative new branding.
Facilities improvement were an area where Walker and his team made great progress. It started with the oversight of a complete renovation of all locker rooms, giving each team their own unique, private space. A complete renovation of Jacobs Field with new turf, video scoreboard, press box and softball field. The mezzanine level and concession area were remodeled in Bender Arena. The intercollegiate weight room was completely overhauled, improving student-athletes’ strength training tremendously, while the wrestling room was also upgraded. Walker also spearheaded the construction of the Bender Arena Sky Box, providing ticket holders with a first-class, luxury box from which to watch an event.
Prior to AU, at the Air Force Academy, Walker served as deputy director of athletics and professor and head of the Physical Education Department. He was responsible for day-to-day operations of the Academy's athletic department, including 190 employees, 23 NCAA Division I Olympic sports, and a multifaceted program involving physical education, cadet fitness testing and evaluation, and an intramural program for more than 4,000 cadets.
In his various appointments at the United States Air Force Academy, he also served as a physical education instructor, assistant wrestling coach, and director of the Fitness Testing and Evaluation Division. In 1993, he earned the Academy's highest instructional award. In 2001, Walker was appointed by President Bush as the first Permanent Professor of Athletics and Physical Education. In addition to his duties at the Academy, Walker was the Director of the Air Force Combatives Center of Excellence, responsible for developing and implementing hand-to-hand combat training to thousands of airmen deployed around the world.
In late July of 2013, Walker was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General during his retirement ceremony from the United States Air Force. The ceremony, which was held in Clune Arena on the campus of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., was officiated by General William T. Shelton, Commander, Air Force Space Command. General Walker was awarded the Legion of Merit during the formal proceedings.
A recognized expert in intercollegiate athletic issues, Walker has been a member of the NCAA Division I Council since 2020, recently served his second term as chair of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee, and was a member of the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee from 2011-13. He was asked to testify as an expert panelist for the U.S. Department of Education Secretary's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics and was a key participant in the merger between two lacrosse leagues. He also spearheaded the formation of the Western Wrestling Conference in 2005 and served as its commissioner from its inception until 2013.
A command pilot with nearly 3,000 hours of helicopter flight time, General Walker’s professional responsibilities have included deputy command of the 89th Operations Group, an organization of 800 people responsible for directing the safe transport of the President of the United States, Vice President, Cabinet Secretaries, members of Congress, foreign heads of state, and other dignitaries around the world. Additionally, he was Commander of the 1st Helicopter Squadron, Andrews Air Force Base, the largest helicopter squadron in the Air Force, and Commander of the 37th Rescue Flight, FE Warren AFB, WY where his unit earned the distinction of “Best Helicopter Operations” in Air Force Space Command and garnered 25 “Saves” and 25 “Assists” while flying 82 rescue missions. He also has experience as a military assistant to the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
Originally from Hartland, Wisc., Walker graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1983 with a bachelor of science in history. As a varsity wrestler at Air Force, he was a three-year letter winner under legendary coach Wayne Baughman and served as team captain his senior year. He earned a master of arts from California State University and his doctorate in physical education and sports administration at the University of Northern Colorado.
Walker was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Colorado Chapter, as an Outstanding American in 2016 and the Irish Educators 100 at the Irish Consulate in New York City in 2018.
Walker is married to the former Caroline Cyr of Daleville, Ala., and they have one daughter, Kaela, who is a 2015 graduate of Northwestern University.
