Next Game
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The Toronto Argonauts Football Club is pleased to welcome new Defensive Consultant Mike Walker to the coaching staff.
Remarked Head Coach Rich Stubler, “We’re thrilled to have Mike Walker in Toronto. He played for me in the 1980s in Hamilton alongside Grover Covington and helped Grover become the CFL’s all-time sack leader. Mike’s been with Washington State the past decade and brings a great deal of expertise on the defensive line. We’re excited to utilize his knowledge to help us in our quest for a Grey Cup.”
Most Argonauts fans will remember Mike Walker as a menace who earned four East Division All-Star awards and three CFL All-Star accolades as a defensive lineman with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1982 to 1989. Walker helped establish a culture of excellence while lining up alongside CFL legend Grover Covington and leading the ‘Cats to four Grey Cup appearances in seven seasons, including one win in 1986. He played his final two CFL seasons (1990-91) with the Edmonton Eskimos where he made another Grey Cup appearance in 1990.
Walker has spent the last 11 years as the defensive line coach at his alma mater Washington State where he was also a team co-captain and named the team’s most inspirational player in his senior season. Walker is well known throughout the NCAA as having a keen eye for talent and has been credited with recruiting some of the top defensive prospects to the Cougars program.
An athletically gifted family, Walker’s wife Kristen is a teacher and track coach at Pullman High School in Washington and she ran the 400 meter hurdles as a student athlete at Washington State. The couple have three children: A son named Marcus (anointed after Marcus Allen, NFL legend and brother of former Argo Damon Allen) who is a middle linebacker at Eastern Washington, a daughter named Taylor (named for NFL great Lawrence Taylor) who will be a freshman at Eastern Washington this fall and will run track, as well as throw javelin, discus and shot put, and an 8-year old daughter named Payton, who is named for former star running back Walter Payton.