RICHMOND, Va. – Andy Walker, who has won National Championships as both a player and coach, has been named the next head coach of the VCU Golf program, VCU Vice President and Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin announced Friday.
 
"Andy joins us at an exciting time for our program," said McLaughlin. "We have ourselves positioned for even greater success. He created an impressive amount of success at his previous stops because he connects so well with the student-athletes and knows the game. We are excited to have him become a Ram and get to work with our team."
 
Walker will succeed Matt Ball, who retired in May after 22 years at the helm for VCU.
 
"I'd like to thank Ed McLaughlin and the whole search committee for the great opportunity to join Ram Nation," Walker said. "I can't wait to get to Richmond and start working with the team to continue and build upon the success Coach Ball has had over his great career. With the great practice facilities already in place, the new golf team performance center being built and great courses like the Country Club of Virginia, VCU Golf is primed to make a mark on the national college scene. From the beginning, VCU just felt right."
 
A veteran of various professional tours, Walker has served as head men's coach at Division II powerhouse Lynn, in Boca Raton, Fla., for the past three years. In 2019, he led the Fighting Knights to a National Championship. That squad captured five tournament titles in 2018-19, and four players earned All-America recognition. In 2021, he guided Lynn to a Sunshine State Conference title, as well as a fifth-place showing at the NCAA Regionals.
 
From 2013-18, Walker served as head coach at South Mountain Community College, where he led the Cougars to back-to-back National Junior College Athletic Association Division II National Championships in 2015 and 2016. SMCC held the No. 1 national ranking for 155 of 156 weeks during his tenure. Two of Walker's players were named Phil Mickelson National Freshman of the Year by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA), and three student-athletes claimed GCAA Arnold Palmer National Individual Champion Awards.
 
Walker was named GCAA Dave Williams National Coach of the Year in 2019, as well as NJCAA National Coach of the Year on two occasions. He also netted five Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) Coach of the Year honors and a GCAA West Region Coach of the Year award. In all, Walker has collected nine conference Coach of the Year Awards during his career.
 
As a player, Walker helped Pepperdine capture the 1997 NCAA National Championship, and was a two-time All-West Coast Conference honoree, as well as the WCC's 1997 individual medalist. He spent 11 years playing professionally on a variety of tours in the United States and overseas and captured 28 tournament titles. He was ranked as high as No. 272 among Americans in the Official World Golf Rankings and was the second African American on the OWGR behind Tiger Woods.
 
Walker also appeared on Golf Channel's "Big Break Ireland" and served as co-host of the NBC Sports Radio Show "For the Love of the Game".