The Madison College Athletic Department is saddened by the passing of Hall of Famer JoAnn Walker, a trailblazer for women's athletics in the state of Wisconsin. Inducted into the Madison College Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 1992, Walker enjoyed a 23-year coaching and teaching career that included a "major role in the development of women's sports at MATC". Walker passed away peacefully Tuesday, May 7 and was 95 years old. (Obituary)

"Joann Walker was an absolute gem of a person and she will be sorely missed," commented Director of Athletics Jason Verhelst. "She was truly a pioneer for women's athletics at Madison College and in the City of Madison. Her legacy is indelible and those that had the opportunity to play with her, be coached by her, be taught by her, or simply knew her know the impact she made." 

Walker began her career at MATC in 1969 as a physical education and health teach, and was soon asked by then-Director of Athletics Doug Redsten to begin coaching. Despite her initial hesitation, Walker began leading the cheer team and men's bowling. The addition of women's bowling in 1971-72 gave her a opportunity to coach the school's first non-cheer-based female athletic team. She went on to coach men's and women's tennis, women's volleyball, softball, and basketball. In all, Walker helped start five collegiate programs.

The teacher certainly learned a few things about coaching, earning 11 Wisconsin Technical College Conference (WTCC) championships, including two in women's bowling, two in men's bowling, six in women's basketball, and one in women's tennis. Walker also guided her teams to four Wisconsin Junior College Athletic Association (WJCAA) titles, with three in women's basketball and another in women's tennis. Under her quidance, Diane Timm and Alice Vickerman both won individual WTCC Women's Bowling Championships, and two women's tennis players qualified for the NJCAA National Tournament. In 1989, the WTCC named Walker their Sportsperson of the Year

Walker's coaching prowess has left her among the best to do it in Madison College history, as she boasts career winning percentages of .500 or better with six of the seven teams she coached.

Women's Basketball: 8 years - 121-49 (.712)
Men's Bowling: 7 years - 310.5-93.5 (.767)
Women's Bowling: 7 years - 226-66 (.774)
Softball: 4 years - 45-23 (.661)
Men's Tennis: 4 years - 4-11 (.363)
Women's Tennis: 5 years - 19-14 (.575)
Women's Volleyball: 7 years - 105-55 (.656)

Walker loved to compete as much as she enjoyed molding the next generation through sports. An avid player of softball, badminton, tennis, and archery, Walker found her greatest amount of success on the golf course. She claimed the Wisconsin Women's State Golf Championship numerous times, including an unprecedented run of five titles in a row. Walker, a six-time Publinx champion in Madison, was also the Wisconsin representative to the United States Golf Association for Women.

Recently, Walker was one of several impactful women featured in the award-winning film, "AHEAD OF THE PACK: A Title IX & Madison College Story", and spent an afternoon with Madison College staff and student-athletes in celebration of Title IX's 50th Anniversary.



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