Track & Field
Walker, III, Joe
Joe Walker, III
- Title:
- Assistant Coach/Cross Country and Distance
- Email:
- joe@GoCards.com
- Phone:
- 852-0194
BIRTHDAY: January 4
COACHING RESPONSIBILITY: Cross Country/Distance
EDUCATION: Bachelor's Degree (Ole Miss, '94)
YEAR AT LOUISVILLE: 10th
HOMETOWN: Oxford, Miss.
FAMILY: Son - Joseph Kai, Daughter - Maia Malin
ATHLETIC CAREER
• Four-year letterwinner on the cross country and track and field teams at Ole Miss
• Member of the world-ranked 4x1,500m squad in 1994
• Recorded the third-fastest 3,000m mark in school history
• Was an all-academic SEC performer
COACHING CAREER
2011-Present: Louisville (assistant coach)
2000-11: Alabama (men's cross country head coach)
2000-11: Alabama (men's track and field assistant coach)
1998-2000: South Alabama (assistant coach)
1995-98: Meridian Community College (head coach)
COACHING HIGHLIGHTS
LOUISVILLE
• Helped Ivine Chemutai earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional, turning in a personal-best time of 20:18.8.
• Albert Kosgei earns second team Outdoor All-American honors in the 3000 meter steeplechase while Ivine Chemutai earned honorable mention honors in the 10,000 meters.
• Wasike earned Indoor All-American honors in the 5,000 meters. She was also the ACC Champion in the 3,000 meters and was runner-up in the 5,000 meters, earning All-ACC honors.
• Emmanual Cheboson also earned All-ACC honors as a freshman in 2018.
• Wasike earned her second consecutive All-American honor in cross country at the 2018 NCAA Championships. She was also named ACC Runner of the Year, ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year and earned first team All-ACC honors.
• Helped coach Dorcas Wasike to a runner-up finish in 10,000 meters at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships
• Helped coach Bailey Davis to her first NCAA Championship appearance in the 5,000m, earning honorable mention All-American honors.
• Coached Dorcas Wasike to All-American honors at the 2017 NCAA Championships, become the first female to earn All-American honors in cross country at Louisville
• Guided the 2017 women's cross country team a second place finish at the ACC Championships, with three Cardinals earning All-ACC honors
• Coached Edwin Kibichiy to the 2017 NCAA Steeplechase national championship
• Led the 2016 women's cross country team to its first NCAA Championship appearance, after finishing second at the NCAA Southeast Regional
• Coached Edwin Kibichiy to first team All-American honors at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 3,000m steeplechase
• Coached Kibet and Kibichiy to All-American honors at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 10,000m and 3,000m steeplechase respectively
• Also coach Kibet to the ACC title in the 10,000m and Kibichiy to the ACC title in the 3,000m steeplechase
• Guided the 2015 Cross Country team to the NCAA Southeast Regional title, for the first win in school history- with four athletes earning All-Region honors
• Led the 2015 Cross Country team to a seventh place finish in the NCAA Championship, the best finish in school history - while Ernest Kibet earned All-America honors
• Led Kibichiy to an 11th place finish at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships, earning All-
American honors
• Led Kibichiy and Kibet to All-American honors by finishing 23rd and 32nd respectively in the 2014
NCAA Cross Country Championship
• Coached Byrne to the AAC title in the 3,000m at the indoor championships and the 5,000m at the
outdoor championships
• Led Byrne to honorable mention honors at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 10,000m
• Led Edwin Kibichiy and Ernest Kibet to All- American honors at the 2014 NCAA Cross
Country Championships.
• Coached Mattias Wolter to first team All-America honors in the 3,000m steeplechase with a sixth place finish at the 2013 national championships; Wolter won titles in the event at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships and the NCAA Preliminary Rounds
• Guided Ernest Kibet to all-BIG EAST status in cross country in 2012 with his fifth-place finish; Kibet
became just the third freshman in school history to earn all-conference honors in cross country
• Led Matt Hughes to cross country all-conference and all-region honors in 2011
• His outdoor 4x800m relay team set the school record at the BIG EAST Championships; guided two athletes to a pair of top-five finishes in the 3,000m steeplechase at the championships
• Coached the 2014 men’s cross country team to the American Athletic Conference Championship
• Led Tyler Byrne to a first place finish and Ernest Kibet to a second place finish in the 2014 AAC
Championship
• Led Byrne to All-American honors by finishing 29th in the NCAA Cross Country Championship
• Coached Edwin Kibichiy to the AAC title in the 3,000m steeplechase
• Albert Kosgei earns second team Outdoor All-American honors in the 3000 meter steeplechase while Ivine Chemutai earned honorable mention honors in the 10,000 meters.
• Wasike earned Indoor All-American honors in the 5,000 meters. She was also the ACC Champion in the 3,000 meters and was runner-up in the 5,000 meters, earning All-ACC honors.
• Emmanual Cheboson also earned All-ACC honors as a freshman in 2018.
• Wasike earned her second consecutive All-American honor in cross country at the 2018 NCAA Championships. She was also named ACC Runner of the Year, ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year and earned first team All-ACC honors.
• Helped coach Dorcas Wasike to a runner-up finish in 10,000 meters at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships
• Helped coach Bailey Davis to her first NCAA Championship appearance in the 5,000m, earning honorable mention All-American honors.
• Coached Dorcas Wasike to All-American honors at the 2017 NCAA Championships, become the first female to earn All-American honors in cross country at Louisville
• Guided the 2017 women's cross country team a second place finish at the ACC Championships, with three Cardinals earning All-ACC honors
• Coached Edwin Kibichiy to the 2017 NCAA Steeplechase national championship
• Led the 2016 women's cross country team to its first NCAA Championship appearance, after finishing second at the NCAA Southeast Regional
• Coached Edwin Kibichiy to first team All-American honors at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 3,000m steeplechase
• Coached Kibet and Kibichiy to All-American honors at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 10,000m and 3,000m steeplechase respectively
• Also coach Kibet to the ACC title in the 10,000m and Kibichiy to the ACC title in the 3,000m steeplechase
• Guided the 2015 Cross Country team to the NCAA Southeast Regional title, for the first win in school history- with four athletes earning All-Region honors
• Led the 2015 Cross Country team to a seventh place finish in the NCAA Championship, the best finish in school history - while Ernest Kibet earned All-America honors
• Led Kibichiy to an 11th place finish at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships, earning All-
American honors
• Led Kibichiy and Kibet to All-American honors by finishing 23rd and 32nd respectively in the 2014
NCAA Cross Country Championship
• Coached Byrne to the AAC title in the 3,000m at the indoor championships and the 5,000m at the
outdoor championships
• Led Byrne to honorable mention honors at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 10,000m
• Led Edwin Kibichiy and Ernest Kibet to All- American honors at the 2014 NCAA Cross
Country Championships.
• Coached Mattias Wolter to first team All-America honors in the 3,000m steeplechase with a sixth place finish at the 2013 national championships; Wolter won titles in the event at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships and the NCAA Preliminary Rounds
• Guided Ernest Kibet to all-BIG EAST status in cross country in 2012 with his fifth-place finish; Kibet
became just the third freshman in school history to earn all-conference honors in cross country
• Led Matt Hughes to cross country all-conference and all-region honors in 2011
• His outdoor 4x800m relay team set the school record at the BIG EAST Championships; guided two athletes to a pair of top-five finishes in the 3,000m steeplechase at the championships
• Coached the 2014 men’s cross country team to the American Athletic Conference Championship
• Led Tyler Byrne to a first place finish and Ernest Kibet to a second place finish in the 2014 AAC
Championship
• Led Byrne to All-American honors by finishing 29th in the NCAA Cross Country Championship
• Coached Edwin Kibichiy to the AAC title in the 3,000m steeplechase
ALABAMA
• Named SEC Cross Country Coach of the Year three times (2001, 2008-09)
• Tabbed USTFCCCA South Region Cross Country Coach of the Year six times (2000-01, 2007-10)
• Collected eight USTFCCCA South Region titles (2000-01, 2005-10)
• Had four-straight top-15 finishes at NCAA Cross Country Championships (sixth in 2007, 10th in 2008, third in 2009, and 11th in 2010)
• Directed David Kimani to three national titles (indoor: 3,000m, 5,000m; outdoor: 5,000m)
• Coached three SEC male cross county athletes of the year (four occasions)
• Athletes accumulated 34 All-America honors (events ranging from 800m-10,000m and cross country)
• His cross country athletes achieved all-South Region accolades 42 different times
• Emphasis on academics resulted in eight USTFCCCA All-Academic Team awards
• Guided a cross country student-athlete to the prestigious NCAA Elite 88 Award
SOUTH ALABAMA
• Coached Kimani to three national championships (cross country, indoor: 3,000m, 5,000m)
• Men's cross country team captured the Sun Belt Conference championship in 1999
• Won the women's indoor track and field Sun Belt Conference title in 2000
MERIDIAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
• Won National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) titles in track and field and cross country in 1996-97
• Led the school to three runner-up finishes at the national championships
• Named NJCAA National Indoor Championship Coach of the Meet twice
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Alabama
Outdoor
5,000 Meters: David Kimani (2001)
Indoor
3,000 Meters: David Kimani (2001)
5,000 Meters: David Kimani (2001)
South Alabama
Indoor
3,000 Meters: David Kimani (2000)
5,000 Meters: David Kimani (2000)
Cross Country
David Kimani (1999)
Louisville
Outdoor
Edwin Kibichiy (2017)
TFXC: Just Jayden
Wednesday, July 30
TFXC: The Last Jump
Monday, July 14
Joe Franklin Press Conference 02.26.25
Friday, May 16
2024 Track & Field and Cross Country Media Day
Monday, February 26
