WAVERLY, Iowa—Kevin Walker has been named the next head bowling coach at Wartburg College, John Cochrane, the Lowell J. Walker Chair of Athletics Directorship Endowed Chair and director of athletics, announced today.

"Kevin is going to be a tremendous boost to our men's and women's bowling programs. He brings a wealth of bowling experience and a longtime commitment to teaching and developing bowlers at every level," said Cochrane. "His connections in the sport in Iowa and around the region will elevate the visibility of our program, stimulate its growth and heighten the quality of experience for our bowling student-athletes."       

Walker comes to Wartburg from Coe College, where he served as an assistant coach. He was the co-creator of the bowling program for the Kohawks. Their men's squad earned the program's first postseason bid in 2020-21, and the women's team placed fourth at Club Nationals in 2021-22.

Prior to Coe, Walker was the head coach at Waterloo Columbus from 2019 to 2021, and was the junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant coach at Cedar Falls High School from 2014 to 2017. In his tenure at Cedar Falls, the team qualified for the state tournament all three seasons and won the 2016 state championship.

In addition to collegiate and high school coaching, Walker has spent the last 10 years as the Maple Lanes Junior League coach and the previous five years as the Cadillac Lanes Junior League coach.

"I enjoy watching student-athletes improve their skills and excel," said Walker. "Bowling is not just a team, it's an extended family. I have 15 years' coaching experience between the junior leagues and college level and look forward to moving into a head coaching role with the Knights."

The Waterloo, Iowa, native bowled at the varsity level in high school, winning the state championship and earning Second-team All-State honors. His mother was the first woman to bowl a sanctioned 300 game in the Waterloo area, and was inducted into the Waterloo Bowling Hall of Fame. Kevin has been involved with bowling since he was 5 years old.

Walker is a Bronze Level Certified Coach and holds a USBC Level 1 Coaching Certificate from the United States Bowling Congress.

He resides in Waterloo with his wife, Brandy, and children, Kordell and Kaelyn.

Walker began his duties July 1.