Trent Walters is in his second year coaching the Notre Dame secondary after serving for eight seasons as a defensive assistant coach under Dennis Green for the National Football League’s Minnesota Vikings.
Walters did not take long to make an immediate impression on his secondary that was filled with outstanding talent before he arrived. The Irish finished ninth in scoring defense (16.69), 10th in the nation in pass efficiency (98.24) and rushing defense (95.23), 13th in total defense (300.00) and 46th in passing defense (204.77).
The leader in ’02 was cornerback Shane Walton, who became Notre Dame’s first consensus All-American since 1993. Walton also became the first player in the history of Notre Dame football to be voted a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award given to the nation’s outstanding defensive player. Cornerback Vontez Duff also earned third-team All-America honors in 2002, while safety Gerome Sapp was a Thorpe Award nominee and Glenn Earl solidified his reputation as being one of the hardest hitters in the country. Both Sapp and Walton were taken in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens and St. Louis Rams, respectively.
Walters coached the Vikings’ outside linebackers from 1994-99 before switching to inside linebackers in 2000. In 2001, Walters served as a defensive assistant coach. During Walters’ tenure with the Vikings, Minnesota posted a 77-51 (.601) record, making the playoffs six times in eight years.
In 2000, Walters helped former Stanford player Kailee Wong as he moved to the inside linebacker position for the first time in his career. Wong led the team in total tackles with 134, solo tackles at 93 and was tied for the team lead in interceptions with two.
In ’98, Walters assisted in coaching a Vikings defense that gave up only 296 points (sixth best in the NFL) and shut out opponents in 29 of a possible 73 quarters, including the playoffs.
The defense, led by strong-side linebacker Dixon Edwards, held opponents to under 20 points in five straight games (9/28-11/2) during the Vikings six-game winning streak in ’97. Minnesota also held its opposition to 17-or-fewer points in nine games in ’96. The Vikings finished third in the NFL in third-down defense (33.2%), sixth in the league in sacks (43) and tied for seventh in takeaways (35) in ’96.
In ’95, the Vikings finished second in the league in takeaways (40), fourth in the NFL in run defense (83.1) and tied for fourth in the league in sacks (44). In ’94, Minnesota led the NFL in run defense, holding opponents to the fewest rushing yards per game (68.1) in the league in 30 years. The Vikings also led the NFL in yards allowed per carry (3.1) and ranked fifth in total defense (296.4) in ’94.
Before coaching in Minnesota, Walters served as defensive backs coach at Texas A&M from 1991-93. During his tenure in College Station, the Aggies led the Southwest Conference in total defense, rush defense, pass defense and scoring defense, becoming only the second school in NCAA history to lead its conference in all four categories three straight years. In ’93, Texas A&M led the nation in pass defense, finished second in points allowed (10.8 per game) and third in total defense (247.6). In ’91, they held opponents to the fewest yards per game in the nation. During the ’91 season, Walters coached on the same staff as current Irish defensive line coach Greg Mattison and former Irish head coach Bob Davie.
Among Walters’ pupils at Texas A&M were cornerbacks Kevin Smith, an ’91 All-American who had a long career with the Dallas Cowboys, and Aaron Glenn, the ’93 Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year, who was drafted by the Jets with the 12th overall pick in ’94. Walters coached seven first-team all-SWC picks while at A&M.
Before joining the Aggies, Walters guided the secondary for five years (1986-90) at Louisville, where he helped turn around the Cardinals program from 3-8 in ’86 to 10-1-1 in ’90. In his final season at Louisville, the team won a school-record 10 games, played its first postseason game (Fiesta Bowl) since ’77 and captured its first bowl victory (34-7 over Alabama) since ’70. One of Walters’ star pupils with the Cardinals was Ray Buchanan who was named the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the 1991 Fiesta Bowl as a sophomore. He earned NFL All-Rookie honors with Indianapolis in ’93, finished third in the league with eight interceptions in ’94 and was named to the ’98 Pro Bowl following his terrific season with the Atlanta Falcons.
Walters began his coaching career overseeing the freshmen and junior varsity team at his alma mater Indiana in ’68. He coached defensive backs at Louisville in ’72 before returning to Indiana to guide the Hoosiers secondary for eight years (1973-80). In three seasons (1981-83) as defensive backs coach at the University of Washington, Walters groomed future NFL players Vince Newsome, Ray Horton, Vince Albritton and Vestee Jackson.
In ’84, Walters received his first pro coaching opportunity tutoring defensive backs for the Cincinnati Bengals. He then guided the secondary for a season (1985) at the University of Pittsburgh.
In ’66 and ’67, Walters led the Canadian Football League in punt and kickoff return yardage while playing for an Edmonton team that was coached by former Vikings assistant Neill Armstrong.
A three-year letterman at Indiana, Walters led the Hoosiers in punt and kickoff returns as a senior in ’65. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Indiana. Walters is a member of the Sports Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn., where he attended Austin High School.
Walters and his wife Gail, also an Indiana as well as a University of Louisville Kent School of Social Work graduate and currently an instructor in social work program at Indiana University-South Bend, have two sons, Trent and Troy and a daughter, Vanessa. Trent is an advertising account manager for the Richards Group and has a son Brandon (4) and a daughter Kingsley (1). Troy was an All-America wide receiver/punt returner and won the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s best wide receiver, while earning all-Pacific-10 academic team honors at Stanford under Tyrone Willingham. Troy received both his bachelor’s and master’s from Stanford and currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts. Vanessa graduated from the University of Washington Medical School in June and is doing her residency in Jacksonville, Fla. She is married to Dr. Rameek McNair.
| Year | School/Team | Assignment |
| 1968 | Indiana (6-4) | Assistant Freshmen/Junior Varsity |
| 1969 | Indiana | Assistant Freshmen/Junior Varsity |
| 1970 | Indiana | Head Freshmen/Junior Varsity |
| 1971 | Indiana | Head Freshman/Junior Varsity |
| 1972 | Louisville (9-1) | Defensive Backs |
| 1973 | Indiana | Defensive Backs |
| 1974 | Indiana | Defensive Backs |
| 1975 | Indiana | Defensive Backs |
| 1976 | Indiana | Defensive Backs |
| 1977 | Indiana (5-5-1) | Defensive Backs |
| 1978 | Indiana | Defensive Backs |
| 1979 | Indiana (8-4, Holiday Bowl) | Defensive Backs |
| 1980 | Indiana (6-5) | Defensive Backs |
| 1981 | Washington (10-2, Rose Bowl) | Defensive Backs |
| 1982 | Washington (10-2, Aloha Bowl) | Defensive Backs |
| 1983 | Washington (8-4, Aloha Bowl) | Defensive Backs |
| 1984 | Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) | Defensive Backs |
| 1985 | Pittsburgh (5-5-1) | Defensive Backs |
| 1986 | Louisville | Defensive Backs |
| 1987 | Louisville | Defensive Backs |
| 1988 | Louisville (8-3) | Defensive Backs |
| 1989 | Louisville (6-5) | Defensive Backs |
| 1990 | Louisville (10-1-1, Fiesta Bowl) | Defensive Backs |
| 1991 | Texas A&M (10-2, Cotton Bowl) | Defensive Backs |
| 1992 | Texas A&M (12-1, Cotton Bowl) | Defensive Backs |
| 1993 | Texas A&M (10-2, Cotton Bowl) | Defensive Backs |
| 1994 | Minnesota Vikings | Outside Linebackers |
| (10-6, NFC Central champion, NFC playoffs first round) |
| 1995 | Minnesota Vikings (8-8) | Outside Linebackers |
| 1996 | Minnesota Vikings | Outside Linebackers |
| (9-7, NFC playoffs first round) |
| 1997 | Minnesota Vikings | Outside Linebackers |
| (9-7, NFC playoffs second round) |
| 1998 | Minnesota Vikings | Outside Linebackers |
| (15-1, NFC Central champion, NFC championship game) |
| 1999 | Minnesota Vikings | Outside Linebackers |
| (10-6, NFC playoffs second round) |
| 2000 | Minnesota Vikings | Inside Linebackers |
| (11-5, NFC Central champion, NFC championship game) |
| 2001 | Minnesota Vikings | Defensive Assistant |
| 2002 | Notre Dame (10-3, Gator Bowl) | Secondary |
