Matt Walker completed his 15th season at the helm of UW-River Falls Football in 2025, capping off the season leading the Falcons to a NCAA Division III National Championship, defeating reigning national champions North Central College 24-14 on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026 in Canton, Ohio. He was named the D3football.com Coach of the Year, leading UWRF to a program-record 14 wins and the first national title in school history during the first national playoff appearance since 1996.Â
Leading UWRF to its first conference title since 1998 (first outright since 1985), and the program’s first NCAA Playoff appearance since 1996, he was named the D3football.com Region 6 Coach of the Year, and the WIAC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. UWRF finished the 2025 season ranked No. 1 by AFCA and D3football.com, the program's highest ever national ranking.
Since the 2021 season, Walker has led the Falcons to a historic rise with a record of 44-13 (24-12 WIAC), including back-to-back Isthmus Bowl titles in 2021 and 2022, a 22-4 record at home, and consistently ranking among the nation’s leaders in total offense. After nine consecutive losing seasons from 2011-19, UWRF's climb to national contention began in 2021 with a 9-2 record, defeating WashU 48-27 in the inaugural Culver's Isthmus Bowl, and Walker was named the WIAC Coach of the Year.
Walker has coached over 140 Falcons to All-WIAC honors, 13 All-Region honorees, six All-Americans, and most recently the 2025 Gagliardi Trophy winner in Kaleb Blaha, awarded to NCAA Division III's most outstanding player. 2025 was also highlighted by WIAC Offensive, Defensive, and Newcomers of the Year in 2025 in Kaleb Blaha, Gage Timm, and Taylor Sussner. In addition, five Falcons have earned the WIAC's highest student-athlete achievement honor under Walker's leadership in the Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete Award - most recently Aaron Borgerding in 2024.
In addition to being the head coach, Walker also coaches the quarterbacks. Under his leadership, Falcon quarterbacks have re-written the record books. Prior to current quarterback Kaleb Blaha solidifying himself atop of almost all offensive records, All-WIAC quarterbacks Ryan Kusilek (2012-15), Ben Beckman (2015-19), and Kole Hinrichsen (2018-21) paved the way. In 2023, Blaha was a Gagliardi Trophy finalist and led the country with 388.2 yards of total offense. He was then named a 2025 Preseason First Team All-American and became the program’s career record holder in total offense, passing yards, and scoring, among many other single-season records.
Before coming to UW-River Falls, Walker was the head football coach at DePauw University (Ind.) from 2006-09Â and compiled a 22-8 overall record. From 2007-08, DePauw finished 13-7 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference to place second in the final conference standings. From 2000-05, he was an offensive assistant with the Tigers. During the 2010 season, he was an offensive assistant coach at Butler University. Walker was also the head baseball coach at DePauw from 2001-09 and led the Tigers to five conference divisional championships and to an NCAA regional berth in 2001. He was named the Conference Coach of the Year in 2001. Three times he led the Tigers to the most wins in a single season (2004, 2005, 2008). He was one of the youngest coaches in college baseball history to reach 250 wins and left DePauw with a 253-166 record for the second most wins in program history.
He earned a sports science degree from DePauw in 1999. He went on to earn his master’s degree in physical education from Indiana State in 2001 where he earned Phi Kappa Phi academic honors.
Walker resides in River Falls with his wife, Jana, their two daughters, Kraly, and Hudson, and two sons, Townsend, and Sullivan.
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