Walker received degrees from
Benedict College (B.A.) and
Columbia University (M.A.). Walker competed on the football and basketball teams at Benedict, and he also was a national-class sprinter for the track and field team despite Benedict not having a track facility to train on. He received his Ph.D. in
biomechanics at
New York University. He went back to
Benedict College to begin a track and field collegiate coaching career. He received enough sports scholarships to finance his college expenses. In 1945, he became the head coach for the
North Carolina Central University track team. He also chaired the physical education and recreation departments. NCCU track and field athletes were all in the Olympic Games between the years 1956 and 1980. When Walker retired in 1986 as North Carolina's chancellor-emeritus, his team won 11 gold medals, 80 were named All-American, and 35 had national championships. In addition to coaching NCCU, he coached track teams from other countries.
Israel and
Ethiopia in 1960,
Trinidad and Tobago in 1964,
Jamaica in 1968, and
Kenya in 1972. The last team he led to the Olympic Games was for the United States in 1976. The team included
Caitlyn Jenner (then Bruce) and
Edwin Moses. He served as the honorary chair of the Board of Directors of the Africa News Service, based in Durham North Carolina. ==Personal life==