D-1AA Walk-On Article

This article is even more credible considering what ASU did this year(beating Michigan and winning the 1-AA National Title.

by Ryan Wixted
Intern Sports Reporter

Walking-on to play for a collegiate sport is not the easiest thing for an athlete to do. Many walk-on athletes realize early on that competing against a scholarship athlete for a spot on the team roster is difficult.

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Bryan Tarnowski | The Appalachian Matt Cline, a freshman wide receiver, lives the dream of any walk-on athlete: making the team, contributing and earning a scholarship and the respect of his fellow teammates.

Appalachian State University associate professor of sociology Kenneth B. Muir said the attitude at the high school level is what causes the number of walk-on athletes in college to be so rare.

“It has become more of a business,” he said. “Parents and coaches who market their players are the ones that get the scholarships, leaving the other athletes who don’t market themselves unable to earn a scholarship and eventually give up their sport.”

Most high school athletes who do not earn college scholarships believe it’s the end of the road for their athletic career.

“It didn’t seem like [playing sports] was leading anywhere for me. I didn’t think I could contribute to the team as much,” junior communication major and a former walk-on athlete Michael B. Coulter said.

However, not everyone believes walk-on athletes are rare in college athletics, especially at Appalachian State.

Senior Associate Athletics Director Debbie Richardson believes walk-ons can be very important to a collegiate team.

“We all need walk-ons to help complement a team,” she said.

In Division I-AA, the NCAA has imposed certain scholarship restrictions, leaving schools such as Appalachian State to rely heavily on walk-ons as part of their success.

“Walk-ons are a necessity, particularly at our level and below,” Richardson said.

Walk-ons have always been huge contributors to ASU athletics.

Junior starting running back Kevin Richardson and freshman wide receiver Matt Cline are just two examples of players who arrived in Boone as walk-ons and eventually earned scholarships.

“I believe [walk-ons] can help a team,” Cline said. “Look at Kevin Richardson and Nic Cardwell, both were walk-ons and now are big contributors to the team. I hope eventually I can be a contributor like they are some time down the road.”

ASU head football coach Jerry Moore believes walk-ons are a key asset to a team and one of the reasons why his football program has had so much success over his 18 years of coaching here.

“We have had a great walk-on program, it has been our lifeline for our success,” he said.