Coach made mark on lives, not just on field

BURNET — When Burnet High School athletic director and head football coach Doyle Walker was asked why the time had come for him to retire, he smiled and recalled a simple event.

He was at home with his wife, Rhonda, watching his grandson Kade play. He realized he had very few memories of their son, David, at that age.

That’s when Rhonda turned to her husband and said, “It’s because you weren’t here. You were always at school, you didn’t see this part of your son’s life.”

“I had struggled for several months with (the decision to retire),” he said. “I prayed, and I said, ‘Lord, let me know if this is what you want me to do.’”

As he watched his grandson, Walker said he knew his prayer was answered.

“I’ve been at peace with it,” he said. “I don’t regret anything I’ve done, any decision I’ve made or anything in the past. I can sleep knowing I did what I felt was right. I know I always treated kids fairly. I’ve been very blessed.”