At Pace High School, a father and his NFL player son coach a shared love: football

Anthony Walker Jr. never wanted to coach football.

The Miami native also never had the time. His NFL career came first and between the traveling, training and the tiny bit of relaxation that comes with the day-to-day of being a professional athlete, it just wasn’t feasible. That is, until Walker signed with the Miami Dolphins and moved home.

“A lot of homeboys from down here that played in the NFL are just now getting into coaching,” Walker said, listing DeMarcus Van Dyke , Sean Spence and Teddy Bridgewater as examples. “We consider ourselves some of the smarter guys who played the game down here so we’re just trying to give that back to the next generation.”

And that’s exactly what Walker is doing. Similar to Bridgewater, Walker went back to his alma mater to join the Monsignor Edward Pace High School football coaching staff in Miami Gardens. The best part? He gets to learn from his father — Pace head coach Anthony Walker Sr.

“He coached me in high school, and I didn’t think I’d want to coach after I was done playing,” Walker said of his father. “But actually, just being around the game so long now and learning so much and knowing the influence of a good coach on a player, that’s what made me want to do it.”

For the elder Walker, the experience is a dream come true.

“It has been great,” Walker said. ”I think the kids are getting the best of both worlds. You get a guy who is living out his childhood dream in the NFL but he’s coming back to give his time to these young men.”

The younger Walker’s knowledge of the game is a product of hard work. He wasn’t the highly recruited prospect — 247Sports had him listed as a three-star prospect — and signed to play ball at Northwestern University. Walker spent four years in Evanston, Illinois, before the Indianapolis Colts selected him in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. By his second year in the league, Walker was a full-time starter, something that continued during his time as member of the Cleveland Browns. Now he’s a valuable contributor as an inside linebacker with the Dolphins. With more than 75 starts under his belt, he couldn’t let his expertise just go to waste.

“Everybody had always told him that with his high football IQ, they could see him being a coach or a scout one day,” Walker Sr. said.

Walker spends only a couple days there a week. He compares it to an internship, one in which he does a little bit of everything.

“I’m all around,” Walker quipped, cracking a slight smile. “I fill the Gatorade coolers. Install a couple offensive plays. Help with the defense.”

Added Walker Sr.: “He helps both sides of the ball. He helps my defensive coordinator by letting him know what he sees on film and how we should attack. And he does the same thing for me on offense. But on game day, he’ll go up in the box for me and kind of spot, tells me what he sees, time management and really just helps me with all those little intricacies.”

The opportunity came about after Walker signed with the Dolphins in March. He mentioned to his father his interest in coaching yet the patriarch didn’t believe him.

“I thought he was joking,” Walker Sr. said. “I told him, ‘Man, you’re not going to have time.’”

Walker, however, wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“He told me ‘Well, I think on off days, if I can manage my time, I definitely want to give it a shot,’” the father recalled. “Over the summer, he started coming to workouts and seeing the kids and 7-on-7 tournaments.

With this being his first year, Walker is still developing his coaching style. But his impact – and mindset – is undeniable.

“He definitely has his own style,” the elder Walker said, calling his son very “observant” and communicative when it comes to the players. “I can see him being a very fiery coach when it’s all said and done.”

“Seeing the kids grow from Day 1 to now we’re in Week 7 and the things that we struggled with early on, they’re able to pick it up easily,” the younger Walker said. “That’s my favorite part.”