Subscribe to the NCSA BlogWalking On – Great Movie, Bad Story
June 26th, 2008 - byEvery year on the center stage of collegiate sports, we hear the story, often told by television announcers, of the touching tale of the courageous walk on. Visions of Rudy instantly come to the forefront as the journey of the underdog warrior starts to unfold. “He was never recruited out of high school by any of the major programs . . .” says the announcer during his crescendo to the game breaking play. “He has waited his whole life for this moment, battling disappointment after rejection.” It is heartwarming. Life is fair again. That could have been me.
There are few stories that compare in nature. There are fewer that compare in occurrence. The closest relative to Rudy would be the 71 year old retired truck driver who on his last few dollars cashed in on millions playing the random pick’m 
game at the local gas station. The only difference is, that story happens more frequently!
For the serious competitor, walking on to a collegiate athletic team can be compared to earning a medical degree and then working as a custodian. You both work in a hospital but unlike all of your classmates, you’re not actually doing what you trained so hard to do for so long. Most collegiate athletes have played their sport since before they could remember, years and years, always starting, usually better and often in the spotlight. To cash in a lifetime of hard work and natural talent for a dream that was forged from within a child’s perspective seems foolish.
Take football for example. There are over 800 colleges that offer football as a varsity sport. Most sports fans in this country can name up to fifty. In baseball there are over 1000 colleges that offer the sport. How many can you name? There are numerous opportunities to explore if the desire to actually play exceeds common ignorance and childhood fantasies.
Walk-ons, just like custodians in hospitals, have vastly different experiences than the scholarship players. First, the ceremonial National Letter of Intent signing day – that does not happen. Next, the preferential class scheduling – no. The second, third, or fourth pair of coaches’ eyes watching you to make sure that you’re taken care of – not so much. You are a necessary tool to help the real players practice, rarely taken serious, rarely awarded a scholarship and sparingly shown respect. Rudy was a great film but I hope it is not your story. Below is a short video of how USC treats its potential walk ons. There are a few questionable language choices in this clip so do not watch if you will be offended. USC Walk On Clip
In summary, if you work your entire life to achieve the goal of becoming a college athlete, find a place where you are wanted. Find a school where you will play and make an impact. Go somewhere that will set you up to have a great experience while you earn your degree, an environment that will help provide you with teammates for life. Step outside of your comfort zone and learn all you can of what is out there. You just might find something that is priceless.
June 27th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Why do you have to hate on the walk-on experience? What’s your deal Joe?
June 27th, 2008 at 9:50 am
I don’t hate the walk on experience, I just think there are better alternatives.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I thought this was a great article. While there are certainly a lot of great walk on stories, I think the idea is that the perception is sometimes far different than the reality. Many student athletes are sold on the dream of eventually being able to play and the coaches love it because it allows them to recruit student athletes without using a scholarhips. I think Joseph’s point is that maybe there was a DII or DIII program that would have provided that student athletes a BETTER opportunity rather than walking on and hoping they see the field in a few years.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Also remember: if a kid walks on, NCSA gets no fee from them. It is in NCSA’s better interest to put walking-on in this light.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Sean,
I don’t think your comment is fair or responsible and it is definitely not accurate. Our fee is not based on whether a student-athlete walks on or earns a full scholarship, but is paid to help each student-athlete find all best possible fits in an effort to maximize their recruiting process. If you would like to discuss, please call our office and request to be connected to me.
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:23 am
SO now you’ve burst the bubble of many a parent and hopeful student-athlete with some truths and analogies, what have you accomplished? This is July, school starts in less than 8 weeks. Does this mean you have the power to get an over-looked high school ball-handler a scholarship at a DII or DIII college? Then I challenge you, sir!
Our son Austen, who loves playing basketball and led his local high school (Valhalla HS in El Cajon, CA) varsity team to the CIF play-offs for the first time in 10 years and was named to the Division’s first team all-stars but didn’t play because in the last few minutes of the CIF play-off cinching game, after blocking a shot at the rim, broke the scappoid bone in his left wrist and was unable to play. It appears as though he missed being chosen as the number one player in the Division because as the team’s point guard, he past the ball to other team members more than going for the shots himself.
However, and because he did wanted to get to the CIF play-offs in his senior year and there were a couple of starting team members suffering from severe colds, he was forced to do what he does best and scored his personal best game making 32 points.
What were you saying about college coaches and their recruiters feeling badly for not knowing who to recruit to D1, DII, DII schools? The only contact he had was from one of the local community colleges to come and play there.
We are mostly proud of Austen for academically being accepted to Gonzaga University, where he intends to play intramural. However, all his friends and their parents who watched him play for the past four years are encouraging to be a walk-on. So what I’m getting from you is he shouldn’t try because recruiters and coaches may not know every semi-decent athlete in the country? But then again, there are 770 football playing colleges that “I” can’t name either.
Now, if it is your job to find scholarships for great high school student-athletes, I’ve just handed you one!
Wishing you continued recruiting success,
Ed Suhay
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:38 am
Hi Ed: Gonzaga may have a different take on walk-ons than the D1 school mentioned in the article. Your son should be talking with the Gonzaga coaches right now if he intends to walk on, to see what his status will be. Having said that, it’s a shame your talented son only received serious interest from only one program. California student-athletes have particular challenges because the vast majority of college athletic programs are located east of the Mississippi River. It’s a shame that not more college coaches found out about your son. Since he has already graduated, the window is now closed for those colleges since they’ve selected their recruits already. In the recruiting game, it’s first come, first serve. If your son had been introduced to more college coaches 2 years ago, his basketball playing situation would be different today. The good news is he’s a terrific student and he will earn a degree from a great school. I wish him and you the best of luck in the future.
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Years ago- talked with a couple of D1 coaches about my son walking on to their baseball program. Both said If I or my assistants did not recruit him –don’t waste his time- let him play at the D2 & D3 schools that want him.
On said I don’t even look at the walk-on’s
I took their advice he had good career at NJAC D3 school where coaches who wanted him made sure he got treated well
Walking on and being successful could be a nice story but a hollywood myth
but reality is – always best to go where they want you
July 17th, 2009 at 8:12 am
My daughter is going to be a walk on for the track team in pole vaulting. Do you think this is different? They wanted 5 pole vaulters on the team. Now they have five.
July 18th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
There is very little scholarship money in pole vault. As the performance is not guaranteed at meets, college track and field coaches usually do not invest their scholarship money in vaulters; they’d rather give the money to sprinters, distance runners, or throwers who can score in multiple events. That’s why many top vaulters go to military academies. As long as your daughter will be practicing with the pole vault team and they have a dedicated vault coach, she should be okay.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:54 am
So What I have read above It is in the best intrest of a student athlete to get his high school coach to help him get recruited. Also Go to the colleges near by and those around you talk to those coaches to see what oppurtunities your athlete may have in order to become part of the team.
How do you get to talk to the college level coach our calls are never returned, so what is my next option?
September 29th, 2009 at 10:35 am
First, if your HS coach is willing to help and has the time, network and budget to do so, then yes. Second, I am not saying to limit your scope to local colleges, but to search for the schools that best fit you as a student-athlete, that satisfy all categories. Now those colleges may be in your area or they may not be. The moral of the story is to find the place where they want you, where you will be happy, where you will play, where you will graduate, and where you will have the best experience you can possibly have. There are over 1700 colleges out there in America. Which one is for you?