A graduate of Austin Peay, Pat Walker was named Lamar University football strength coach in January, 2023. He has built a résumé that spans both FCS and FBS levels and includes time at Power Five schools (Minnesota), where he spent two seasons prior to coming to Lamar.
Walker arrived in Beaumont following the hire of Pete Rossomando as head coach. Overseeing the strength and conditioning effort for the Cardinals' football team, Walker has worked with a program that won only one game in the year prior to his arrival to a squad that has increased in win totals in three consecutive seasons, culminating in the 2025 eight-win campaign and berth in the NCAA FCS Playoffs. It was just the second time in school history that Lamar had advanced to the postseason and the first since 2018.
The Cardinals have had 25 players named to the All-Southland Conference teams since Walker was placed put in charge of the program's strength and conditioning, and the team has set 15 records in the weight room.
During his time in Minneapolis, Walker served as the top strength and conditioning assistant for football. During that time, Walker designed and implemented weightlifting, speed and agility programs for the Gophers. He was also charged with staying on top of cutting-edge training for the staff.
During the 2020 season, Walker was part of a Minnesota staff that received a berth into the Pinstripe Bowl where they defeated Syracuse. It was the program's sixth-straight bowl victory.
Prior to joining the Gophers' strength and conditioning staff, Walker spent one season at Charlotte serving in a similar capacity. He got his start at his alma mater where he served as a defensive assistant and intern at Austin Peay under the direction of head coach Mark Hudspeth. He served in that position for six months before joining the 49ers' program in Charlotte.
