Joshua S. Walters, Sr. joined the UCF women[apos]s soccer staff as an assistant coach in January 2012. Walters brought seven years of Division I experience to the UCF staff.
In his first season on staff in 2012, Walters helped the Knights earn their first Conference USA Tournament championship. The team was ranked nationally for the entire season, including its highest standing (No. 6) in two decades, and broke the school and conference record for shutouts (15).
He spent 2010-12 as as Florida State[apos]s director of soccer operations.Prior to his arrival in Tallahassee, Walters was an assistant coach at Utah State for three seasons. From 2005-06, he was an assistant coach at fellow C-USA and future BIG EAST program Houston.
With the Knights, Walters serves as the program[apos]s recruiting coordinator.At Florida State, Walters was responsible for the day to day operations of the program, including team travel, gameday operations and community involvement.
Walters spent three years as an assistant coach with the women[apos]s soccer program at Utah State. With the Aggies, Walters served as the recruiting coordinator and first assistant responsible for general attacking shape, set pieces, recruiting visits, team travel, video analysis, camps and scheduling opponents. Along with his duties for Utah State, Walters earned positions on both the Region IV and Utah Olympic Development Program (ODP) staffs.
In his first two years at Utah State, Walters was instrumental in helping the Aggies increase their goal total from 18 in 2006 to 40 in 2007. Utah State scored a solid 32 goals in 2008. On the other side of the ball, goalkeeper Ali Griffin had another strong season earning second-team All-WAC honors. She ended the season with a 1.12 GAA and ended her storied USU career with a 1.00 GAA.
Walters came to Utah State from Houston, Texas where he was an assistant coach for the Cougars, working primarily with the defenders and goalkeepers. Under his guidance, Houston[apos]s goalkeepers posted the lowest goals against average in school history of 1.10 GAA and set a school record with five shutouts in 2005, his first season with the Cougars. In 2006, UH goalkeeper Shelby Scott posted four individual shutouts, the second highest single-season total, while earning a spot on the Israeli National Team.
Before his stint at Houston, Walters served 12 months as a First Lieutenant with Brigade S2 (Military Intelligence) of the Florida National Guard during Operation Enduring Freedom V in Bagram, Afghanistan. While in Afghanistan, Walters set up and directed a soccer clinic as well as a series of games for Afghan youths. He later made a presentation on his experiences to the 2005 NSCAA Convention and was awarded the NSCAA Honorary All-American Award.
During his military deployment, Walters received the Bronze Star for Valor and Service, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal.
Prior to his military duties, Walters was the head coach at Lawton Chiles High School in Tallahassee from 2000-05. During Walters[apos] first stint in Tallahassee, his teams received the NSCAA/adidas Team Academic Award for three consecutive seasons. Walters was also head coach of the Tallahassee United Futbol Club in 2002. Walters received his associate[apos]s degree of the arts from Marion Military Institute in 1998. He captained the soccer team and also earned MVP honors.
After graduating from MMI, he was commissioned as a signal officer in the Florida National Guard. Walters[apos] coaching career started in Tallahassee at Godby High School, where he coached from 1998-2000. Additionally, he was the head coach for the Top of Florida Soccer Club until 2001.
A 2004 graduate of Columbia Southern University, Walters received his bachelor of arts in sports management and graduated cum laude. Walters holds an NSCAA Premier Diploma, as well as NSCAA Goalkeeper Advance National and USSF [quote]B[quote] licenses.
Walters, a native of Winston-Salem, N.C., is married to Amy Lucas, a former Ole Miss soccer player. They have two children, Joshua [quote]J.J.[quote] Shawn Walters, Jr. (3) and Rylan Avery (1).