Queen’s lands Graham Walters
Graham Walters has come a long way in his athletic career.
The 18-year-old Niagara Falls native was always one of the tallest kids in his class and had excellent speed but he would be the first to admit it took him a long time to grow into his body.
“I wasn’t really that athletic as a kid,” Walters said Monday, prior to a ceremony at A.N. Myer celebrating his signing a football scholarship at Queen’s. “I was uncoordinated and I grew quick. I was fast and that was it.”
The athleticism started kicking in when he started high school. It wasn’t long before he directed his newfound aptitude to the football field.
“My brother (Alex) played it, I wanted to try it and as soon as I dove into it it was something that I loved,” the Grade 12 student said. “Then I just kept going with it.”
Going into his Grade 10 year, the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder started practising indoors with the senior team and then joined the junior squad in Grade 10, playing corner and wide receiver. In Grade 11, he suited up as a safety and wide receiver and this past high school season, he played halfback and wide receiver.
Walters quickly caught the eye of Myer senior football coach Dave Buchanan.
“He was that multi-purpose athlete that whatever he does he is really good at. And then instantly it was there it definitely something here,” he said. “We had seen it enough to know that the skills were going to translate and probably the most important thing is that he was instantly a leader. People gravitate towards him and he is the hardest worker in the room and on the field.”
Becoming a football player was a gradual process for Walters.
“It was getting the knowledge because going into it I didn’t really know any of the lingo and it was ‘OK Graham. Just do this.’ But then I started learning the language and the sport itself instead of just working off of intuition. That has really helped me as a player.”
Walters announced his presence to Queen’s and other football programs across the province at the end of his Grade 11 year after attending a prospects camp at Queen’s.
“Going into it, I told myself that this is where I want to be so I have to push myself to get there. If I don’t show up today, who knows if they will ever look at me,” he said. “I went to the camp and didn’t really have much communication with the coaches at all. I went there, did my thing, got looked at and was named the MVP for the DBs (defensive backs) there. After that, they really wanted me.”
That feeling was mutual.
“I had other schools interested in me but Queen’s just spoke to me,” he said. “Number 1 was the coaching staff. They are amazing people and they came up to me and they were the nicest and most welcoming people ever. And also the campus. I really loved the campus.”
After the Queen’s camp, Walters became a valuable commodity.
“I had heard he had won an award and shortly after that I started getting some messages. It was advantageous for Queen’s to get to see him right away because everyone else wanted him shortly after that,” Buchanan said. “It was Waterloo, Guelph and Mac and so on. Lots of schools wanted him and Laurier loved him but he just fell in love with Queen’s.”
Queen’s coach Tom Flaxman loves Walters.
“He was a guy who came to our prospects camp and really excelled there. He was one of the top defensive backs that we had a chance to evaluate and it became a very quick process with him. We wanted him and fortunately he wanted Queen’s. He was a guy we prioritized early in the process.”
Flaxman calls Walters a tremendous athlete with a high football IQ and great work ethic.
“He checks all the boxes, especially from a culture piece. We want people who are motivated to graduate first and foremost and then we want people who are passionate about the process of football. And we want respectful and responsible people and he certainly checks all those boxes. We are excited to have him on the roster.
Walters, a future math and statistics major, can’t wait to start the next stage of his football and scholastic career.
“I am excited about meeting new people and having new experiences. I am looking forward to something new.”
His goals are simple: Work his butt off and find a way to get on the field in any way possible.
“I have to train for everything and be prepared for anything depending on where they want to put me.”
