Shawnee Mission North announced back in January that Andrew Walter would be the new varsity head football coach for the 2020 school year. With experience with coaching staffs at Blue Valley Northwest, Shawnee Mission East and Bishop Meige High School as well as experience as a student manager at the University of Kansas, Walter was more than qualified for the job. 

Principal Jeremy Higgins has worked with Walter in the past and also played a big role in the decision to hire him as head football coach.

“He and I, we were at Shawnee Mission East at the same time,” Higgins said, “So I’ve known Coach Walter for a few years outside of North.”

In addition to his duties coaching for the football team, Walter also teaches in North’s mathematics department; specifically, he teaches Math, Integrated Algebra/Geometry 1 and AP Statistics. 

“I would say before being a good coach, he’s an excellent teacher. When we were looking to hire a head football coach, obviously a teaching position goes right along with it and he is a phenomenal math teacher,” Higgins said. “Beyond that, he’s just a really good man. He’s genuine, he cares for kids and he’s just a good person to have on our staff.”

The new Covid-19 sport regulations have affected everyone in various ways, but Walter doesn’t let that stop the team from having a successful season. 

“[This season] has been hectic because of Covid, but that’s also made it even more enjoyable to be around the players,” Walter said. “I’m lucky that I actually have gotten to be around students since June. Most teachers haven’t seen their students in months, so I’m thankful for that.”