Gary Walters was a three-time All-Ivy point guard for Princeton, earning honorable mention in 1964-65, second-team honors in 1965-66 and first-team recognition in 1966-67. As a sophomore, he was part of Princeton’s 1965 NCAA Final Four men’s basketball team led by Bill Bradley. As a senior in 1967, he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated with teammate Chris Thomforde, while leading that year’s team to a 25-3 record. In Walters’ three varsity seasons, Princeton went 64-16 and claimed a pair of Ivy League titles.
After graduating from Princeton University, Walters embarked on a coaching career that included stops at Middlebury, Union, Princeton, Dartmouth and Providence. Following work as a television commentator and financial executive, he returned to college athletics and his alma mater as Princeton’s fourth Director of Athletics in 1994—a role in which he served for two decades.
During his tenure, Princeton teams won 220 Ivy League championships and 46 individual or team national championships. The Tiger athletic program was the highest Ivy finisher in the Directors’ Cup standings, which measure overall athletic success through NCAA championship participation, in 17 of his 20 years at the helm. Princeton also produced at least one individual or team national champion in each of his 20 years as athletic director. Walters continues to serve Princeton as the Emeritus Director of Athletics, a title conferred by University President Christopher L. Eisgruber.