Photo by: Hardy Meredith | SFA Photography
Gameday Feature: The Ultimate Scholar-Athlete, Professor Walls
9/15/2017 4:00:00 PM | Football
Senior safety Marlon Walls will be wearing the No. 16 jersey in honor of the late Cally Belcher after earning the Cally Belcher Award this past May, he is a CoSIDA Academic All-American and owns a perfect 4.0 GPA
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – To earn a 4.0 grade point average for one semester in college would be a satisfying accomplishment for any college student, to do so for every single semester would be a wishful dream for many. However, that is exactly what Stephen F. Austin football senior safety Marlon Walls has done after three years of hard work in the classroom and on the gridiron in Nacogdoches. Not only does Walls own a perfect 4.0 GPA through three years of college courses at SFA, he has done so while studying engineering physics with an emphasis in mechanical engineering, one of the more challenging majors in all of collegiate studies.
Back in May at SFA athletics' annual Champions Dinner, Walls earned the Cally Belcher award and was chosen to wear the No. 16 jersey in honor of the late Cally Belcher for today's game against Incarnate Word. He is honored to have the privilege of wearing Belcher's retired number and wants to do it with pride.
"It is definitely a great honor for me", said Walls. "We learned about Cally when we first got here my freshman year and the tragic death that occurred. I was able to meet Cally's parents this past spring semester and they are very supportive of the Lumberjack organization. We really appreciate them and all the loving support they have for us. I definitely want to represent his name and the Belcher name proudly when we play Incarnate Word."
The senior has certainly earned the respect of his coaches, professors and teammates too have earned such an honor. His hard work, discipline and dedication to both football and his academics is evident throughout his day-to-day life. As only the second defensive player to wear the number 16 since 1993, Walls takes to heart Belcher's story and realizes his legacy can help teach others very valuable life lessons.
"Basically, leave no regrets because tomorrow is never promised for you", commented Walls on how Belcher's life has put things in perspective for him. "That's pretty much what I take from Belcher's situation. I just want to leave it all out on the field every time I play the game now because this is my senior year and I know any play could be my last. I want to be able to go out on a good note whenever it's time for me to be done, whether it be at the end of the season or any time before that I want it to be my best plays on the field to end the year right."
The Pearland, Texas (Pearland H.S.), native has certainly not had any regrets in his academic studies throughout his SFA career and continues to balance football and school with seemingly ease. Any college student will tell you that it is not easy to achieve a perfect GPA during the course of three years, but Walls has somehow figured out a way to do just that while also having the extra time demands of playing NCAA Division I college football at a high level. Every day, Walls must balance going to class, working out, practicing, attending team meetings and spending lengthy hours studying, not to mention going on weekend road trips for away games.
"It really ventures from time management as well as weighing out your priorities", remarked Walls on how he keeps up with both his schoolwork and football. "Whatever is most important to you, that's what you're going to put your time into. For me, I came in here knowing that I had to get my degree before anything else. My parents raised me to know that academics were always important for me. When I came in here, I said, 'Okay, start strong', and I made my first "A" in public speaking. That was my first class my first summer here, but that was just one class and nothing too special I guess. Moving into the first fall semester, now you have class on top of football going on that first season. I was trying to figure out how I was going to manage my time best because we were traveling every weekend so we're losing those weekends where the rest of the student body is studying. We're actually playing a game or having meetings, so I'm like okay, you have to learn how to manage your time better. So, on the bus rides there I am reading my book, maybe doing some extra homework problems while I'm on the bus, at the hotel, or wherever I may be. It's just about learning how to manage your time and being able to get all your stuff done in a timely manner to make sure you have everything turned in on time and caught up like the rest of the student body."
Walls has excelled at managing his time and having his priorities straight since arriving on campus. This December, Walls will be graduating early and will receive his degree after just three and a half years of taking courses at SFA. It started long before he stepped foot on campus as though, as Walls took dual credit while still in high school to get some of his college courses out of the way. He credits that to his parents and his father, in particular, who pushed him to do dual-enrollment.
On being asked if he planned to graduate early, Walls stated, "That definitely just happened but it happened because of what I did prior to coming here. In high school, my dad was like, 'Man, take dual credit, take dual credit'. I didn't really understand why at the time but I'm very appreciative of him now for it because I came to the university with 26 credits already."
A two-time College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District First Team selection, Walls became the football program's first CoSIDA Academic First-Team All-American as a junior last year. This summer, he was nominated for a spot on the Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team for the second year in a row. Named the 2016 Southland Conference Football Student-Athlete of the Year, Walls was a FCS Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star and a finalist for the FCS Doris Robinson Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. This year he has already been nominated for one of the National Football Foundation's prestigious National Scholar-Athlete Awards and looks to be a semifinalist and finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, the highest academic award in college football. Additionally, Walls was named the SFA physic department's Brian Patrick Hanson Memorial Scholarship recipient in 2016 and was a featured speaker this past April at the SFA STEM Business and Industry Speaker Series.
On the field, Walls was third on the team in total tackles in 2016, posting 62 total tackles and 37 solo stops with three pass breakups. Heading into this fall, Walls was the Lumberjacks' leading returning tackler. Through two games in 2017, Walls has claimed 11 total tackles, including eight solo stops as one of SFA's starting safeties.
Over the summer, Walls completed his first internship and gained valuable experience in the real world by working at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for eight weeks. Upon graduating this December, he plans to go back up to Maryland to gain more work experience at the Applied Physics Laboratory, before furthering his education with a graduate program next fall.
In his three years at SFA, Walls has witnessed his teammates honor Belcher's legacy by wearing the No. 16 jersey, starting with the first annual Cally Belcher game his freshman year in 2014. Since then, Walls has hoped he would get the opportunity to follow his teammates footsteps before he graduated.
"It's one thing I always did want to do", contributed Walls. "Seeing everybody else, Aaron Thomas, Joshawa West and Jamal Allen, just seeing them being able to wear No. 16 knowing that we represent something bigger than ourselves. That's something that is very special to me and I wanted to have the opportunity. I'm very blessed and fortunate to be given the opportunity my senior year."
-SFA-
Back in May at SFA athletics' annual Champions Dinner, Walls earned the Cally Belcher award and was chosen to wear the No. 16 jersey in honor of the late Cally Belcher for today's game against Incarnate Word. He is honored to have the privilege of wearing Belcher's retired number and wants to do it with pride.
"It is definitely a great honor for me", said Walls. "We learned about Cally when we first got here my freshman year and the tragic death that occurred. I was able to meet Cally's parents this past spring semester and they are very supportive of the Lumberjack organization. We really appreciate them and all the loving support they have for us. I definitely want to represent his name and the Belcher name proudly when we play Incarnate Word."
The senior has certainly earned the respect of his coaches, professors and teammates too have earned such an honor. His hard work, discipline and dedication to both football and his academics is evident throughout his day-to-day life. As only the second defensive player to wear the number 16 since 1993, Walls takes to heart Belcher's story and realizes his legacy can help teach others very valuable life lessons.
"Basically, leave no regrets because tomorrow is never promised for you", commented Walls on how Belcher's life has put things in perspective for him. "That's pretty much what I take from Belcher's situation. I just want to leave it all out on the field every time I play the game now because this is my senior year and I know any play could be my last. I want to be able to go out on a good note whenever it's time for me to be done, whether it be at the end of the season or any time before that I want it to be my best plays on the field to end the year right."
The Pearland, Texas (Pearland H.S.), native has certainly not had any regrets in his academic studies throughout his SFA career and continues to balance football and school with seemingly ease. Any college student will tell you that it is not easy to achieve a perfect GPA during the course of three years, but Walls has somehow figured out a way to do just that while also having the extra time demands of playing NCAA Division I college football at a high level. Every day, Walls must balance going to class, working out, practicing, attending team meetings and spending lengthy hours studying, not to mention going on weekend road trips for away games.
"It really ventures from time management as well as weighing out your priorities", remarked Walls on how he keeps up with both his schoolwork and football. "Whatever is most important to you, that's what you're going to put your time into. For me, I came in here knowing that I had to get my degree before anything else. My parents raised me to know that academics were always important for me. When I came in here, I said, 'Okay, start strong', and I made my first "A" in public speaking. That was my first class my first summer here, but that was just one class and nothing too special I guess. Moving into the first fall semester, now you have class on top of football going on that first season. I was trying to figure out how I was going to manage my time best because we were traveling every weekend so we're losing those weekends where the rest of the student body is studying. We're actually playing a game or having meetings, so I'm like okay, you have to learn how to manage your time better. So, on the bus rides there I am reading my book, maybe doing some extra homework problems while I'm on the bus, at the hotel, or wherever I may be. It's just about learning how to manage your time and being able to get all your stuff done in a timely manner to make sure you have everything turned in on time and caught up like the rest of the student body."
Walls has excelled at managing his time and having his priorities straight since arriving on campus. This December, Walls will be graduating early and will receive his degree after just three and a half years of taking courses at SFA. It started long before he stepped foot on campus as though, as Walls took dual credit while still in high school to get some of his college courses out of the way. He credits that to his parents and his father, in particular, who pushed him to do dual-enrollment.
On being asked if he planned to graduate early, Walls stated, "That definitely just happened but it happened because of what I did prior to coming here. In high school, my dad was like, 'Man, take dual credit, take dual credit'. I didn't really understand why at the time but I'm very appreciative of him now for it because I came to the university with 26 credits already."
A two-time College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District First Team selection, Walls became the football program's first CoSIDA Academic First-Team All-American as a junior last year. This summer, he was nominated for a spot on the Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team for the second year in a row. Named the 2016 Southland Conference Football Student-Athlete of the Year, Walls was a FCS Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star and a finalist for the FCS Doris Robinson Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. This year he has already been nominated for one of the National Football Foundation's prestigious National Scholar-Athlete Awards and looks to be a semifinalist and finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, the highest academic award in college football. Additionally, Walls was named the SFA physic department's Brian Patrick Hanson Memorial Scholarship recipient in 2016 and was a featured speaker this past April at the SFA STEM Business and Industry Speaker Series.
On the field, Walls was third on the team in total tackles in 2016, posting 62 total tackles and 37 solo stops with three pass breakups. Heading into this fall, Walls was the Lumberjacks' leading returning tackler. Through two games in 2017, Walls has claimed 11 total tackles, including eight solo stops as one of SFA's starting safeties.
Over the summer, Walls completed his first internship and gained valuable experience in the real world by working at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for eight weeks. Upon graduating this December, he plans to go back up to Maryland to gain more work experience at the Applied Physics Laboratory, before furthering his education with a graduate program next fall.
In his three years at SFA, Walls has witnessed his teammates honor Belcher's legacy by wearing the No. 16 jersey, starting with the first annual Cally Belcher game his freshman year in 2014. Since then, Walls has hoped he would get the opportunity to follow his teammates footsteps before he graduated.
"It's one thing I always did want to do", contributed Walls. "Seeing everybody else, Aaron Thomas, Joshawa West and Jamal Allen, just seeing them being able to wear No. 16 knowing that we represent something bigger than ourselves. That's something that is very special to me and I wanted to have the opportunity. I'm very blessed and fortunate to be given the opportunity my senior year."
-SFA-
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