Missouri football assistant coach Bruce Walker to retire

Missouri announced Tuesday that assistant football coach Bruce Walker is retiring.

Walker, 53, started at Mizzou in 2001, serving as tight ends and assistant offensive line coach through 2008. He has worked as co-offensive line coach since then.

“In this business everybody has a time when they need to hang it up, and it’s my time. I’m very proud to have been a part of 102 wins here and all that we’ve achieved, and I’m proud of the legacy I leave behind with all the players I’ve touched over a 26-year career,” Walker said in a release.

“Mizzou has been a special place for me, I’ve loved my time here, and I’ll always be Tiger. I’ve had a great run and now it’s time to go be with my family and do other things.”

One of his linemen, Justin Britt, was a first-team all-Southeastern Conference pick last season and was chosen in the second round of the NFL Draft by Seattle.

In a release, MU said Walker was planning to move back to Washington to spend more time with family.

“Bruce informed me last night that he feels the time is right for him to step away from coaching,” MU coach Gary Pinkel said in the release. “Bruce has been a very important part of our success here at Mizzou, and I’m very grateful to him and his family for all of the sacrifices they have made to help our program succeed.”

This story was originally published July 1, 2014 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Missouri football assistant coach Bruce Walker to retire."