Vince Mosley, Cranbrook 1979

Walden was my football coach. I came from the city and he taught us how to be real men and how to be there for others. I lost a loved one and had thoughts of leaving school until he showed up at my mom's home going. He was the reason that i keep on pushing and completed school. He showed me that he was not just my coach, but a good friend. Much love for Big "D." YOU'RE STILL THE MAN!

CK would not be what it is without Del. Quite simply, he is one of the finest examples of what a great educator (and human being) should be. Thanks Del.

Del Walden. I've had quite a few lasting impressions from my years at Cranbrook, but none greater than his. He was there for me during my roughest time in high school, and I'll never forget him for it. Thanks Mr. Walden!

Thanks for CK Football '92! You led us with love, pride and above all CK Spirit. You allowed me to play positions that I'll admit at the time I thought, "Is he out of his mind?" But you saw things in all of us most coaches didn't and wouldn’t. While the season was rocky, I think my year with you was the most I learned about the fundamentals of sportsmanship. You never told us to do something without explaining why...which was your unique style! That style also just happened to make you one of the coolest guys to walk around CK's campus. I now look back and try to mimic how you incorporated confidence, knowledge, ethics and a communication style that put you in a league all your own! I may be calling for pointers!

The most memorable aspect of my stint at Cranbrook was spending time with the Walden family. They changed the course of my life.

Pure and simple: Del Walden was the best coach I ever had in any sport. He made every member of the football team understand the importance of the individual and the team: each of the 11 players on the field at the time was prepared to perform his assignment on each play. If you tried your best to accomplish the correct assignment on every play, he was satisfied; if not, you would probably hear about it. If all 11 players tried their best to accomplish the correct assignment, he was satisfied. Whether the play worked or not--whether the team won or not--was not the issue. Part of the process was learning that if the correct assignment was accomplished often enough with maximum effort, good things (like winning) usually happened. And eventually we even figured out that those same ideas might work places other than the football field......

Del Walden - What a wonderful, caring person. Even when I wasn't at my best or getting into trouble, he was there for me and listened to me. He never preached, yelled, or acted as if he was 'above' me, but treated me as his equal. I only wish I had him to talk to while I was at college!

Del Walden was my Varsity Football coach and advisor. He was great because he could relate to the relevant issues that a typical teen age guy goes through. I felt comfortable talking to him.

Del Walden set standards of excellence in leadership in the following areas: administration (fairness and firmness during student discipline hearing, athletic coaching and academic instruction. Mr Walden was approachable and nurturing in spite of having a imposing physical presence. These were the qualities observed of him from afar and not through a one-to-one relationship.