A school administrator and football coach in the northwest suburbs, E. Robert Walther had two No. 1-ranked teams at Arlington High School in Arlington Heights.
“His favorite athlete was the average kid whom he could push to be well above average,” said his son, Gregg.
“He was tough–Lombardi-like, a lot of the same philosophy,” said his son, referring to the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers.
Mr. Walther, 77, died of congestive heart failure Monday, Feb. 7, at home in Tucson, Ariz. Born in Chicago, he graduated from Austin Community Academy High School and served stateside in the Navy during World War II.
He went to Indiana University on a football scholarship but was stopped from playing after doctors discovered he had only one kidney, his son said.
Mr. Walther received a bachelor’s degree from Augustana College and a master’s in education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He married fellow teacher Kathleen Barkman in 1957.
He taught science and physical education in Illinois and Iowa before being hired by Township High School District 214 as a physical education teacher in 1962.
He coached wrestling, track and basketball at Forest View and Elk Grove High Schools before becoming head football coach at Arlington in 1968.
“He was very successful and well-known throughout this area,” his son said. While at Arlington, two of his football teams were ranked No. 1 in Illinois before the high school state football playoffs were started.
He became an administrator at Prospect High School in 1974 and retired in 1986.
Mr. Walther lived with his wife in Arlington Heights for more than 20 years before moving to Tucson in 1992. He enjoyed woodcarving, fishing, camping and boating. Other survivors include another son, Mark, and five grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Memory Gardens Cemetery, 2501 E. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights.
