Walter Love came to Westminster College from Cleveland, Ohio and he played football for the Parsons from 1970 – 1973 academic years. During that time he achieved various honors and recognition while playing for head coach Allen Jacobs.
Love was the first player in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference history to be named all-conference as both an offensive and a defensive player. He was honored for his offensive skills in 1970, his sophomore season, after running for 859 yards and six touchdowns after starting tailback Chuck Riley was injured. Love then moved to a defensive rover as a junior and proceeded to earn all-conference honors again.
In 1972, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tabbed Love as the league’s Player of the Year and he was selected NAIA All-District 7 at safety. He made the all-conference team at both defensive back and return specialist that season and Love was named honorable mention small college All-American. He was also named Academic All-Conference as a senior.
Love became the first player in Westminster history to be selected in the NFL Draft when the New York Giants picked him in the 10th round of the 1973 Draft, 250th overall. In 12 games with the ’73 Giants, Love returned 18 kickoffs for an average of 22 yards per return.
After football, Walter returned to Cleveland, Ohio and continued his education earning 2 Master’s Degrees from Cleveland State University. Continuing in his path of achievement, Walter embarked on a path in real estate and took an active interest in acquiring and managing real estate property. Walter was a dedicated employee of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority as a Central Facilities Manager from 1998 until his retirement in 2019.
Love
passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 12th, 2021 at the age of 70. He is survived by his son, Kenneth Love, his brother, Charles Smith, his niece Chanel Smith, his partner, Barbara Anderson, and a host of loving aunts, uncles, cousins, family members, colleagues, and friends.
