Walker Zimmerman’s USMNT journey: How faith and fortitude helped him become America’s best center-back

Nashville SC defender and USMNT member Walker Zimmerman ’15 is set to become the third player in Furman University’s history to compete in a FIFA World Cup later this year in Qatar. Zimmerman, who played on the Men’s Soccer team in 2011 and 2012, was the subject of an ESPN article, which chronicled his road to the World Cup. Sportswriter Dan Hajducky describes Zimmerman’s faith, drive to succeed, and generosity. Earlier this year, Zimmerman and his wife, Sally Tucker Zimmerman ’15, an education alumna who holds a bachelor’s and master’s from Furman, established a scholarship for Men’s Soccer.

Adding to the ranks of Furman players to appear in a FIFA World Cup, Zimmerman, the 2020 and 2021 MLS Defender of the Year, joins Furman Athletics Hall of Famers Ricardo Clark (2010) and Clint Dempsey (2006, 2010, 2014).