NFL player Kevin Walter was standout at Libertyville H.S.
• The following is part of an ongoing series of articles in celebration of Libertyville High School's 100th anniversary.
Kevin Walter, an 11-year NFL receiver, came to Libertyville High School as a freshman in the fall of 1995, spending his pre-high school years at Hawthorn Middle School. He came into LHS with a reputation as a very skilled position player for the Libertyville Boys Club Lightweight Traveling team.
Before high school, Kevin had tried numerous sports, specifically soccer and baseball in addition to football. He was very involved with skateboarding and snowboarding competitions, being sponsored by a local skate shop. In addition to his football in high school, he did two years of track.
In Kevin's senior year, his team went 9-0 through the regular season. After a blowout win in the first playoff round they met Naperville North in the second round and lost in overtime to the eventual semifinalist. Although LHS had a future NFL player, Naperville had two: running back Chris Brown and defensive back Glenn Earl, both future NFL teammates of Kevin. Kevin finished his senior year with 48 receptions for 801 yards and six touchdowns. He was selected to the All-State First Team.
His next step was to Eastern Michigan University. Although not an NFL factory, Kevin felt good about EMU since he could play right away. EMU never made a bowl game, but Kevin shined on the field. He set career records with 211 receptions for 2,838 yards and 20 touchdowns. He set single season records his senior year with 93 receptions and 1,368 yards. He was named to the All-MAC team. He majored in communications, minored in marketing, and met his future wife Caroline.
He was drafted in the seventh round by the New York Giants. The Cincinnati Bengals picked him up at the end of training camp. He played three years for the Bengals (2003-05), mostly as a special-teams player and backup receiver.
The Houston Texans signed Kevin as a free agent for 2006. He played seven years for the Texans. His best year was 2008 catching 60 passes for 899 yards and eight touchdowns. For his NFL career, Kevin had 356 receptions for 4,379 yards and 25 touchdowns.
After signing with the Tennessee Titans for the 2013 season, Kevin had to retire due to back issues. He is currently living in Houston with Caroline and their three children. He is involved with several business ventures in the Houston area.