Kevin Walters is an Australian rugby league coach and former player. He has been the head coach of the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League since 2021. Walters also coached the Queensland State of Origin team and the French Catalans Dragons in Super League.
Bio/Wiki
Age- 55 years
Height- 1.7 m
Weight- 83 kg
Full name-Kevin David Walters
Born- 20 October 1967
Birthplace- Rockhampton City, Australia
Spouse-Kim Walters (1991–1998), Narelle Bristow
Siblings- Kerrod Walters, Steve Walters
Profession-Australian rugby league coach and former
Nationality- Australian
Dates joined- 2001 (Brisbane Broncos), 1990 (Brisbane Broncos)
Coach Kevin Walters Reveals Brisbane Broncos’ NRL Grand Final Mistakes
Parents
Walters was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1967. He was one of five children to parents Kevin and Sandra, alongside his brothers Brett, Steve, Andrew, and his twin Kerrod. Kevin’s father passed away in 2010, and his mother in 2013.
Wife and Children
In January 1991, Kevin Walters married Kim Alison Facer, and they had three children: Jack, Billy, and Jett. Sadly, Kim passed away from breast cancer in 1998. In her memory, Kevin, along with Dr. Cherrell Hirst, established The Wesley Hospital Kim Walters Choices Program, a free community service in Brisbane offering support to cancer patients. The program was later renamed The Wesley Hospital Choices Cancer Support Centre in 2017, with Kevin continuing his involvement as the Patron.
Kevin Walters married his second wife Narelle Bristow in 2012, and together they have two children, Ava and Harry. Combined with his previous marriage to Kim Alison Facer, Walters has a total of five children, all of whom are involved in playing rugby league.
Education
Walters attended Bremer State High School until he earned a sporting scholarship for Years 11 and 12 at Ipswich Grammar School, where he and his twin brother became school prefects.
Career
Playing Career
Kevin Walters had a remarkable rugby league career. He started with the Booval Swifts club in 1983 and then joined the Ipswich Jets in 1986 with his brothers. In 1987, he moved to the Canberra Raiders, where he played in his first grand final in 1987 and won his first premiership in 1989. Walters made his Queensland Maroons debut in the 1989 State of Origin series.
In 1990, he signed with the Brisbane Broncos and became a key player. He played in the Broncos’ Grand Final victories in 1992 and 1993, as well as in the World Club Challenge win over the Wigan Warriors. He continued his success with the Broncos, winning the Super League Grand Final in 1997 and the NRL Grand Final in 1998. Walters became the team captain after Allan Langer’s retirement and led the Broncos to another premiership in 2000. He briefly played for Warrington Wolves in England in 2001 before returning to the Broncos for his final games.
In recognition of his contributions, Walters was inducted into the Broncos’ Hall of Fame in 2003 and was named one of the club’s top twenty players in 2007.
Coaching Career
After a successful playing career, Kevin Walters transitioned into coaching. He started with the Toowoomba Clydesdale’s and then became an assistant coach for the Brisbane Broncos and the Queensland Maroons. Walters had coaching stints in England with the Catalans Dragons and later returned to Australia to coach with the Melbourne Storm and the Newcastle Knights.
In 2016, he became the head coach of the Queensland Maroons and achieved a mix of victories and losses in the State of Origin series. Walters then took on the role of head coach for the Brisbane Broncos in 2021. Under his coaching, the team showed promising signs, securing key victories in the 2023 season and making it to the NRL Grand Final. Despite a strong start in the final, Brisbane narrowly lost to the Penrith Panthers in a thrilling match, finishing 26-24.
Net Worth 2023
Kevin Walters has devoted much of his life to Australian rugby and has accumulated a substantial net worth, estimated to be around $20 million, through his roles as both a player and a coach.
Kevin Walters’s Latest News
Coach Kevin Walters Reveals Brisbane Broncos’ NRL Grand Final Mistakes
Brisbane coach Kevin Walters is really upset about losing the grand final to Penrith. Even though they had a lead, they lost it and couldn’t recover. Walters believes his team needs to play well for the entire game to win championships. He’s proud of how far the Broncos have come under his coaching, but not winning the premiership this year disappoints him.
Walters and Broncos captain Adam Reynolds disagree with the idea that you have to lose a grand final to win one. They point out that the Panthers, who beat them, learned from their 2020 loss and went on to win three titles.
The Broncos made mistakes in the game, especially in the beginning and towards the end. Penrith’s good performance in the final minutes made the difference. Walters and Reynolds think they need to improve their starts and finishes to win in the future. Despite the heartbreak, they plan to use this loss as motivation for the next season in 2024.
