William “Bucky” Walters was an outstanding basketball coach and master motivator. He coached Wauwatosa High School to three consecutive conference championships, five consecutive sectional titles, and five consecutive state championship appearances, including one championship. Walters’ time as head coach is known as the “tournament years.” His most impressive feat was leading his ’48-’49 team on a 39-game win streak, setting a state record. That team is still considered to be among the best high school teams to ever play in Wisconsin. Walters won 235 games as head coach of Tosa High and had only one losing season. He knew how to motivate his players and kept them succeeding on the court by making sure they were succeeding in life. Walters also was considered an innovator of style, coaching his team to be in control for the entire game. In addition to coaching basketball, Walters taught manual woodworking at Tosa East, and his students made backboards for any young boy aspiring to one day become a member of the varsity team. Walters’ coaching methods led his players to success both on the court and in life.
