Comments from former players:

“I really appreciate all the pre-game, halftime and post-game speeches you gave us. I think motivation is a big part of the game and there was nothing more motiviating than one of your speeches. I can’t get the image of you celebrating out of my head. I think it was so shocking to see a coach celebrate just as much as one of the players and it was great.” Adolfo Santos.

“I appreciate the time and effort you put into this program, going from where we were freshman year to play offs two years in a row. I was worried going into college if soccer was going to be part of my experience. looking back on the past four years, I’m glad you provided and environment that aspired me to become a better player. My career isn’t over and playing for you is something I will never forget and dearly miss.” Rhye Kannassatega.

“I want to thank you for the time and energy you put into coaching me. thank you for the incredible progress that this team has made with you as our coach. I will always remember all of the jokes and laughs, as well as the ups and downs of the season.” Davis Diaz.

“That is one thing I will take away and incorporate in my own coaching philosophy, support and belief in the boys.” Shea Harwell.

“I want to thank you for everything you have done for this program and for myself as both a player and a man. Thank you for believing in me so much during my freshman year and giving me such a wonderful experience of playing soccer at the collegiate level. The lessons I have learned through your coaching will help lead me to be a better soccer players and a better man in general. Thank you for everything.” Kevin Hartsough.

“I want to thank you for being such a character because you made me understand how things really work in the soccer world. You have helped me improve my skills and maturity both as a soccer player and as a person. I will never forget you coach.” Gregorio Giorgi.

“I want to thank you for everything you have done for me. The past 4 years have truly been a journey for both of us. You always believed in me. Since day one when I was the only one that completed the Cooper Test you saw something in me that no one else had ever taken the time to look at. I became a soccer player that day. Prior to college soccer I was probably one of the weaker players on my teams, but you made me believe in myself and you gave me the tools necessary to be the best player I could possibly be. After three years of being the captain, I honestly believe that I grew tremendously as a player and a person as well. And for that, I want to thank you with the utmost regards.” DJ Covarrubias.

“Coach Walmsley is not the typical soccer coach. His style of coaching was nothing like I had ever seen. Playing under Coach Walmsley was an incredible experience and through him I became a better man and soccer player. Without coach we would never have made it where we did, he was our inspiration to want something bigger than ourselves and our mentor that brought us all together to achieve the goals of the past two seasons. However Coach not only could coach us on the field but he also was able to bring us together as a team. Coach not only mentored us for soccer but also life lessons. Overall Coach Walmsley brought about the drastic change that Whittier College men’s soccer has seen these past years.” Ian Cromwell

“I want to thank you first for recruiting me. You helped give me a new perspective on how to view, play and coach soccer through strategy, preparation and logic. I want to say that it meant a lot to me when you talked to me after my grandpa had passed. It really meant a lot thank you.” George Montalvo.

“My favorite memory about you is probably those practices when you helped out with some of the drills and kept complimenting yourself like crazy about how amazing your passes and through balls were! I honestly learned more from you this season than I ever have with all the other teams and coaches I have had in the past.” Matt Rojas.

“You made a huge impact on me personally and I loved every day working with you. In practice I always felt I could give you my opinion and it would be well respected. I told you when you announced you were leaving that you were one of the best coaches I had and that was 100% the truth and I thank you for believing in my ability. Seeing your passion for the team and the game as well as the delight at the wins, it really made me realize that I well and truly made the right decision to join you.” Francis Maxwell

“Wammy provided me with a strong starting block to allow me to continue in a positive way throughout my career and excel myself as a soccer player. Due to his commitment he managed to turn around the soccer program increasing our potential every year.” Jamie Manning.

“I just wanted to thank you for everything you have done for the Whittier soccer program. You have taken a program, and a team, from the absolute depths of despair and turned it into something quite special. Through your hard work in recruiting to your inspirational team talks (I always loved being in the locker room & hearing what you had to say), you have made us old timers very proud of ‘our’ team.

Your whole approach has brought stability, dedication, intelligence, hard work, and exciting/never say die football…nothing short of a miracle. I’ll never forget that tough first season to those amazing nights up in the canyon…you gave those players the belief to go beyond their own abilities, and that is the sign of a great coach.

I know the lads will be as sad as I am about your departure.

I don’t want to get too teary eyed, or sound like a massive pounce, but I will always be sad that you weren’t the coach when I played for Whittier!”

“Thanks for everything coach- it was all down to you.”

“It’s almost been a week and I still can’t believe our season is over. I want to thank you for all the time and work you put in. It wasn’t easy at the age of 25 but it was worth every second to come back and play for you.”

“Great practices, well organized.”

“Coach is honest with every player. Everyone knows their role.”

“Coach takes his time to make us understand.”

“Makes soccer enjoyable even if we are doing conditioning.”

“It was a great season playing for Paul and I would like to thank him for all his hardwork.”

“Coach did a wonderful job considering the state of the team at the beginning of the season.”

“Was a great coach to play for and best of all he kept the team honest and motivated.”

“Everyone showed up to practice everyday. Huge improvement.”

“Awesome coach, knows what he is talking about and he is honest.”

“Practice was organized well and it was fun going.”

“Coach knows the game of soccer and promotes a good learning environment.”

“Practices were difficult yet fun.”

“This year was a lot of fun and the coach was great. One of the best I have ever had.”

“These practices were the most organized I have ever attended.”

“The coach was one of the best I’ve had.”

“The team and the coach made this season great.”

Other comments from parents and players:

“Paul is amazing, he can get a group of three to five year old children to listen, obey, have fun and learn soccer skills. Paul never just instructs- he shows, practices and models. More importantly he models how much fun soccer is.”

“As I sit among the parents. I hear only positive comments about Paul and his ways with the children – and about his ways with the parents.”

-Sheila Smith, Vacaville, CA.

“He’s excellent, he is teaching skills to Jeff that I’ve never seen from any coach before.”

“I am really impressed with him as an adult. I enjoy sitting there and watching him teach the children. He’s very gentle with them, but he’s still firm, he gets involved, he doesn’t just point a finger.”

-Patti Pavlik, Travis Air Force Base.

“He’s a good instructor. It’s fun. He teaches us how to pass the ball, we play scrimmages, practice all kinds of turns like cuts and hooks.

“We talk, he lets us know what we’re doing wrong and what we do right.”

-Brandy Gamble, Fairfield CA

“Paul has an impressive athletic background and an excellent knowlege of the sport he coaches.”

“Paul has been an inspiration to our student athletes in a sense of the leadership values that he incorporates.”

“Paul takes pride in his endeavors with the student athletes and as a result helps to make these team members better students, athletes and citizens.”

-Marv Christopher, Athletic Director, California State University Maritime Academy, Vallejo, CA