DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle Athletic Department is mourning the loss of former track and field student-athlete Howard Walls. Walls passed away after succumbing to injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday.
 
 Walls competed for ERAU's track and field team from 2005-10. In his freshman campaign, Walls became the first ERAU Men's Track and Field student-athlete to earn All-America honors with his fifth-place finish in the 60m hurdles at the NAIA Indoor National Championships. He repeated as an All-American in that event in 2008 and 2009, setting the ERAU record of 8.08 in a third-place finish in his senior year.
 
Walls also achieved All-America status in the 110m hurdles after finishing fifth at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships in 2010. He set a school record in the 110m hurdles of 14.11 in 2008 and that mark still stands as an Embry-Riddle best.
 
After exhausting his eligibility, Walls remained involved with the ERAU Track & Field program as a graduate assistant coach, working primarily with the hurdlers. He helped Breanna Goring, Alex Dori and Crystal Bardge hit national championship qualifying marks, and played a role in Bardge winning national titles in both the indoor 60m hurdles and the 100m outdoor hurdles.
 
"We all knew 'H-Dub' as a lovable, fun-loving, hard-working, dedicated friend and teammate," ERAU Head Track & Field Coach Mike Rosolino said. "I could write a book about all that Howard has meant to me and to the program. He was one of the fathers of our program and the very first All-American in our track and field program's history.  He raised our program and everyone around him to a new level. We will certainly miss Howard and his smile.  I have never known anyone who had a negative thing to say about 'H-Dub'.  He will always be remembered in our program. 
 
"Whenever Howard would enter into a team meeting, we would all stand up and applaud after announcing. 'Howard Walls, All-American.' Yesterday, as a team, we ended our meet by recognizing him with a round of applause after the standard, 'Howard Walls, All-American.'"
 
Originally from Augusta, Georgia, Walls earned his undergraduate degree in Aeronautical Science in 2010 and completed his masters degree in Aviation in 2012. He was the Director of Quality, Compliance and Safety-Stations at Allegiant Airlines at the time of his passing.