Sports have always come naturally for Walter Thurmond. He was a two-sport star in football and track at West Covina High School in Los Angeles, and was on the radar of college recruiters for much of his youth. But from an early age, he knew that he wanted more in life than to simply be known for the athletic gifts with which he was born.
When Thurmond tore three ligaments in his knee during his senior year at Oregon, he was rudely reminded of how fleeting his career as a professional athlete could be. It was that injury that pushed him to start thinking about his career once he hung up his cleats.