Bennett and Walker Announced as 2026 Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Inductees

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia men’s basketball legends Tony Bennett and Wally Walker will be inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame as part of the 2026 Class, the organization announced Wednesday (Dec. 10).

Bennett posted a 364-136 record in 15 seasons at Virginia from 2009-24, guiding the Cavaliers to the 2019 NCAA Championship, two ACC Tournament titles, six ACC regular-season championships and 10 NCAA tournament appearances. Bennett was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019.

The three-time National Coach of the Year amassed a 433-169 overall record in 18 seasons, including a 69-33 mark and a pair of NCAA tournament appearances at Washington State from 2007-09.

Walker led Virginia to its first ACC Tournament championship and first NCAA Tournament berth in 1976. He is one of two Cavaliers to receive the Everett Case Award as the ACC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player, following Virginia’s upset of three nationally-ranked teams en route to the ACC title. Walker scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the 1976 ACC Tournament championship game against North Carolina.

Walker’s scoring average of 22.1 points during the 1975-76 season ranks as the sixth best in UVA history and his 1,849 career points rank seventh on the all-time Cavalier list. Portland selected Walker fifth overall in the 1976 NBA Draft. Walker helped the Trail Blazers (1977) and Seattle SuperSonics (1979) to NBA championships. He currently serves as a deputy athletics director at UVA.

Terry Driscoll, Grant Hill, Roland Lazenby, Kristi Tolliver, Michael Vick and Boo Williams and  join Bennett and Walker as 2026 Virginia Sports Hall of Fame inductees.

The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame will induct its 2026 Class on Saturday, April 25 at the Hilton Richmond Short Pump at 7 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets here.