Tim Walz relishes his high school coaching days as he accepts the vice president’s endorsement

CHICAGO – Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) drew heavily on his experience as a teacher, football coach and former member of the U.S. Army National Guard during his prime-time speech Wednesday night to accept the Democratic vice presidential nomination .

Walz, who was a high school football coach, made multiple sports references and puns throughout his speech and was frequently met with “Coach Walz” chants. Delegates on the convention floor waved “Coach Walz” signs, and his former players, wearing their jerseys, took the stage as well.

“Look, I’ve coached high school football long enough to know, trust me on this, when somebody takes the time to put together a playbook, they’re going to use it,” Walz said, referring to Project 2025, an agenda created by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

But he emphasized his family during his speech, recounting his and his wife’s struggles with infertility and calling his family “his whole world.”

“It took Gwen and me years, but we had access to fertility treatments and when our daughter was born we named her Hope. Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my whole world and I love you,” Walz said.

Walz’s son Gus could be seen crying and yelling, “That’s my dad,” during his father’s remarks.

Walz has been embroiled in controversy in recent days after his wife, Gwen, released a statement detailing their use of IUI. Walz said in March that he and his wife used a procedure known as in vitro fertilization when they were struggling to have children.

Walz took jabs at former President Donald Trump several times during his speech.

“You know, when I was teaching every year, we elected a student body president. And you know what, those teenagers can teach Donald Trump a lot,” Walz said.

Walz was nominated by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ben Ingman, a former student and next-door neighbor of the Minnesota governor.

Since being named Vice President Kamala Harris’ No. 2, Walz’s time in the Army National Guard has come under scrutiny. Walz’s Republican rival, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), accused the Democratic vice presidential nominee of lying about his military record and abandoning his unit before it was deployed to Iraq when he withdrew to run for Congress.

“Kamala Harris, she gets very angry when I bring up her running mate’s stolen courage, but let me tell you why it’s important for every person here to understand why this matters,” Vance said during a stop campaign. “Here’s the record on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. He quit the military and allowed his unit to go to Iraq without him. He knew they were going to Iraq. He lied about it, but he knew they were going to Iraq.”

Despite the controversy, in his remarks, Walz touted his military service, saying he joined when he was 17 and “proudly wore our nation’s uniform for 24 years.”

Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard before retiring in 2005, just months before his unit was ordered to deploy to Iraq. Republicans accused him of abandoning his unit, and several members of his unit publicly expressed their resentment that Walz withdrew when he did.

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Controversy also circulated about the rank Walz held when he retired, as Walz and his allies inaccurately claimed he retired as command sergeant major. Walz held the rank of command sergeant major before retiring. However, he did not meet the necessary requirements for the position and was reverted to sergeant major for benefit purposes upon his departure.

Harris’ campaign website once described Walz as a “retiree command sergeant major,” but has since been updated. In a video released Wednesday to introduce her husband, Gwen Walz recounted his military service, saying he “served 24 years in the National Guard, rising to the rank of sergeant major.”