| Walt Criner | |
| Death Date: | (aged 84) |
| Death Place: | Gardnerville, Nevada, U.S. |
| Player Sport1: | Football |
| Player Years2: | 1958 |
| Player Team2: | Pepperdine |
| Player Sport3: | Baseball |
| Player Years4: | 1957–1959 |
| Player Team4: | Pepperdine |
| Player Positions: | Quarterback (football) |
| Coach Sport1: | Football |
| Coach Years2: | 1970–1973 |
| Coach Team2: | Coachella Valley HS (CA) |
| Coach Years3: | 1974–1979 |
| Coach Team3: | Desert (assistant) |
| Coach Years4: | 1980–1982 |
| Coach Team4: | Cal Poly Pomona (OL) |
| Coach Years5: | 1983–1986 |
| Coach Team5: | Snow |
| Coach Years6: | 1987–1988 |
| Coach Team6: | Idaho State (AHC/OL) |
| Coach Years7: | 1989 |
| Coach Team7: | Indio HS (CA) |
| Coach Years8: | 1990–1991 |
| Coach Team8: | Coachella Valley HS (CA) |
| Coach Years9: | 1992–1995 |
| Coach Team9: | Arizona Western |
| Coach Sport10: | Baseball |
| Coach Years11: | 1960–1971 |
| Coach Team11: | Coachella Valley HS (CA) |
| Coach Years12: | 1978–1980 |
| Coach Team12: | Coachella Valley HS (CA) |
| Coach Years13: | 2000–2002 |
| Coach Team13: | Coachella Valley HS (CA) |
| Overall Record: | 37–43 (junior college football) |
| Bowl Record: | 1–0 (junior college) |
| Championships: | Football 1 NJCAA National (1985) 1 ICAC (1983) 1 WSFL (1985) |
Walt Criner (– June 15, 2023) was an American football and baseball coach. He served as head football coach at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah from 1983 to 1986 and Arizona Western College in Yuma, Arizona from 1992 to 1995, compiling a career junior college football head coaching record of 37–43. He led Snow to a NJCAA National Football Championship in 1985.
Criner graduated from Coachella Valley High School in Thermal, California. His brother, Jim, also became a football coach. After playing college football and college baseball at Pepperdine University, Criner returned to Coachella Valley High School, where he coached football and baseball and taught for 21 years.[1] In 1974, he joined the football coach staff at the College of the Desert (COD) in Palm Desert, California as offensive backfield coach under head coach Bill Reeske.[2] Criner continued to coach baseball at Coachella Valley while working as a football assistant at COD. He also coached basketball at Coachella Valley early in his tenure as the school. In 1980, he left Coachella Valley to become an assistant football coach at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona under head football coach Roman Gabriel.[3] [4]
Criner succeeded Bill Kelly as head football coach at Snow in 1983.[5] After leading his teams to a record of 26–16 in four seasons, he resigned from his post at Snow in early 1987 to become the assistant head football coach and offensive line coach at Idaho State University.[6] Criner spent two years at Idaho State and then was the head football coach at Indio High School, in Indio, California, in 1989, leading the Rajahs to a record of 6–5. He returned again to Coachella Valley High School as head football coach in 1990.[7]
Criner died on June 15, 2023, at his home in Gardnerville, Nevada.[8]