By Sean Griffin on SwimSwam
Olympic champion and world record holder David Walters is one of two firefighters set to receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the upcoming ESPY Awards for his response to the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires that struck Greater Los Angeles earlier this year.
“It’s a true privilege to recognize these inspiring individuals – a courageous NBA legend, an NCAA National Champion while battling cancer, and two elite athletes representing the service of Los Angeles first responders,” said a statement from Craig Lazarus, ESPN Vice President. “Oscar Robertson, Katie Schumacher-Cawley, David Walters, and Erin Regan have shown incredible resilience, determination, and perseverance in their personal and professional lives. We are thrilled to honor and celebrate them at The 2025 ESPYS.”
“Both Walters and Regan chose the path of public service, with Regan serving the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Walters serving the Los Angeles City Fire Department. In early 2025, Southern California faced devastating wildfires, with over 7,500 emergency personnel, including Walters and Regan, mobilized to combat the blaze. Both honorees were on the front lines battling extreme winds and fire behavior while tragically losing colleagues and working tirelessly to defend their city in one of the most devastating fires in Los Angeles history,” ESPN added in its press release.
The Pat Tillman Award is given annually to individuals with strong connections to sports who have served others in a way that echoes the legacy of the former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger.
Before joining the LAFD nearly a decade ago, Walters had a storied swimming career. He won Olympic gold as part of the men’s 4×200m freestyle relay team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he clocked a lead-off leg of 1:46.57 in preliminaries before being substituted out for the final. Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens, and Peter Vanderkaay swam to gold and a new world record in the final.
Walters earned six medals at the World Championships over the course of his career: four gold, one silver, and one bronze, all in relay events. At the 2009 World Championships in Rome, he helped Team USA break two world records.
In the 4×200m freestyle relay, Walters teamed up with Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Ricky Berens. Swimming the third leg in 1:45.47, he helped the squad edge the world record set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by one one-hundredth of a second.
He also anchored the U.S. men’s 4×100m medley relay alongside Aaron Piersol, Eric Shanteau, and Phelps, closing in 46.80. The team shattered the existing world record by two full seconds. That mark stood for over a decade until the U.S. quartet of Ryan Murphy, Michael Andrew, Caeleb Dressel, and Zach Apple broke it by half a second to win gold at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
Walters also set an American record in the 100 freestyle with a time of 47.33, finishing fifth in the final at the 2009 World Championships. His mark stood until 2017, when Dressel broke it by logging 47.26 while leading off Team USA’s gold-medal 4×100 freestyle relay at the World Championships in Budapest.
Collegiately, Walters competed for the University of Texas for four years and helped the Longhorns capture the NCAA team title in 2010. He retired from the sport after narrowly missing a second Olympic team in 2012, placing 10th in the 100 freestyle (49.34) and 16th in the 200 (1:49.71) at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
The ESPYs are the most significant sports award show in the United States, hosted by ESPN, and give awards from across sports and categories. The ceremony will air live from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 16, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and will stream live on ESPN+.
Other recipients of notable awards this year include NBA legend Oscar Robertson, who will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, and Pennsylvania State University women’s volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, who will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.
Walters may not be the only swimmer to take the stage, as Virginia star Gretchen Walsh is nominated for the Best Collegiate Athlete Award. The last swimmer to win the award was Missy Franklin in 2015, and the last swimmer nominated for the award was Katie Ledecky in 2018.
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