He cringes just thinking about it.

A coach screaming at his team, blood trickling down his nose from slamming his head into his players’ helmets to motivate them.

Fifth-year Northwestern coach Randy Walker uses a raspy voice to imitate Bill Mallory, his coach at Miami (Ohio). In the next breath, he acts out stories he’s heard about the beatings handed out by former Ohio State coach Woody Hayes.

Walker shakes his head and chuckles, reflecting on what his mentors put their players through.

Those days were easy compared with what Walker and his team faced the past two seasons: dealing with the death of a player and the aftermath of the tragedy.

“For all of us for a long time the last thing you thought about was football,” Walker said. “I wasn’t the same coach in 2001 and 2002 as I was the 26 years before. That is not what this team needed.”

But now Walker is back telling stories, jumping around like a kid.

As he sits around recounting his glory days to reporters, it’s plain to see that football brings a smile to his face again.

The NU coach will have another day to tell his stories. Despite critics pointing to two straight losing seasons and questions about his role in Wheeler’s death, NU administrators have said they support the coach, who has two years remaining on his contract and is set to receive a $500,000 bonus on Dec. 1.

University President Henry Bienen said he places no responsibility on Walker for the death of Rashidi Wheeler.

“Firing Walker was in the head of newspaper writers and a few alums; it never crossed my mind that Walker would not be here next year,” Bienen said. “I like Walker, and I think he’s a good person and that matters to me.”

A new sheriff in town

Don’t let the good ol’ country boy act fool you.

When players are messing around, they are being “Chuckles the Clown” in Walker speak. Instead of saying he wasn’t born yesterday, he says, “I’m not Johnny falling off the pickle boat.”

He often claims he’s not a bright guy —