Horry For 3!
01-22-2007, 05:30 PM
http://txstatebobcats.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/012207aac.html
Alum, assistant head coach to lead program
Jan. 22, 2007
SAN MARCOS - Another chapter which chronicles Brad Wright's association with Texas State University began Monday as he was introduced as the Bobcats' 15th head football coach.
Wright has been a member of Texas State's coaching staff for the past three seasons. He was lured away from a successful high school coaching career to become the Bobcats' assistant head coach, running backs coach and special teams' coordinator when David Bailiff was named Texas State's head coach in 2004. Wright fills the vacancy left when Bailiff was named the head coach at Rice University.
The 47-year old native of Pearsall has played a significant role in the resurgence of Texas State's football program. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Texas State had suffered 15 losing seasons in 19 years of playing football as a member of NCAA Division I's Football Championship Subdivision. But during the past three seasons, Texas State has posted a combined 21-15 record. The Bobcats won their first ever Southland Conference championship in 2005 and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division I football playoffs.
Wright's association with winning football at Texas State dates back to the late 1970s when he walked on to the Bobcat football program and went on to have a career in which he played on both sides of the ball for legendary coaches Billy Miller and Jim Wacker. His coaching career began as a student assistant coach for Wacker's 1981 NCAA Division II national championship team.
After a stint as a graduate assistant at Louisiana-Lafayette and moves up the ladder in the Texas high school coaching ranks, Wright returned to San Marcos.
He has been a part of a program which has taken off on the field, at the turnstiles and in the community. In addition to the 2005 playoff run, Texas State finished strong last fall, winning four of its last six games including a 28-21 road win at Sam Houston State which knocked the conference rival out of contention for a league title. Texas State set attendance records for the second straight year in 2006, averaging 12,886 fans per game. And the Bobcats have been winners in the community too, taking part in campus projects such as Bobcat Build and serving mentorships at area elementary schools to name just a couple activities.
"When we gathered last week to start our search for a new head coach, we knew we wanted someone who would continue building on that momentum," said Texas State president Dr. Denise Trauth. "We wanted someone who knew how to recruit and coach as well as communicate with fans and faculty and players. We wanted someone who could win while putting his players' academic success first. As we listed the attributes our new coach should have, we realized he was already here."
Larry Teis, Texas State's Director of Athletics, also said it became clear soon after the search began that the best person for the position was already in place.
"After meeting with various players, university administrators and others involved in the athletic department, it became clear to me that continuity and commitment were important," he said. "When I was listing my criteria for a head coach, Brad fit exactly what I was looking for."
Wright has served as an offensive position coach for a unit which has led the Southland Conference in total offense the past two seasons. His running backs last season included sophomore Stan Zwinggi who rushed for 735 yards, third-most in the Southland Conference.
In 2005, Wright's corps of running backs played a major role in the Bobcats being ranked 11th in total offense (439.07 ypg), 15th in rushing yards (228.43 ypg) and eighth in scoring (37.00 ppg) among NCAA Championship Subdivision teams.
Wright has also coached the First-Team All-Southland Conference punter the past three years (Cory Elolf in 2004 and 2005 as well as Chris MacDonald in 2006) in addition to first-team place kicker Stan Jones in 2005.
No other Southland Conference team has won more league games over the past three seasons than Texas State. The Bobcats are 11-6 (.647) during that stretch in the highly competitive league.
Also during the past three seasons, Texas State has had 17 players named First-Team All-Southland Conference while 13 players have been named to the all-conference second-team. In 2006, Texas State led the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision by having five players named to ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams. Texas State also led the way with seven student-athletes being selected for the Capital One All-Southland Conference Academic Team.
Prior to joining the Texas State staff, Wright had spent the previous four seasons as the director of athletics and head football coach at New Braunfels' Canyon High School. He helped turn around a struggling Cougar football program. After two, one-win seasons his first two years at the school, Canyon went 7-2 in 2002 and advanced to the state quarterfinals in 2003, finishing with an 11-2 mark.
Wright also coached at East Bernard, where his squad was an area finalist in 1999 as well as at Karnes City which posted back-to-back third-place district finishes. He was also an assistant coach at El Campo for five years, helping the program to three district titles. Wright's prep coaching experience as an assistant coach also includes stops at Klein Oak and Pearland.
Wright originally walked-on at Texas State as a wide receiver, played a season at running back and then moved to the other side of the ball where he was a defensive leader at free safety and was a member of the Bobcats' 1980 Lone Star Conference championship team.
Wright earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Texas State in 1981. He is married to the former Kim Pesek, a 1996 Texas State alum. They are the parents of a daughter, Paige Elizabeth born in October of 2005.
Alum, assistant head coach to lead program
Jan. 22, 2007
SAN MARCOS - Another chapter which chronicles Brad Wright's association with Texas State University began Monday as he was introduced as the Bobcats' 15th head football coach.
Wright has been a member of Texas State's coaching staff for the past three seasons. He was lured away from a successful high school coaching career to become the Bobcats' assistant head coach, running backs coach and special teams' coordinator when David Bailiff was named Texas State's head coach in 2004. Wright fills the vacancy left when Bailiff was named the head coach at Rice University.
The 47-year old native of Pearsall has played a significant role in the resurgence of Texas State's football program. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Texas State had suffered 15 losing seasons in 19 years of playing football as a member of NCAA Division I's Football Championship Subdivision. But during the past three seasons, Texas State has posted a combined 21-15 record. The Bobcats won their first ever Southland Conference championship in 2005 and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division I football playoffs.
Wright's association with winning football at Texas State dates back to the late 1970s when he walked on to the Bobcat football program and went on to have a career in which he played on both sides of the ball for legendary coaches Billy Miller and Jim Wacker. His coaching career began as a student assistant coach for Wacker's 1981 NCAA Division II national championship team.
After a stint as a graduate assistant at Louisiana-Lafayette and moves up the ladder in the Texas high school coaching ranks, Wright returned to San Marcos.
He has been a part of a program which has taken off on the field, at the turnstiles and in the community. In addition to the 2005 playoff run, Texas State finished strong last fall, winning four of its last six games including a 28-21 road win at Sam Houston State which knocked the conference rival out of contention for a league title. Texas State set attendance records for the second straight year in 2006, averaging 12,886 fans per game. And the Bobcats have been winners in the community too, taking part in campus projects such as Bobcat Build and serving mentorships at area elementary schools to name just a couple activities.
"When we gathered last week to start our search for a new head coach, we knew we wanted someone who would continue building on that momentum," said Texas State president Dr. Denise Trauth. "We wanted someone who knew how to recruit and coach as well as communicate with fans and faculty and players. We wanted someone who could win while putting his players' academic success first. As we listed the attributes our new coach should have, we realized he was already here."
Larry Teis, Texas State's Director of Athletics, also said it became clear soon after the search began that the best person for the position was already in place.
"After meeting with various players, university administrators and others involved in the athletic department, it became clear to me that continuity and commitment were important," he said. "When I was listing my criteria for a head coach, Brad fit exactly what I was looking for."
Wright has served as an offensive position coach for a unit which has led the Southland Conference in total offense the past two seasons. His running backs last season included sophomore Stan Zwinggi who rushed for 735 yards, third-most in the Southland Conference.
In 2005, Wright's corps of running backs played a major role in the Bobcats being ranked 11th in total offense (439.07 ypg), 15th in rushing yards (228.43 ypg) and eighth in scoring (37.00 ppg) among NCAA Championship Subdivision teams.
Wright has also coached the First-Team All-Southland Conference punter the past three years (Cory Elolf in 2004 and 2005 as well as Chris MacDonald in 2006) in addition to first-team place kicker Stan Jones in 2005.
No other Southland Conference team has won more league games over the past three seasons than Texas State. The Bobcats are 11-6 (.647) during that stretch in the highly competitive league.
Also during the past three seasons, Texas State has had 17 players named First-Team All-Southland Conference while 13 players have been named to the all-conference second-team. In 2006, Texas State led the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision by having five players named to ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams. Texas State also led the way with seven student-athletes being selected for the Capital One All-Southland Conference Academic Team.
Prior to joining the Texas State staff, Wright had spent the previous four seasons as the director of athletics and head football coach at New Braunfels' Canyon High School. He helped turn around a struggling Cougar football program. After two, one-win seasons his first two years at the school, Canyon went 7-2 in 2002 and advanced to the state quarterfinals in 2003, finishing with an 11-2 mark.
Wright also coached at East Bernard, where his squad was an area finalist in 1999 as well as at Karnes City which posted back-to-back third-place district finishes. He was also an assistant coach at El Campo for five years, helping the program to three district titles. Wright's prep coaching experience as an assistant coach also includes stops at Klein Oak and Pearland.
Wright originally walked-on at Texas State as a wide receiver, played a season at running back and then moved to the other side of the ball where he was a defensive leader at free safety and was a member of the Bobcats' 1980 Lone Star Conference championship team.
Wright earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Texas State in 1981. He is married to the former Kim Pesek, a 1996 Texas State alum. They are the parents of a daughter, Paige Elizabeth born in October of 2005.