Apollo Wright

Last updated

Apollo Wright
Current position
Title Offensive coordinator
Team Morgan State
Playing career
1994–1997 Cheyney
Position(s) Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1998 La Salle (assisant DB)
1999 Wagner (GA)
1999–2000La Salle (Co-ST/DB)
2001–2003 Villanova (RB)
2004–2006Villanova (ST/RB)
2007–2009 FIU (ST/CB)
2009–2011FIU (ST/RB)
2012FIU (RB)
2013–2014 New Mexico (RB)
2015New Mexico (ST/RB)
2016–2019New Mexico (ST/QB)
2022–2023 Fernandina Beach HS (FL)
2024–present Morgan State (OC)

Apollo Wright is an American football coach and former player. He is offensive coordinator for Morgan State University. He was previously the Special teams coordinator and Quarterback coach at the University of New Mexico and Florida International University. He has been a special teams coach for the majority of his career while coaching at the FCS and FBS levels of college football.

Contents

Coaching career

After Wright's playing career ended, he was the assistant defensive backs coach at La Salle in 1998. [1]

He spent the spring of 1999 as graduate assistant at Wagner, before re-joining the La Salle staff as a full-time assistant coaching the defensive backs and assisting with special teams for the 1999 and 2000 seasons. [2]

He then moved on to Villanova from 2001 to 2006. He was the running back coach all six seasons and added special teams coordinator to his titles for the last three seasons. [2]

From 2007 through 2012, Wright was at Florida International. From 2007 to 2009, he coordinated the special teams and coaching the cornerbacks. In 2009, he moved to the offensive side of the ball, coaching the running backs while still coordinating the special teams from 2009 to 2011. In 2012 he coached to running backs but was no longer the special teams coordinator. [2]

In 2013, Apollo Wright joined the staff at New Mexico as running backs coach. He held the same responsibilities in 2014. Prior to the 2015 season, Wright was made the special teams coordinator. The next year, Wright moved in to his current role as special teams coordinator and quarterbacks coach. [2]

Following the 2019 season, New Mexico Head Coach Bob Davie was fired, and Wright was not retained as a part of new head coach Marcus Arroyo's new staff.

In March 2022, Wright was named the head coach at Fernandina Beach High School in Florida. [3]

In 2024, Wright was hired as the offensive coordinator for Morgan State. [4]

Playing career

Apollo Wright played quarterback at Cheyney University from 1994 to 1997, starting for two years. [2]

Personal life

He and his wife, Melanie, have three sons. They have twins, Jayden and Michael, and the third son's name is Mason. [2]

In his two years out of coaching, 2020–2021, Wright published the Amelia/Yulee Neighbors magazine and served on the board of directors of the Nassau County, Florida Chamber of Commerce. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Stockstill</span> American football player and coach (born 1957)

Richard Wilson Stockstill is an American college football coach who is an analyst at Florida State, his alma mater. He was the head coach at Middle Tennessee from 2006 to 2023. Stockstill was a Florida State quarterback under coach Bobby Bowden from 1977 to 1981. On December 12, 2005, Stockstill was hired as the 14th head coach of the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.

Darrell Ray Dickey is an American football coach

Darian Hagan is an American former professional football player in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football as a quarterback for the Colorado Buffaloes, earning national player of the year and All-American honors in 1989. After his playing career from 2005 to 2022, Hagan was an assistant coach for his alma mater, the University of Colorado Boulder.

Matt Simon is an American football coach and former player. He is currently a Defensive and Special Teams Analyst with the University of Maryland Terrapins. Prior to arriving at UMD, Simon was the offensive coordinator for the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football program, from 2017 to 2019. Simon has previously coached in the collegiate ranks,most notably as head coach at the University of North Texas from 1994 to 1997. Simon is one of only ten football coaches to win both an NCAA Division I-A/FBS national championship and a Super Bowl.

Eric Studesville is an American football coach who is the associate head coach and running backs coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Studesville is known as the former run game coordinator for the Buffalo Bills and interim head coach of the Denver Broncos, a position he held for four weeks in December 2010. He replaced Josh McDaniels after 12 games in the 2010 NFL season, after which he resumed his primary role as running backs coach under head coaches John Fox, Gary Kubiak, and Vance Joseph from 2011–2017. He was the first African American head coach in Broncos history, albeit on an interim basis. Studesville has been to the Super Bowl twice, both as a member of the Broncos personnel, losing in 2014 and winning in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team</span> American college football season

The 2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by head football coach Phillip Fulmer in his 16th and final season as head coach. The Vols played their home games in Neyland Stadium and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The 2008 campaign followed a 10–4 2007 season, which saw the Vols win the Eastern Division of the conference and the Outback Bowl. This season marked the ten year anniversary of Tennessee's 1998 BCS National Championship. On November 3, Fulmer announced that, after winning some 150 games over his career, he would step down from coaching his alma mater at the end of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Locksley</span> American football player and coach (born 1969)

Michael Anthony Locksley is an American football coach. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Maryland, a position he has held since 2019.

In American football the air raid offense refers to an offensive scheme popularized by such coaches as Hal Mumme, Mike Leach, Sonny Dykes, and Tony Franklin during their respective tenures at Iowa Wesleyan University, Valdosta State, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Louisiana Tech, and Washington State.

John Donovan is an American football coach who currently is the senior offensive analyst for the Florida Gators. He most recently the senior analyst for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He has been an assistant in the NFL and in four of the Power Five college football conferences. He was a defensive back at Johns Hopkins from 1993 to 1996.

George Robert Godsey is an American football coach and former player who is the tight ends coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and New England Patriots, and as the co-offensive coordinator and sole offensive coordinator for the Dolphins and Texans, respectively.

Gary Lamar Harrell, affectionately known as "The Flea," is an American college football coach and former professional gridiron football player. He is currently the assistant head coach and running backs coach at the University of Colorado Boulder. Harrell was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL), World League of American Football (WLAF) and Canadian Football League (CFL) for three seasons during the 1990s. Harrell served two stints as the head football coach at Howard University in Washington, D.C. from 2011 to 2012 and 2014 to 2016, with a leave of absence in 2013. He joined the coaching staff at Alabama State University in January 2019, after a two-year stint under Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic University.

Sherwood Press Taylor is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served an assistant coach for the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Roper</span> American football player and coach (born 1972)

Kurt Roper is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the quarterbacks backs coach at North Carolina State University. Roper was the interim head football coach at University of Colorado Boulder for the final game of the 2018 season. He previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of South Carolina for two seasons. He also served as the offensive coordinator at the University of Florida in 2014 and Duke University for six seasons prior to that. A native of Ames, Iowa, he was starting quarterback for Ardmore (OK) High School, where he led the Tigers to a 1990 state championship. Roper earned three varsity letters as a quarterback and defensive back at Rice before graduating in 1995. He earned a master's degree from the University of Tennessee in 1998. His coaching career has been much associated with that of David Cutcliffe.

Tyson Helton is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current head coach of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. He played college football at Houston from 1996 to 1999. He previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tennessee (2018), quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at USC (2016–2017), offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky (2014–2015), and as an assistant at Cincinnati, UAB, Memphis, and Hawaii.

Ryan Held is an American football coach. He is the head football coach for the University of Nebraska at Kearney, a position he has held since 2023. He was previously the running backs coach at University of Nebraska–Lincoln and was hired in that role in December 2017, after serving in that same position at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida since 2016. Prior to that, he had served as the head coach at Peru State as well as several college and teams in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Brian Wright is an American college football coach and former player. He became the head football coach for Northern Arizona University in 2024. He was the head football coach at Pittsburg State University from 2020 to 2023. He was the interim head football coach for Florida Atlantic University in 2013. He also coached for Wooster, Walsh, Youngstown State, Montana State, Florida Atlantic, and Toledo. He played college football for Wooster as wide receiver.

Zac Roper is an American football coach. He is currently the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Florida International University, and was previously the offensive coordinator at Duke University. Prior to this, Roper had spent the majority of his career as a special teams coordinator. He worked with staffs at Ole Miss, Oklahoma, and Cornell before joining the Duke staff for the 2008 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Streeter</span> American football player and coach (born 1977)

Brandon Streeter is an American football coach and former player who is an offensive analyst at the University of Georgia. He previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Clemson University. He had previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Richmond, Liberty University and Charleston Southern University.

Tim Polasek is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at North Dakota State University. Prior to becoming the 32nd Head Coach in program history at NDSU, he served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for 3 seasons (2021,2022,2023) at the University of Wyoming under former Bison head coach, Craig Bohl. He also served as the offensive coordinator at North Dakota State University in Fargo for three seasons from 2014-2016 where he helped the Bison to two consecutive NCAA Division I Football Championships in addition to winning two more National Championships as a position coach (2011,2012) He spent the 2013 season coaching Tight ends and fullbacks at Northern Illinois before returning to NDSU for the 2014 season. The 2024 season will be his 11th season (total) on staff for the Bison and his third stint in Fargo

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Spurrier Jr.</span> American football coach (born 1971)

Steve Spurrier Jr. is an American football coach. He is the associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and running backs coach at the University of Tulsa, a position he has held since 2024. He previously served as the wide receivers coach at Mississippi State University from 2020 to 2022.

References

  1. "Apollo Wright". FIUSports.com. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Apollo Wright". golobos.com. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Freeman, Clayton (March 3, 2022). "Fernandina Beach names Apollo Wright as head football coach for 2022 season". jacksonville.com. The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  4. "Bears hire Apollo Wright as new offensive coordinator". Morgan State University Athletics. Retrieved April 4, 2024.