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A former player under Shane Montgomery while at Tennessee-Chattanooga, Rusty Wright enters his fourth season with the Miami football program.
After serving as Miami's special teams coordinator and defensive assistant in 2005 and 2006, Wright now oversees the RedHawks' defensive line.
In 2007, his RedHawk linemen were a primary reason that Miami led the MAC in six different statistical categories, including rushing defense, total defense, scoring defense and quarterback sacks. Joe Coniglio, a senior in 2008, earned third-team all-MAC honors a year ago.
Wright made a solid debut in 2005, helping placekicker Todd Soderquist earn second-team all-MAC honors and first-year punter Jake Richardson come into his own. Under his tutelage, Miami ranked among the MAC's top three in net punting, punt return average and PAT conversions. All of Miami's special teams units, including the return and coverage teams, ranked among the top half of the MAC.
Wright, who has been active in coaching since 1996, came to Miami from NCAA I-AA Butler University. In 2004, Wright directed a Butler defense that allowed its lowest point total since 1998 and reduced its total defense by more than 65.0 yards per game. Wright also oversaw the linebackers for the NCAA I-AA Bulldogs, while mentoring three defensive players who earned all-Pioneer Football Conference North Division honors--two of which earned first-team plaudits. Wright had joined Butler after a year as an assistant coach at Red Bank High School in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The overwhelming majority of Wright's football coaching experience came at his alma mater, UT-Chattanooga, where he served as an assistant coach from 1996 to 2003 and worked alongside Montgomery for five seasons. Wright joined the Mocs prior to the 1996 campaign, coaching the tackles and tight ends along with the field goal unit for two seasons, before advancing to linebacker coach by the 1999 campaign.
Also the head coach of the Mocs' junior varsity squad during his first four seasons, Wright spent his final four seasons at UTC as the special teams coordinator, working with all aspects of the Mocs' special teams and also working with the defensive line.
Wright earned his B.S. in sports administration from UTC in 1996. He was a four-year letterwinner at tight end for the Mocs on the gridiron from 1992-95.
Wright resides in Oxford with his wife, Kelley, and their daughter, Madison.
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