Shane Montgomery Hires Rusty Wright to Football Coaching Staff
2/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 1, 2005
OXFORD, Ohio -- Miami head football coach Shane Montgomery moved to within one position of completing his coaching staff for the upcoming 2005 campaign, making Rusty Wright his ninth assistant coaching hire since accepting the head coaching job on Dec. 28, 2004. Wright, who comes to Miami after a year as the defensive and special teams coordinator at Butler, will serve as special teams coordinator and also assist on defense.
"Rusty was a good player at Tennessee-Chattanooga while I was there and then worked his way up as an assistant coach, so I'm very familiar with him," Montgomery said. "He has a lot of experience in all facets of special teams and has served as both a special teams and defensive coordinator. Being able to trust him with the special teams gameplan on gamedays will be beneficial to the entire staff and he also gives us another talented defensive coach."
Last season, Wright guided 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, the University of Tennessee at 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.
