Hampton Assistant Football Coach John Wright (D-1AA) and Kentucky State Assistant Wesley McGriff (D2) have been selected Assistant Coaches of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). The honor earned a $5,000 academic scholarship for each school.
"This is a great honor, knowing that you were picked by your peers," stated Wright.
The award is part of a $165,000 scholarship program that was created by the AFCA in 1997. Along with Wright and McGriff, three other Assistant Coach of the Year winners will receive $5,000 from the Association. The rest of the scholarship money will be broken down as follows:
"One of the primary goals of the AFCA has always been to preserve and protect the game of football," AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff said. "Our Board of Trustees views this scholarship program as another way to achieve that goal and assist a number of schools at several levels of college football. The success and recognition of these coaches has opened the door for their athletic departments to receive these scholarships."
Wright is Hampton's second winner of this award. Last season, Defensive Coordinator Alonzo Lee won the award. During the past two seasons, the Pirates have compiled an impressive 19-5 (.791%) record, which includes two MEAC titles, two trips to the NCAA Division I-AA national playoffs and finished in the top 10 each season in the final Division I-AA polls. The Pirates were 10-2 (7-0 MEAC) in 1997 and 9-3 (7-1 MEAC) last season.
"Grant Teaff has done a great job as a visionary in terms of what the profession of coaching football needs. It is also tremendous that he realizes that it is important to recognize the assistant coaches," concluded Wright.
