Head Coach Brad Wright 72 Assistant Coaches 74 Support Staff 78

Transcription

1 Head Coach Brad Wright 72 Assistant Coaches 74 Support Staff 78

2 HEAD COACH TEXAS STATE FOOTBALL TEXAS STATE, 1981 BRAD WRIGHT Another chapter which chronicles Brad Wright s association with Texas State University began this spring when he was introduced as the Bobcats 15 th 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 The 48-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 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 Bill 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 road victory 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. 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 11 th in total offense ( ypg), 15 th in rushing yards ( ypg) and eighth in scoring (37.00 ppg) among NCAA championship 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 No other Southland Conference team has won more league games over the past three seasons than Texas State. The Bobcats were 11-6 (.647) over the last three seasons in the highly competitive league. Also during the past three seasons, Texas State had 17 players named First-Team All-Southland Conference while 13 players were named to the all-conference second-team. In 2006, Texas State led the NCAA s Football Championship Subdivision by having five players named to CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI Team. 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 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. He 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 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 Noting Brad Wright Wife: Kim. Daughter: Paige Elizabeth (22 months old when camp opens). Born: July 10, 1959 in Houston. Hometown: Pearsall, Texas. Alma Mater: Texas State (1981). Playing Experience: Texas State running back and defensive back, Prior Coaching Experience : Head Coach, Texas State University : Assistant Head Coach, Texas State University : Head Coach & Athletics Director, New Braunfels Canyon High School 1999: Head Coach, East Bernard High School : Head Coach, Karnes City High School : Assistant Coach, El Campo High School : Graduate Assistant Coach, Louisiana-Lafayette : Assistant Coach, Klein Oak High School 1982: Assistant Coach: Pearland High School (Spring Semester) 72 Texas State Football

3 Down and Distance with Brad Wright What does it mean to be the head coach at Texas State? The most unbelievable thing about this is that I am a Bobcat. I walked on here, I played here. I was fortunate enough to get a little time on the field. This is one of those deals that I never even dreamed of to be head coach. I thought at different points in my career this would be a great place to come back to and be an assistant. It was more than a dream because my dream was just to come back. You touched on two basic philosophies when you were named the head coach at Texas State. Players are going to work hard and they are going to act right? Can you elaborate on what that means for the student-athletes who play for this program? If you apply these two traits to everything you do in life, you will be successful. It s very scary it will definitely give us a good idea of what we ll need to work on to be successful in conference play. Finally, this conference seems to get better every year. How hard was it to complete the Southland Conference s preseason poll? It seems that our conference is on the upswing again after playing a bunch of young guys last year. Team for team, I m not sure that there is a more competitive conference. What has been the biggest differences between previously being the assistant head coach and coaching a position to now your role as the head coach? I ve been able to really get to know the rest of the team. That has been a big plus. Can you touch on the strengths of this year s team heading into the season as well as what this squad will have to focus on to be successful in 2007? With any championship caliber team, our strength will be on the defensive front and at quarterback. To be successful we must stay healthy and catch a few breaks along the way. What are your thoughts of the pre-conference schedule in addition to Big 12 member Baylor, you play a Division II playoff team as well as two teams ranked in the final 2006 FCS poll. Could be it be any tougher? Making an appearance as the head coach of Texas Methodist University, Brad Wright had a speaking role in the critically-acclaimed NBC series Friday Night Lights. Scenes of the episode were filmed in Bobcat Stadium as well as the Texas State University End Zone Complex. Above, Wright rehearses a scene in his office with Kyle Chandler, who plays Dillon Panthers coach Eric Taylor. Also appearing in the scene is Texas State assistant athletic director Derek Grice. Texas State Football 73

4 TRAVIS BUSH ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR QUARTERBACKS TEXAS STATE, 2000 Recruiting Area: San Antonio/South Texas Travis Bush begins his fourth season as a member of the coaching staff at his alma mater, Texas State. With the hiring of Brad Wright as the Bobcats head coach, Bush was promoted to associate head coach and co-offensive coordinator. The past three seasons he coached the Bobcats wide receivers. This season he will be responsible for coaching the team s quarterbacks. During 2005 s Southland Conference championship and national semifinal playoff run, Bush coached one of the league s top receivers, Markee White, who was named to the All-Southland Conference First-Team. White went on to sign a free agent contract with the St. Louis Rams. He also coached All-SLC honorable mention return specialist Dameon Williams. Texas State led the Southland Conference and ranked 11 th nationally in total offense in 2005, averaging yards per game. The `Cats also led the league with a pass efficiency rating. He began his coaching career at San Marcos High School where he tutored the Rattlers quarterbacks, running backs and special teams. San Marcos completed the 2000 campaign with an 11-1 record and an appearance in the state s regional finals. From , Bush was a graduate assistant coach at Texas Christian University, working with the Horned Frogs offensive line. During his three-year tenure, the Frogs made three straight Bowl appearances, captured both Conference USA and Liberty Bowl championships and had a combined record. Bush graduated from TCU in 2003 with a master s degree in education administration. The Portland native graduated from Gregory-Portland High School in 1995 where he was a Class 4A All-State quarterback. He moved on to Texas State University, lettering four seasons as a wide receiver and served as the Bobcats special teams captain in He was also awarded the J.C. Kellam Award in 1999, which honors Texas State s most outstanding senior football student-athlete. Bush graduated from Texas State in 2000 with a bachelor s degree in exercise and sports science and holds teaching certificates in mathematics and physical education. Bush and his wife Diana have two sons, Treyson (six) and Tyler (20 months at the start of camp). BEN NORTON ASSISTANT HEAD COACH CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR OFFENSIVE LINEMEN STEPHEN F. AUSTIN, 1993 Recruiting Area: Northwest Houston/Golden Triangle/ Northern California Junior Colleges Ben Norton begins his first season as the assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator at Texas State. He will also coach the Bobcats offensive linemen. Norton concluded his second season at McNeese State in 2006, helping guide the Cowboys to a Southland Conference championship and an appearance in the NCAA Division I playoffs. During the 2006 season, Norton coached arguably one of the league s top linemen (Brent Poussan) who was the leading vote getter among offensive linemen for the All-Southland Conference team. Norton coached McNeese State s running backs during his first season on the staff. Prior to joining the McNeese State staff, Norton coached six seasons ( ) at Sam Houston State where he served as offensive line coach and was also the team s assistant head coach his last two seasons at the SLC rival school. During his tenure at Sam Houston, the Bearkats captured two Southland Conference championships and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division I playoffs in While at Sam Houston, the Bearkats led the Southland Conference in passing offense four times, total offense three times and scoring twice. Sam Houston State posted a record during Norton s tenure. Norton s first full-time position was a two-year stint as the offensive line coach at Eastern Illinois. Prior to that, the veteran coach served as a graduate assistant coach at Angelo State (1994), Vanderbilt ( ) and LSU (1996). Since 1997, Norton has been the position coach for six NCAA Division I All-Americans as well as 13 players who have received first-team all-conference honors during his coaching tenure. The Vidor native was a four-year letterman as a lineman at Stephen F. Austin where he was an Academic All-Southland Conference selection. He earned his bachelor s degree from SFA in 1993 and also earned a master s degree from Vanderbilt in Texas State Football

5 CASEY HORNY CO-DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR SAFETIES TEXAS, 2000 Recruiting Area: Central Texas from south of DFW Metroplex to north of Austin/west to College Station KYLE TIETZ CO-DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR DEFENSIVE LINEMEN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA, 1999 Recruiting Area: Arlington/Fort Worth/North Dallas and North Texas Casey Horny begins his first season at Texas State as the Bobcats co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Horny coached defensive backs the past two seasons at Trinity University in San Antonio. The Tigers were a combined 17-3 during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Trinity s 2005 squad advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs. Defensively last season, Trinity gave up just 238 yards per game, including 112 yards through the air. The Tigers led the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in scoring defense, allowing just 11.7 points per game and also ranked second in the SCAC in total defense. Trinity finished the year ranked No. 1 across all NCAA divisions in pass defense and pass efficiency defense. The team also gave up the least number of passing touchdowns among NCAA member schools. Prior to joining the Trinity coaching staff, Horny was the cornerbacks coach for two seasons at Sam Houston State. He was a member of the coaching staff during the Bearkats 2004 NCAA playoff run in which SHSU advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals and finished the season ranked No. 4 in the country. The Goliad native also served three seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Texas working with the Longhorns defensive backs. During that time, Texas had a combined 31-7 record and twice finished seasons ranked in the Top 10 (5th/2001 and 6th/2002). The Longhorns won the 2001 Holiday Bowl (defeated Washington, 47-43) and the 2002 Cotton Bowl (defeated LSU, 35-20). Horny earned his bachelor s degree in kinesiology in 2000 and a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction in 2002, both from the University of Texas. Horny and his wife Cara recently became parents of a daughter, Carsyn, born April 2, Kyle Tietz begins his fourth season on the Texas State coaching staff and this year has been shouldered with the additional responsibility of co-defensive coordinator. He will continue to coach the Bobcats defensive linemen. Last year, Tietz first faced the challenge of replacing two All-Southland Conference First-Team interior linemen who were a pivotal part of the Bobcats 2005 Southland Conference championship run. Then the Bobcats lost starter Wellington Deshield. Tietz was able to develop a youthful defensive line that accounted for 14 of the team s 21 quarterback sacks. In 2005 with four returning starters, Tietz s defensive front was responsible for 19 of the team s Southland Conference-leading 30 quarterback sacks. The Bobcats defensive linemen were also responsible for 48.5 tackles for lost yards. Tietz coached the Southland Conference s Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, Fred Evans. Evans was the seventh-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in the 2006 NFL Draft. Tietz returns a pair of three-year starters at defensive end. Both Nick Clark and Nate Langford were named to the Capital One/SLC All-Academic Team the past two years. In his first season on the Texas State staff, Tietz s line accounted for 11 of the Bobcats 22 quarterback sacks and was also in on 30.5 tackles for lost yards. In addition to his on-field coaching responsibilities, Tietz serves as the program s recruiting coordinator and his recruiting area includes portions of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and North Texas. Tietz joined the Texas State after three seasons at TCU. During his tenure with the Horned Frogs, he first served as a video graduate assistant for one month before becoming Assistant Director of Football Operations. He later served as a defensive graduate assistant at TCU. Tietz played collegiate football at East Central University for two years before working as a student assistant and later as a graduate assistant coach. The Chandler, Okla., native is married to the former Megan Harris and they have a daughter, Dacey (two). Texas State Football 75

6 MIKE BARELA DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS TIGHT ENDS NORTH TEXAS, 1997 KEVIN BROWN WIDE RECEIVERS TCU, 2002 Recruiting Area: East Texas Mike Barela begins his first season on the Texas State coaching staff in a dual role, serving as the program s Director of Football Operations as well as coaching the Bobcats tight ends. Barela has extensive experience in both collegiate football team management as well as coaching. Prior to joining the Texas State staff, Barela served as the Director of Football Operations for the past five years at North Texas. Prior to joining the UNT staff in 2002, he coached tight ends two seasons at Southland Conference member Sam Houston State. While a member of the Mean Green staff, Barela was responsible for organizing team travel and team housing as well as coordinating official recruiting visits. He had extensive involvement in the day-to-day schedules of the coaching staff and student-athletes including practices, study halls and team meetings. He also worked with the Mean Green Summer Football Camps and was the community liaison for the program. During his tenure, Barela played an integral role in North Texas preparation and travel to the New Orleans Bowls. The Mean Green defeated Cincinnati in the 2002 New Orleans Bowl. UNT went on to win three straight Sun Belt Conference Championships during Barela s five seasons. Barela coached First-Team All-America tight end Keith Heinrich during the 2000 and 2001 football seasons at Sam Houston State. Heinrich would go on to be the sixth-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in the 2002 NFL Draft. During his two seasons with Sam Houston State, Barela was part of a Sam Houston State program which was a combined The Bearkats were 10-3 mark in 2001 and captured a share of the Southland Conference championship. Barela s coaching experience also includes time at Morningside College (1999) where he was the offensive line coach as well as strength and conditioning coach. At Morningside, he was also the running game coordinator and helped produce two all-conference players. Barela was a student assistant and graduate assistant coach at North Texas from working with the tight ends and offensive line. He was a two-year letterman at North Texas, playing linebacker as well as special teams for the 1994 and 1995 UNT squads. The Mean Green captured a Southland Conference title in 1994, the team s final year in the league. Barela earned his bachelor s degree from North Texas in Kevin Brown begins his first season coaching Texas State s wide receiver corps. Brown joined the Texas State staff from TCU where he was an offensive graduate assistant for the Horned Frogs. Among his responsibilities at TCU were working with the Horned Frogs offensive linemen, film breakdown of opponents defenses and charting the opposition s defense from the press box on game days. During his playing career as a wide receiver at TCU ( ), Brown caught 39 passes for 567 yards, an average of 14.5 yards per catch. He caught a career-high 16 passes for 208 yards as a senior in 2002 and also had four touchdown receptions during his career. During his career, TCU received five bowl invitations. The Horned Frogs defeated USC at the 1998 Sun Bowl and beat East Carolina in the 1999 Mobile Alabama Bowl. Brown capped his career as a member of TCU s 2002 Conference USA championship team which defeated Colorado State 17-3 in the AXA Liberty Bowl. Brown graduated from TCU with a degree in business management. The Waco native also earned master s degrees in education administration and liberal arts from TCU. Brown is married to the former Erika Davis. 76 Texas State Football

7 TERROL DILLON SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR LINEBACKERS TEXAS, 2000 Recruiting Area: Austin/West Texas/Southern California Junior Colleges/Block of San Antonio High Schools RUNNING BACKS TEXAS STATE, 2003 CHARLIE REEVE Recruiting Area: San Marcos/Southeast Houston/Mid- Gulf Coast Region including Galveston After spending the 2006 season as a member of the coaching staff at Cal Poly, Terrol Dillon returns to the Lone Star State and begins his first year as the Bobcats linebackers coach. At Texas State, Dillon will also serve as the special teams coordinator. Dillon also coached the linebacking corps at Cal Poly. The Mustangs posted a 7-4 record in registering the program s fourth straight winning season. Among Cal Poly s wins during the year were three shutouts and a win at NCAA Division I FBS opponent, San Diego State. Dillon was the position coach for Buck Buchanan Award winner Kyle Shotwell. The Buchanan Award is given annually to the top defensive player in Division I s Football Championship Subdivision. Shotwell registered 122 tackles, including 21 stops for lost yards and seven quarterback sacks in Last season, Cal Poly ranked fifth among Division I FCS schools in total defense ( ypg) and was eighth in scoring defense (14.73 ppg). The Mustangs also ranked fourth in quarterback sacks (3.36 pg) and fifth in tackles for lost yards (7.64 pg). In addition to his defensive coaching responsibilities, Dillon coached Cal Poly s punt block squad. The Mustangs had four blocks during the 2006 season. Prior to joining the Cal Poly staff, Dillon was a member of Texas coaching staff in 2005, serving as the special teams quality control coach. The Longhorns would capture a national title, defeating Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl. Texas also won the Big 12 Championship and the conference s regular-season title. Dillon coached cornerbacks and also served as the boys track and field coach at Earl Warren High School in San Antonio from In addition, he taught mathematics at the Northside Independent School District high school. He also served as the varsity secondary coach at Central Catholic High School in 2001, helping the team to a TAPPS state title. Dillon, a San Antonio native, walked on to the Texas program after transferring from the Naval Academy. He earned a scholarship and two letters at Texas, playing in the 1999 and 2000 Cotton Bowl games. He blocked a school-record four punts during the 1999 season. He was named to the 2000 Spring Semester Big 12 Commissioner s Honor Roll after earning a 4.0 grade point average. Dillon earned his bachelor of science degree in corporate communications from Texas in He also earned a master s degree in education from Texas A&M-Kingsville in Charlie Reeve returns to his alma mater to coach the Bobcats running backs after serving the past season as an offensive graduate assistant on Rice s coaching staff. At Rice, Reeve was a member of a coaching staff which revived an Owl football program which had not experienced a winning season since 2001 and the school s first bowl appearance since the 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl. Rice posted a 7-6 record in 2006 and advanced to play in the New Orleans Bowl. The Owls scored 350 points during the 2006 season, setting a school record for most points scored in a season. Rice s turnaround in 2006 was the No. 2-ranked turnaround among NCAA FBS schools. Reeve was a graduate assistant working with quarterbacks and wide receivers. One of the Owls receivers led the nation in touchdown catches and was named First-Team All-America by one news service. Reeve was a student assistant coach for two seasons at Texas State while earning a bachelor s degree in exercise and sports science and a minor in history. He originally was recruited to play at Texas State but an injury ended his career. Then coach Bob Debesse asked Reeve to continue to be a part of the program as a student-assistant coach. Prior to coming to Texas State, Reeve was an NJCAA All-America selection at quarterback, leading junior colleges in passing and total offense. After graduating in 2003, he coached two seasons at south Texas high schools. He was the quarterbacks coach at Bay City in 2004 and served as the defensive ends and receivers coach at Cuero in Reeve was the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator for a Bay City team which posted a 9-2 record. As defensive ends and wide receivers coach at Cuero, he was part of a staff that led the school to the state semifinals and a 13-1 record. Reeve is married to the former Courtney Boeer who received both her bachelor s and master s degrees from Texas State. Texas State Football 77

8 GREG WALLS CORNERBACKS COACH TCU, 2002 THAD LIVINGSTON FOOTBALL STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH CENTRAL METHODIST COLLEGE, 1995 Recruiting Area: Dallas and Northeast Texas In his first year as Texas State s cornerbacks coach is Greg Walls. Walls returns to Texas after spending the past season as the wide receivers coach at NCAA Division II Emporia State University in Kansas. Walls also coached cornerbacks at Emporia State during the 2004 seasons. In between his two stints as a member of the Hornets coaching staff, he spent one season as a defensive quality control specialist with the Texas A&M coaching staff. Walls graduated from Texas Christian in 2002 with a degree in elementary education. As a player for the Horned Frogs, Walls was a First-Team All-Western Athletic Conference defensive back. He had 34 career starts for TCU ( ). Walls was part of a group of seniors at TCU who led the Horned Frogs to three straight bowl game appearances after the team had gone to just two bowls in the previous 30+ years. TCU has since gone on to play in a bowl game nine of the past 10 seasons. He is a native of Picayune, Miss. In just his first year on the job, Texas State strength and conditioning coach Thad Livingston transitioned the Bobcats into a team which was both stronger and quicker. The Bobcats improvement was evident a year later as the `Cats captured the program s first Southland Conference title and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. Livingston is now in his fourth season overseeing the Bobcat football squad s strength and conditioning program. Livingston joined the Texas State staff after working the previous year at Arkansas where he was an assistant with the Razorback football program. Prior to his tenure at Arkansas, he had also served as strength and conditioning coach at both Louisiana-Monroe and Northwestern State. A 1995 graduate of Central Methodist College in Fayette, Mo., Livingston was both a football and track and field athlete at the school. He earned All-Heart of America Conference honors twice in football and served as the team s captain his senior year. Academically, he was also named to the Dean s List and earned a Presidential Leadership Scholarship. He is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association and is SCCC and USA Weightlifting certified. Livingston is married to the former Marsha Stelly of Delcambre, La. 78 Texas State Football

9 HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER NORTH TEXAS, 1984 DAVID GISH ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT MANAGER APPALACHIAN STATE, 2002 JOSH THOMPSON In his role as head athletic trainer, David Gish oversees a Texas State athletic training staff which includes two full-time assistants, three graduate assistants and more than 45 student trainers. He is in his 10 th year as the Bobcats head trainer and in his 18 th year on the Texas State training staff. Gish is a certified member of the National Athletic Trainers Association and is a licensed athletic trainer in the state of Texas. He serves as the NCAA Division I FCS representative on the College/University Athletic Training Committee for District Six of NATA. He is also a past-president of the Alamo Area Athletic Trainers Association and has served as the District Eight representative for the Texas State Athletic Trainers Association. During his tenure at Texas State, Gish has worked at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and was a member of the training staff at the 1995 U.S. Sports Festival in Denver. He was appointed to the medical staff for the USA Track and Field Team when it participated in the 2004 World Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy. Gish came to Texas State in January, 1990, from San Marcos High School where he was the Rattlers head athletic trainer for four years. He also worked as an assistant athletic trainer at Louisiana-Lafayette (formerly Southwestern Louisiana) for two years. Gish began his athletic training background under Dennis Hart at North Mesquite High School. He earned a bachelor s degree from North Texas in 1984 and completed a master s degree from Texas State in Gish and his wife Karen, a 1987 Texas State graduate, have a daughter, Madison (nine) and a son, Hayden (six). Josh Thompson is in his first season as the Texas State football program s equipment manager. Thompson joins the Texas State staff from Troy University where he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the football equipment room as a graduate assistant. During his tenure at Troy, Thompson had responsibilities with every aspect of running an equipment room from fitting equipment to ordering inventory to setting up the Trojans gameday communication equipment. During his final season at Troy, he had responsibilities with moving Troy s equipment operation to New Orleans for the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Thompson also has experience working with a school in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. He was a four-year team manager as an undergraduate at Appalachian State University. He has also served as an equipment staff intern for the Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers. Thompson earned his bachelor s degree in Recreation Management from Appalachian State in He also graduated in May with a master s degree in Sport and Fitness Management from Troy. Thompson is married to the former Lindsey Nipaver. Texas State Football 79

10 ATHLETIC VIDEO COORDINATOR KENT ANDERSON Kent Anderson begins his fourth season as Texas State s Athletic Video Coordinator and brings an extensive amount of video experience from both the collegiate and professional levels. In addition to working with Texas State s athletic programs, Anderson just concluded his 11 th season working with the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe. Anderson s experience with the professional team dates back to the franchise s affiliation with the World League in the mid-1990s. While a student at Nevada-Las Vegas, Anderson worked in the university s athletic video production department. He went on to be the video coordinator of the Las Vegas Posses of the Canadian Football League. He also worked with the Orlando Rage of the XFL. Anderson s collegiate experience includes a stint as video coordinator at Northern Iowa and the video director at the University of Hawaii. Anderson and his wife Regina have a two-year old son, Philip. He also has two children, Keith (14) and Brittany (12). LINDA GUTIERREZ ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT FOR FOOTBALL This November 1st will mark 18 years in which Linda Gutierrez has served as the administrative assistant to Texas State s head football coach. During that tenure, she has worked with seven different head coaches for the Bobcats John O Hara (1989), Dennis Franchione ( ), Jim Bob Helduser ( ), Bob DeBesse ( ), Manny Matsakis (2003), David Bailiff ( ) and currently with Brad Wright. Prior to joining the Texas State staff, she was employed by San Marcos CISD as an administrative assistant for Dr. LaRue Miller and Pat Curtin at Crocket Elementary School. She was an active member of several community organizations while her children, Dawn and Russell, attended San Marcos CISD schools. She served as treasurer and president of the San Marcos High School Girls Booster Club; vice president and president of Crockett Elementary PTO; secretary and vice president of the San Marcos High School Baseball Booster Club and an unlimited number of volunteer hours for Greater San Marcos Little League. Gutierrez, a native of San Marcos, graduated from San Marcos High School and attended Texas State. TOP: Bobcat Angels Betty Williams and Marsh Bailiff volunteer their time throughout the year serving as receptionists and handling administrative duties for the football program. ABOVE: Texas State University s annual Maroon and Gold Classic again carried the moniker Town vs. Gown as leaders from the community coached the Gold team while university leaders were charged with coaching the Maroon team during the first half of the spring game. The Maroon team came from behind to post a 14-7 victory. Pictured above and joined by Texas State head coach Brad Wright are both coaching staffs. (Pictured from left to right) CenturyTel General Manager John Navarrette, San Marcos business leader Jason Tarr, San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz, Wright, ASG President Kyle Morris, ASG Vice President Amanda Oskey and Texas State s NCAA Faculty Representative Dr. Paul Gowens, a faculty member of the McCoy College of Business Administration. 80 Texas State Football