 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1928-07-23)July 23, 1928 Hebron, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | March 7, 2003(2003-03-07) (aged 74) Cypress, Texas, U.S. |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1955–1960 | Paul Quinn |
| 1961–1965 | Prairie View A&M (assistant) |
| 1966–1968 | Prairie View A&M |
| 1973–1979 | Prairie View A&M |
Hoover John Wright Sr. (July 23, 1928 – March 7, 2003) was an Americanfootball andtrack and field coach. He served as the head football coach atPaul Quinn College inPaul Quinn College form 1955 to 1960 and two stints at the head football coach atPrairie View A&M University inPrairie View, Texas, from 1966 to 1968 and 1973 to 1979.
Wright's coaching career began atShorter College inNorth Little Rock, Arkansas. At Shorter, he was head football coach, men's and women's basketball coach, and track coach. His next post was atPaul Quinn College where he was the athletic director and head football coach.[1]
Wright served two stints as the head football coach atPrairie View A&M University inPrairie View, Texas, from 1966 to 1968 and 1973 to 1979.[2] His record at Prairie View was 31–68–2.[3][4]
Wright also found success as atrack and field coach at Prairie View. He was the head coach of the programs for over 40 years and his teams secured twoNAIA Indoor titles and one NAIA outdoor title.[5] In 2005, he was inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame.[6][7] The school has since honored him by naming their annual track meet after his legacy.[8]
He served as the meetreferee of theNCAA National Championship track meet in 1987.[9] He was also placed in theDrake Relays Hall of Fame in 1986 for his excellence as a coach.[10]
At age 71, Wright was seriously injured during a bus crash on the way to a track meet where four of his athletes were killed and five were seriously injured.[11][12] Later that season, Wright was able lead his team to put the tragedy behind them by defending theirSouthwestern Athletic Conference indoor track championship.[13]
Wright earned a bachelor's degree from Maryland State College—now known asUniversity of Maryland Eastern Shore—in 1948 and a master's degree fromPennsylvania State University. He also completed post-graduate work at theUniversity of Iowa and theUniversity of North Texas.[14]
Wright died on March 7, 2003, at his home inCypress, Texas.[15]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie View A&M Panthers(Southwestern Athletic Conference)(1966–1968) | |||||||||
| 1966 | Prairie View A&M | 5–3–1 | 3–3–1 | T–5th | |||||
| 1967 | Prairie View A&M | 5–5 | 2–5 | 7th | |||||
| 1968 | Prairie View A&M | 4–6 | 2–5 | 6th | |||||
| Prairie View A&M Panthers(Southwestern Athletic Conference)(1973–1979) | |||||||||
| 1973 | Prairie View A&M | 2–6–1 | 0–6 | 7th | |||||
| 1974 | Prairie View A&M | 0–10 | 0–6 | 7th | |||||
| 1975 | Prairie View A&M | 3–7 | 1–5 | 7th | |||||
| 1976 | Prairie View A&M | 6–5 | 3–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1977 | Prairie View A&M | 3–8 | 1–5 | 7th | |||||
| 1978 | Prairie View A&M | 3–7 | 1–5 | 7th | |||||
| 1979 | Prairie View A&M | 0–11 | 0–6 | 7th | |||||
| Prairie View A&M: | 31–68–2 | 13–49–1 | |||||||
| Total: | |||||||||
..