COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – In just his second season as a head coach, Northwest Mississippi’s Jack Wright was recognized Tuesday by the NJCAA Football Coaches Association with the Spalding® NJCAA Football Coach of the Year Award.
“This is a tremendous honor,” Wright said. “But it’s an honor for our team because football is the ultimate team sport. Anytime you receive an individual honor like this, it really is more of a reflection of the coaching staff and the players and the collective effort and results that we had this year as a group.”
In just his second season as a head coach, Wright directed the Rangers to their program’s first national championship since 1992. Northwest Mississippi defeated a school-record six ranked opponents en route to an 11-1 record. The Rangers battled through a rugged schedule in the Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges (MACJC) and came away with their first conference title since 1999.
Fueling Northwest Mississippi’s run to the title was a potent offensive attack under Wright’s guidance. The Rangers averaged 38.7 points per game in 2015, ranking among the top ten in the nation with 480.8 yards per game. In the passing game, Wright’s offense averaged 209.7 yards passing per game with 30 touchdown passes on the year – cracking the top 10 in both statistical categories.
Taking over a team that finished 1-8 the year prior to his arrival, Wright orchestrated one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the history of NJCAA football. During his debut season in 2014, the Rangers already began to show signs of improvement with a 4-6 record and an appearance in the MACJC playoffs. One year later, they were lifting the national championship trophy.
Despite his young tenure at Northwest Mississippi, Wright is no stranger to the program having served as the Rangers’ offensive coordinator from 2008-12. The Batesville, Mississippi, native spent one season as offensive line coach at Holmes (Miss.) in 2013 before returning to Senatobia as the Rangers’ head coach.
Prior to joining the NJCAA ranks, Wright was an offensive line coach at NCAA Division III Millsaps College in Mississippi from 2005-07. Launching his coaching career in 2001 at the high school level, Wright spent one year at North Delta School before landing a job as offensive line coach at Meridian High School where he stayed until 2004.
Earning his bachelor’s degree in 1999 and his master’s in 2001 from Arkansas State University, Wright was a four-year starter for the Red Wolves at center and deep snapper.