2017 Catamounts /// Coaching Staff
ZAC
REUBEN
ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH outside linebackers
ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH running backs
Zac Etheridge joined the Western Carolina football coaching staff in March of 2016, working in the defensive secondary coaching the cornerbacks. He was elevated to a full-time coaching position during the summer of 2017 and will coach the outside linebackers in WCU’s new 3–4 schematic. A former team captain as a defensive back at Auburn on its 2010 national championship team, Etheridge joined the WCU staff after two seasons at Georgia Tech. Etheridge joined the Georgia Tech coaching staff as a defensive graduate assistant in 2013, working closely with assistant coach Joe Speed and the Yellow Jacket secondary. Prior to making the move to Atlanta, Etheridge spent one year as a graduate assistant coach at Penn State under head coach Bill O’Brien and defensive coordinator Ted Roof -- who also spent a season as WCU’s defensive coordinator in 1997. Roof, who Etheridge mentored under at Georgia Tech, was also his defensive coordinator during his final two years of his playing career at Auburn. A 2009 Auburn graduate with a degree in political science, Etheridge was a four-year starter who broke his neck in the first quarter of a 2009 game against Ole Miss. Nine months later, after extensive rehabilitation, Etheridge returned to the starting lineup for Auburn’s memorable run to the national title at the end of the 2010 season, finishing second on the team with 69 tackles, intercepting three passes, and returning a fumble 47 yards for a touchdown against Arkansas. Etheridge garnered freshman All-America status from numerous publications following the 2007 season, starting 12 of Auburn’s 13 games. He led Auburn with 75 tackles in 2008 and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2009. A native of Troy, Ala., Etheridge received the second-annual James Owens Courage Award from Auburn in 2013. The award, named for the school’s first African-American football player, was established to honor a player who has shown courage in the face of adversity. Etheridge briefly played for the Oakland Raiders, signing as a free agent in July, 2011. However, he was released after a knee injury. Etheridge is engaged to Ms. Cassandra Hulik, and the couple has a daughter, Mia.
Reuben Wright joined the Western Carolina football coaching staff as the running backs coach in mid-May, 2017. Wright, who played collegiately at Catawba College in the early 1990s, worked alongside current Catamount offensive coordinator Brad Glenn at two different high school coaching stops. Wright came to Cullowhee with a wealth of coaching experience including eight different stops at the high school level. He most recently served as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for a season at Greenwood High School in Greenwood, S.C. Prior to that, he spent four seasons as the head coach on the sidelines at Carolina High School and Academy in Greenville, S.C., where he mentored Zykiesis Cannon who went on to play at Louisville. Wright’s coaching stints also include serving as the assistant head football coach at Eastside High in Taylors, S.C. Between his numerous prep stops, Wright has also coached at the collegiate level, spending two seasons at Presbyterian College where he worked primarily along the defensive line. In his first season with the Blue Hose defensive linemen, he mentored end Sherman Burnett to All-State honors. His unit ranked inside the national top 20 for defensive tackles for loss. He also helped recruit current Arizona Cardinals three-time Pro Bowl selection, Justin Bethel. Prior to making the jump to the collegiate ranks, Wright spent two years as the defensive coordinator at Blythewood High in Blythewood, S.C., just outside of Columbia where he was also the strength and conditioning coordinator. While at Blythewood, he helped mold the Bengals in their inaugural season in 2006, helping the squad to a 14-1 overall record and the 2006 South Carolina AAA state title. Wright’s defense featured all-state performer and Georgia signee, Charles White, and held opponents to just 14.7 points per game in the 2006 season. Additional prep coaching stops in the Palmetto state include defensive coordinator at Seneca High (2004-05), and as an assistant coach at Northwestern High (2001-04) where he helped the program to a Big 16 state runner-up finish in 2001. His career started at Greer High (1994-2000) where he patrolled the sidelines for seven seasons, working alongside Glenn at both Seneca and Greer. The two helped guide the Yellow Jackets to an undefeated, 15-0, season and the AAA state championship in 1994, and two Upper-State runner-up finishes in 1999 and 2000. Captain of the 1993 Catawba football team, Wright earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the college in 1994 before earning his Master’s in education from Converse College in Spartanburg. He is married to Ms. Dena Wright, and has two children, daughter Kennedy and son Cade.
ETHERIDGE WRIGHT
CATAMOUNTSPORTS.COM
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2017 CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL