Bio

Ed Wright was hired to lead the Huntingdon College cross country program in the summer of 2019.

In his first season as the Hawks’ head coach, Wright’s teams competed in six events and produced five Academic All-Conference selections. It was Huntingdon’s third season of competition since restarting the program in 2017 after a four-year hiatus.

A two-time state Coach of the Year, Wright coached at the high school level for 25 years before joining the Huntingdon staff. Wright came to the Hawks after 14 seasons at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School.

In his final season at Montgomery Catholic, he guided the Knights to state titles in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field.

During his final four seasons, Wright led the Knights’ cross country teams to one state title and a runner-up finish on the boys’ side and one state championship and two second-place finishes on the girls’ side.

The boys and girls swept the Class 4A state titles in 2018 and Wright was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Coach of the Year for the state of Alabama.

Wright coached a two-time Gatorade Alabama Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year in Amaris Tyynismaa. Tyynismaa won five straight cross country state titles and finished her career at Catholic with 31 individual state titles in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field.

In addition to cross country, Wright led the Catholic girls to a championship and a second-place finish in indoor track and field during his final three seasons. In outdoor track and field, Wright’s girls won two state titles and placed second once in his final three seasons and his boys’ team was the state runner-up in 2018. Wright was named USTFCCCA Coach of the Year for girls’ track and field in 2017.

Prior to Catholic, Wright coached at Robert E. Lee High School for 10 years. During his time with the Generals, Wright coached Kelly Gaston, who won the city of Montgomery’s only female Heptathlon state championship in 2002.

Before moving to the high school ranks, Wright began his coaching career at Floyd Junior High School in 1980 and won multiple city championships with the program.

A 1980 graduate of Troy State University, with a master’s degree in physical education and health, Wright was an All-American for the Trojans in track and field and an all-conference selection in track and field and cross country.