When the Spartan football team takes the field this fall they will do so without a familiar figure. John Wilson, a constant presence on the Saint Mark's sideline for much of the past 26 years won't be there. Looking for a new challenge and an opportunity that would better serve his family in the future, Wilson accepted an administrative and coaching position at St. Georges Technical High School last February. During his thirteen year tenure as head coach of the Spartan football program his teams combined for a 96 - 48 record and made seven postseason appearances. The 2009 squad would finish as state runner-up, while the 2010 team would win the program's fourth state title, and first since 1978. Forty-five of his players would go on to receive All-State recognition, with two earning Player of the Year honors. Thirty-nine would participate in the D.F.R.C. Blue & Gold All-Star Football game, and two would win the Michael DeLucia Sportsmanship award. John Wilson would also be recognized by his peers, as one of the top coaches in the state. Named the 2010 Division I High School Football Coach of the Year by the Delaware Interscholastic Football Coaches Association, he currently serves as the organization's president. John was the head coach of the Blue team in the 2011 D.F.R.C. All-Star Football game, and served as an assistant in 2006, 2009, and 2013. Though his teams would be different from year to year, in both talent and personnel, they all shared common traits. The one that stood out to me, and would serve as my definition of a John Wilson coached team, was how they dealt with adversity. No matter how bad things were going for them in a game, his teams never quit. And if they were coming off a bad, even embarrassing loss, they would bounce back the next week, seemingly as if it never happened. Ask the 2007 Salesianum squad if Coach Wilson's teams give up. Never again is the response you would likely get.
John Wilson played his high school football under Vinnie Scott at Delcastle Technical High School. In 1987, as a quarterback and defensive back, he helped lead the Cougars to the program's first (and only) Blue Hen Flight A Championship. He would follow Scott to Saint Mark's in 1992 and serve as an assistant coach in the football program for eight years. Offered a varsity assistant position at William Penn, Wilson would spend the next two seasons working with Bill Cole Jr., guiding the Colonels to the 2002 Division I State Championship. He would return to Saint Mark's as a varsity assistant in 2003, and be named Vinnie Scott's successor in 2005. Coach Wilson would hit the ground running, qualifying for the playoffs in his second year. His teams would go on to reach the postseason six more times over the next eight years. Of the six seasons in which the Spartans failed to reach the playoffs during his tenure, five times the team just missed making the field. His legacy as a football coach stands on it's own, however John Wilson's impact on Saint Mark's extended far beyond the gridiron. Working with recently inducted Delaware Baseball Hall of Fame coach Matt Smith from 1998 to 2008, the Spartan baseball team captured five state titles. They would become the first (and only) program in Delaware high school baseball tournament history to claim three consecutive championships, winning the title in 2003, 2004, and 2005. John's efforts would earn him the Delaware Baseball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2004. While Coach Wilson leaves big shoes to fill in the athletic department, his absence as an administrator will be equally felt. Whether as a coach, teacher, or counselor, John Wilson's dedication and commitment as a mentor to the young men and women of Saint Mark's will leave an indelible footprint on the school, and in the community, for years to come.
Tasked with finding a replacement to lead the football program into the future, Saint Mark's looked to it's past. And if creating enthusiasm in the face of losing a coach as successful as John Wilson, they may have hit the proverbial ball out of the park. With the hiring of Joe Wright to succeed Wilson as the program's seventh head coach in it's forty-eight year history, he became the first graduate of the school to hold the position. Wright excelled at both basketball and football during his time at the school, but it would be on the gridiron that he would leave his mark. As the starting quarterback between 2001 and 2003, Joe posted a 22 -3 record and helped lead the team to consecutive state tournament final appearances. After missing much of his sophomore year due to a knee injury, he would return and have the Spartans primed for a title run only to suffer a late season setback. Playing on a bad knee, Wright would make appearances in both postseason games, including a gutsy second half comeback attempt in the finals. Though the title would elude Joe and his teammates, his efforts would earn him second team All-State. He would go on to have a senior season for the ages. Passing for over 2,100 yards and 24 touchdowns, Wright lead the Spartans to a 10 - 1 record and a second consecutive state runner-up finish. He received first team All-State honors, and was named both D.I.F.C.A.'s Offensive Player of the Year, and Gatorade's Delaware High School Football Player of the Year. Joe would also win the Michael DeLucia Sportsmanship Award, joining his brother Louis (class of 2000) who received the honor in 1999. After graduating from Saint Mark's in 2004 , Wright would take his game to the next level at West Chester University.
His career with the Golden Ram's would mirror that of his time as a Spartan. After injuries limited his playing time early on, he shined as a junior and senior. Over his final two seasons Joe would lead West Chester University to a 16 - 8 record and a berth in the N.C.A.A. Division II playoffs (2008), setting a single season school record for completion percentage (59.0) in the process. He would make the All-Pennsylvania State Conference team both years, and would be named to the Harlon Hill Trophy Watch List (Division II most valuable player). A team captain, Wright's career totals in offensive yards (6,316), passing yards (6,220), and touchdowns (49) are among the top ten all-time in the school's history. West Chester University would also offer Joe his introduction into coaching. At first helping out Bill Zwann while sidelined with injuries as a player, and then serving as a graduate assistant. After taking a couple years off to further his education, Joe would spend two seasons under Doug Langley as the offensive coordinator at Avon Grove High School (PA). In 2014 he returned to Delaware, joining Joe Aviola's staff at St. Elizabeth. After three years as the Viking's offensive coordinator, Joe was promoted to head coach when Aviola stepped down due to his commitments at Wilmington College. He inherited a young team, with only two seniors, and was building towards the future when opportunity knocked. And while it was difficult to leave a great group of young men, and a fine school with it's own rich tradition, Joe followed his heart and returned to his alma mater.
For Joe Wright this is a homecoming in more ways than one. Growing up within walking distance of Saint Mark's, he played his youth football a few miles up the road, at St. John the Beloved. As the starting quarterback on the Eagles varsity, he helped lead the team to consecutive playoff appearances, winning the C.Y.O. Championship in 1998. Joe hails from a large extended family with deep roots in both the local and Spartan community. Besides his wife Allison, and twin daughters Autumn and Natalie, it's likely that many from this large clan will make their way to The Graveyard to support him and the school they love. A Physical Therapy Assistant at ATI Physical Therapy, Joe is also the Director of Football Operations at One Hundred Percent Athletics. While his head coaching career is in it's infancy, Wright has learned from some of the best the area has to offer. Like his predecessor, Joe played for legendary Delaware Hall of Fame coach Vinnie Scott, with John Wilson serving as his position coach. Bill Zwann, his college mentor, is one of the longest tenured, and most successful N.C.A.A. Division II coaches. And Joe Aviola , who he worked with for three seasons, is a protege of St. Elizabeth legend Joe Hemphill. There is a high level of enthusiasm for the program in the Spartan community with his hiring. Naturally, much of that comes with the territory, being the first graduate to be named head coach. And it is special, for all Spartans, having one of their own leading the way. However, for those that know of him and watched him play, it's more than that. Throughout his career Joe and the teams he played for enjoyed great success, though that has eluded him in his short time as a coach. But if you know his story, and what he had to endure, overcoming five knee surgeries to achieve that success, you know that trend won't continue for long. For Joe Wright, setbacks don't prevent success, they're just roadblocks to be navigated on the path to achieving it.