Assistant Coach
David Dwight

David Wright, with nearly 30 years experience in education, begins his fifth season as Missouri Southern State University's assistant softball coach.

Wright was employed for the previous two years as an adjunct faculty member, teaching in the physical education department, at Southwest Baptist University. He also assisted SBU first-year head coach Cindy Snead in 2005 as part-time assistant softball coach.

Prior to his stint at Southwest Baptist, Wright was in public education for 29 years as a teacher, coach, athletic director, principal and superintendent at six different school districts.

Wright earned a bachelor s degree in education from Central Missouri State University in 1972. He holds a master s degree in secondary administration from Southwest Missouri State University and a specialist degree in secondary administration from CMSU.

Wright began his education career as a teacher and coach in the Miami School District in Amoret, Mo. He then worked 14 more years as a teacher, coach and athletic director in Missouri s Wheatland, Weaubleau and Maries County school districts. Wright spent 10 years as a principal in the Benton County (Mo.) School District before working as superintendent for one year in the Chadwick (Mo.) School District and for three years at Weaubleau.

Wright s coaching experience included head coach duties for softball and girls basketball, among many other sports. His softball teams posted winning records in 10 of his 11 seasons, and collected eight conference titles, five district crowns and one third-place state finish. Wright s basketball teams had nine winning campaigns, four conference championships and five appearances in the district title game. He was twice named a conference basketball coach of the year.

Wright s daughter, Sharon (Wright) Hackett, was a two-time Academic All-America softball player during her MSSU playing career (1992-94). Sharon s sister-in-law is Lorinda Hackett, a certification officer in teacher education at Missouri Southern.