Temple University Athletics
Photo by: Zamani Feelings
Football's Isaiah Wright Named Sporting News All-American Returner
12.11.18 | Football
PHILADELPHIA- Sporting News has announced its All-America Team for the 2018 college football season which includes Temple junior WR Isaiah Wright as the first-team returner.
"I am honored to be receiving first-team All-America honors," said Wright. "I want to thank my teammates for putting me in a position to receive this recognition. The work we all put in at practice pays off when we play together on gamedays."
Wright returned two punts for touchdowns this season: a 59-yarder against ECU and a 73-yarder against USF. He also returned a kickoff 99-yards for a touchdown in his hometown of Hartford, Conn. against UConn. Wright is second in the country in combined kick return yards with 976. He also led the Owls with 1,428 all-purpose yards. Wright is the only player in the last decade to score a touchdown on a rush, catch, punt return, and kick return in consecutive seasons, and the only Temple player to ever return both a kickoff return and punt return for touchdowns in multiple seasons.
Wright becomes just the sixth Temple Owl to earn first team All-America honors. The other five were: OL Bill Singletary (1972), QB Steve Joachim (1974), OL John Rienstra (1985), RB Paul Palmer (1986), and LB Tyler Matakevich (2015).
"What great recognition for Isaiah and for Temple football," said Ed Foley, Interim head coach who serves as Temple's special teams coordinator. "Isaiah is in a select group of players to earn first-team All-America honors for us. We pride ourselves on our special teams play and having a returner of Isaiah's caliber makes everyone work hard because you never know when he's going to break one for a score."
"I am honored to be receiving first-team All-America honors," said Wright. "I want to thank my teammates for putting me in a position to receive this recognition. The work we all put in at practice pays off when we play together on gamedays."
Wright returned two punts for touchdowns this season: a 59-yarder against ECU and a 73-yarder against USF. He also returned a kickoff 99-yards for a touchdown in his hometown of Hartford, Conn. against UConn. Wright is second in the country in combined kick return yards with 976. He also led the Owls with 1,428 all-purpose yards. Wright is the only player in the last decade to score a touchdown on a rush, catch, punt return, and kick return in consecutive seasons, and the only Temple player to ever return both a kickoff return and punt return for touchdowns in multiple seasons.
Wright becomes just the sixth Temple Owl to earn first team All-America honors. The other five were: OL Bill Singletary (1972), QB Steve Joachim (1974), OL John Rienstra (1985), RB Paul Palmer (1986), and LB Tyler Matakevich (2015).
"What great recognition for Isaiah and for Temple football," said Ed Foley, Interim head coach who serves as Temple's special teams coordinator. "Isaiah is in a select group of players to earn first-team All-America honors for us. We pride ourselves on our special teams play and having a returner of Isaiah's caliber makes everyone work hard because you never know when he's going to break one for a score."
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