Temple University Athletics
Photo by: Zamani Feelings
Football's Isaiah Wright Named Sporting News All-American Returner
12.11.18 | Football
PHILADELPHIA-Â 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.
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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).
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"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.
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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).
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"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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