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Posted by Joshua Pendergrass - Sun, Feb 3, 2008 - [ Football ] - Viewed 1155 times
Head Football Coach Hugh Freeze
Head Football Coach Hugh Freeze
Jackson, TN — Lambuth football head coach Hugh Freeze has announced his Eagle coaching staff for the upcoming football season. The Eagle Football staff will be made up of eight field coaches and a Director of Football Operations.
 

"I am excited about the caliber of the coaching staff we have been able to put together," commented Freeze. "These gentleman know the ‘x’s and o’s’ of the game of football and will give our players an edge every time we take to the field. Together, we are going to immediately start work on my ninety-day plan which heavily involves recruiting."

 
Four members of last year’s Lambuth staff have been re-hired by Coach Freeze. These include: Don Pitt (Offensive Line Coach), Derek Morales (Special Teams Coordinator and Safeties Coach), John Thompson (Strength and Conditioning Coordinator and Tight End’s Coach), and Hillie Walton (Director of Football Operations).
 
The five newcomers to the staff are: Tom Allen (Wasbash College, Defensive Coordinator and Linebacker’s Coach), Shepherd Campbell (UT Martin, Corner’s Coach), David Carter (Washington Christian School, Defensive Line Coach), Grant Heard (Western Michigan, Receiver’s Coach), and Lee Wilbanks (North Carolina A&T, Running Back’s Coach).
 
Lambuth finished the 2007 season 2-3 in the Mid-South Conference and 3-8 overall.
 
Head Coach Hugh Freeze was officially hired on January 22, 2008. Freeze came to Lambuth from the University of Mississippi where he served most recently as the Interim Head Coach. The 2007 season was his second year as Recruiting Coordinator and his first as wide receivers coach, after working with the Rebel tight ends in 2006. Freeze joined Coach Ed Orgeron's on-the-field coaching staff in January of 2006, after previously serving as the Assistant Athletics Director for Football External Affairs at the University of Mississippi upon joining Orgeron’s staff in February of 2005.
 
2008 Football Staff Biographical Sketches

Don Pitt – Lambuth University – Offensive Line Coach
Don will be joining the coaching staff for the second year after serving on staff last season. Prior the 2007 season, he was a student assistant coach. Coach Pitt played his senior year at Lambuth and was one of the toughest linemen in Lambuth history.
 
This season, Pitt will be serving as the Offensive Line Coach.
 
Coach Pitt spent the summer of 2007 playing in the United Indoor League for the Evansville Bluecats as an offensive lineman.
 
Coach Pitt is single and resides in Jackson, TN.
 
Derek Morales – Lambuth University – Special Teams Coordinator and Safeties Coach
Derek Morales will be in his second season back with the Eagles after having served on staff for two previous seasons as the Defensive Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. He returned to Lambuth in the 2007 season after coaching two seasons at Missouri Valley College as the Graduate Assistant Linebackers Coach. During his two years at Missouri Valley, the defense was ranked #1 in the nation in rush defense.
 
Morales will serve as the Special Teams Coordinator and Safeties Coach for the 2008 season.
 
As a Lambuth player from '98-'02, Morales was a four-year starter and three-year all-conference selection at the strong safety/outside linebacker position. Following graduation in 2003, Morales coached the outside linebackers for two years at Lambuth, including the 2003 conference championship squad.
 
Coach Morales and his wife the former Melanie Goodman (also a Lambuth graduate) of Milan, TN reside in Jackson.
 

John Thompson – Lambuth University – Strength and Conditioning Coordinator and Tight End’s Coach
John Thompson joined the Lambuth Football staff in 2006. He will serve as the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator and Tight End’s Coach.
 
Thompson is a 2006 graduate of Lambuth University. He played at the University of Louisiana Monroe from 2000 to 2002. He made second team All Sunbelt Conference at ULM.
 
As a defensive end for the Eagles, John was first team all conference and second team All-American. John holds Lambuth’s single season all-time sack record. Following his senior season, he was invited to the Cleveland Brown’s Mini Camp.
 
John currently resides in Jackson and is the proud parent of three-year old, Annabelle Elizabeth Thompson.
 
 

Hillie Walton – Lambuth University – Director of Football Operations
The 2008 season will mark Coach Hillie Walton’s eleventh year with the Lambuth football program. Walton will serve as the Director of Football Operations this season and has previously served as the running back’s coach.
 
This highly motivated coach has been a college football coach for an impressive twenty-nine years. He began his collegiate coaching career at Lane College in 1969 where he served as the Defensive Line Coach.
 
Coach Walton graduated from Lane College with a B.A. in Counseling and Recreation followed by his completion of a Military Science Degree in the field of Military Leadership from the Tennessee Military Academy.
 
Coach Walton is married to the former Josephine Haynes of Jackson, TN. They have three daughters and two sons and currently reside in Jackson.
 

Tom Allen – Wabash College – Defensive Coordinator and Linebacker’s Coach
Tom Allen will be in his first season as an assistant football coach at Lambuth. Coach Allen will serve as the Eagles’ Defensive Coordinator and Linebacker’s Coach.
 
He comes to Lambuth from Wabash College where he served as the Special Teams Coordinator and Defensive Back’s Coach for the 2007 Season. Prior to his time at Wabash, Allen was at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he served as the head coach for three seasons and finished with a record of 25-12.
 
Prior to his run as Head Coach, Allen was the defensive coordinator at Ben Davis for six seasons and he helped the Giants to three Indiana state championships.
 
A coach in Florida before coming to Indiana, Allen served as head coach and defensive coordinator at Temple Heights High School in Tampa from 1992-1994 before working two seasons as defensive coordinator at Armwood High School in Sefner.
 
Allen was a four-year starting linebacker at Maranatha Baptist Bible College. He was a three-time all-conference selection and was a co-captain as a sophomore, junior, and senior. He was named the team's Player of the Year as a senior, and also earned Scholar All-America honors.
 
Coach Allen will be relocating to Jackson with his wife, Tracy, and their three children Hannah (10), Thomas (9), and Brittney (7).
 

Shepherd Campbell – UT Martin – Corner’s Coach
Shep Campbell begins his first season with the Lambuth Eagles as the Corner’s Coach.
 
Prior to coming to Lambuth Campbell spent two seasons at the University of Tennessee at Martin as the Skyhawks' Cornerback’s Coach. His efforts during the 2006 season helped the Skyhawks lead the Ohio Valley Conference in five defensive categories. The Skyhawks also had the seventh best pass defense and the second best pass efficiency defense in the nation. Overall the Skyhawk defense was tabbed sixth in the nation for total defense.
 
Before his work at UTM, Campbell served as a defensive graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
 
In 2004, he coached wide receivers at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, and in 2003 he was a graduate assistant at East Carolina University.
 

Campbell worked as a defensive assistant and helped with special teams at Baylor in 2002.

Campbell's first coaching job was as an assistant at Fayetteville (Ark.) High School from 1998-2001 where he coached free safeties and cornerbacks.
 

Coach Campbell’s playing career at Central Arkansas (1996-98) was cut short because of an injury. He finished his degree at the University of Arkansas where his father is an assistant coach.

Campbell has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Arkansas.
 

David Carter – Washington Christian School (Washington, DC) – Defensive Line Coach
Coach David Carter was raised in Nigeria, West Africa, where his parents served as Medical Missionaries. When Coach Carter was 16, the Carters returned to the USA and he attended the McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN. After graduation from McCallie, Coach Carter attended Samford University in Birmingham, AL and Crichton College in Memphis, TN where he pursued an Interdisciplinary degree in Bible, Philosophy, and Literature. During his time in college, Coach Carter studied Christian Apologetics abroad at L’Abri in Getham, England.
 
Coach Carter began coaching football during college at Evangelical Christian School in Memphis, TN. Coach Carter coached football at ECS for seven years. He was the Defensive Line Coach and was responsible for the Defense for three years. During his time as football coach, ECS went to the State Championship four times, coming away with three titles.
 
Coach Carter also served as the Head Coach of the ECS soccer team for six years, taking them to the playoffs and State Championships each year.
 
For the last two years, Coach Carter has been in Maryland at Washington Christian Academy, serving as Athletic Director and Dean of Students.
 
In addition to coaching and administration, Coach Carter has taught Bible (Old and New Testament) for the last seven years.
 

Coach Carter is married to Shannon Carter from Memphis, TN. They have been married for 9 years. Shannon is a Middle School Language Arts teacher.

 

Grant Heard – Western Michigan – Receiver’s Coach
Grant Heard is beginning his first season at Lambuth as the Receiver’s Coach. Prior to his coming to LU, Heard was the Wide Receiver’s Coach at Western Michigan. Prior to his time at WMU, he spent two seasons as an offensive graduate assistant at the University of Mississippi.
 
While with the Rebels coaching staff, Heard assisted in coaching both the receivers and tight ends, as well as breaking down game film and assisting on the preparation of the upcoming game plan. Heard was also a graduate assistant with North Carolina State University in 2004 after serving as the Receiver’s Coach at Hargrave Military Academy for one season in 2003.
 
Heard began his coaching career at Jackson Preparatory High School in 2002. He developed the team’s quarterbacks and wide receivers and coached the special teams unit as well.
 
The Lake Jackson, Texas, native was also a four-year letter winner (1996-98, 2000) at Ole Miss as a wide receiver. He ranks third on the Rebels’ career receptions list (142) and on the career receiving yards list (2,029). In four seasons, Heard started 28 of 45 games played and racked up 16 touchdowns.
 
Heard (29/DOB: 3-4-78), who was a member of the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers organizations during 2000-01, plans on relocating to Jackson.
 

Lee Wilbanks – North Carolina A&T – Running Back’s Coach
Lee Wilbanks will enter his first season as an assistant coach with the Lambuth University Eagles. He will serve as the Running Back’s Coach for the 2008 season.
 
Prior to coming to Lambuth, Coach Wilbanks was the Outside Linebackers Coach at North Carolina A&T and also served as the Aggies’ football operations person. He will helped with travel, trading game film with opponents, editing game film, recruiting and served as a liaison between the coaching staff and the N.C. A&T athletic staff.
 
Wilbanks came to N.C. A&T after serving as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Mississippi. During his one season there, he assisted the offensive line coach in game preparation. He graded the Ole Miss offensive linemen after practices and games and he also prepared tests, scouting reports and edited film so coaches could prepare for the Rebels upcoming opponent. Wilbanks’ evaluation area included Florida high schools and California and Mississippi junior colleges.
 
Coach Wilbanks started his coaching career at Murray State as a graduate assistant in 2004 where he coached linebackers and safeties. His responsibilities included assisting the defensive coordinator in coaching linebackers and coordinating Murray State’s walk-on program. Six of the walk-ons he accepted eventually became scholarship athletes. Wilbanks recruited the Arizona, Utah and New Mexico junior colleges, while also covering the Missouri and Arkansas high school areas.
 
Wilbanks received his Bachelors of Science degree in business administration and marketing from the University of Mississippi in 2004.
 
Photos and information for new coaches compliments of:  Wabash College, the University of Tennessee at Martin, Western Michigan University, and North Carolina A&T.