Football Southern Conference

Appalachian State adds football assistants

ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATE:
Justin Seaverns, All-Southern
Conference linebacker in 2000
BOONE, N.C. - Former Mountaineers Steve Wilks and Shawn Elliott have been named Appalachian secondary and offensive line coaches, respectively, announced Head Coach Jerry Moore Thursday afternoon.

"I am very pleased to be bringing in two former Mountaineers," said Moore. "They both have shown great dedication to Appalachian and will
help to continue the success we've had here."

Wilks returns to Boone after a stellar career for ASU and several years of successful coaching. He replaces Travis Jones, who coached the linebackers for three seasons and left to take a similar position at Kansas.

Last season, Wilks was defensive backs and punt return coach at Illinois State. There he produced two all-conference defensive backs as well as the Gateway Specialist of the Year. In 1999, he served as head coach at Savannah State after two years as defensive coordinator. His 1998 defense was ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II and produced four all-conference members, including SIAC Rookie of the Year Roosevelt Williams and SIAC Defensive Player of the Year Reggie Jackson.

For his efforts, Wilks was named Division II Defensive Coordinator of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association. He spent the 1995 and 1996 seasons as defensive coordinator at Johnson C. Smith where he produc ed six all-conference performers and coached the 18th-ranked defense in the country. Wilks spent the 1994 season out of football after playing for the Charlotte Rage of the Arena Football League from April 1993 to January 1994.

He spent the previous year as a teaching assistant and assistant football coach at Harding High School in Charlotte, N.C. Wilks enjoyed a stellar career at Appalachian, earning four letters. The Charlotte native recorded 103 career tackles, with four inte rceptions and four blocked kicks. He earned his bachelor's degree in communications in 1992 with a minor in marketing.

After his senior season he was invited to training camp by the Seattle Seahawks. "Steve was on my first SoCon championship team," said Moore. "He helped this team through some tough years while I was starting out. He's a hard worker and a North Carolina guy, and it's great to have someone of his skills and passion here."

Elliott spent the past two years as the team's tight ends coach after serving as a defensive assistant for two years. He takes over for Stacy Searels, who left to assume a similar position at the University of Cincinnati.

Elliott was an outstanding player for the Mountaineers in the mid-1990s, lettering four years. He was team captain in 1995, when Appalachian finished the season 12-1 and was an All-Southern Conference selection at defensive end. In his four seasons as a player, the Mountaineers were a combined 32-17 overall and made three NCAA I-AA Playoff appearances. The team also won the 1995 Southern Conference championship. A 1996 graduate of Appalachian State with a degree in industrial technology, Elliott joined the ASU coaching staff after working as a technical sales representative for Armstrong-Blum Manufacturing.

Added Moore, "Shawn was captain of our undefeated team in 1995 and has shown great dedication to th is program. He left a successful job to become a coach here and has earned this opportunity. He has a great deal of knowledge and enthusiasm and you need someone like that on a staff." As part of the hirings, Chris Moore takes over as linebackers coach and Dale Jones is handling the recruiting coordinator duties.