July 10, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
Holmon Wiggins led the New Mexico football team in rushing two years during his collegiate career, now he will be leading the Illinois State running backs from the sideline after being named an assistant football coach by head coach Denver Johnson.
"Holmon is a bright, highly energetic young coach," Johnson said. "He comes in with rave reviews from the New Mexico staff. He played in an offense that is very similar to what we do, but there is always going to be a learning curve in terms of terminology. I think he will be a quick study and will bring some intimate knowledge of the running back position with him. He is going to be a great addition to the staff and will serve as a quality mentor for the running back position."
He replaces Ted Smith on the ISU staff, after Smith took a similar position at Texas Lutheran.
Wiggins was a four-year letterwinner and a three-year starter at running back for the Lobos from 1998-2001. He finished his collegiate career ranked No. 14 all-time in rushing (1,833 yards) and No. 12 in all-purpose yardage (2,912 yards) in New Mexico history.
The former collegiate running back is looking forward to joining the Illinois State staff and elevating the level of play in the Redbird backfield.
"I'm really excited about joining head coach Denver Johnson's staff at Illinois State," Wiggins said. "There is a lot of great football in the Midwest and ISU has such a great, high-powered offense. I'm just looking forward to being a part of it and doing what I can to give it some extra punch.
"I was really impressed with the campus and the community on my visit. The people seemed supportive of the football program and the facilities, especially the strength and conditioning center, were second to none. The stadium plans that are in place for the future were also impressive."
He remains the Lobos' single-season leader in punt returns (46) and punt return yardage (392), set in 2000. Wiggins led New Mexico in rushing during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
After his playing career, Wiggins worked one season as a graduate assistant at his alma mater assisting the running backs. A native of Los Angeles, Calif., Wiggins played his prep football at San Pedro High School, while being named the city's player of the year for class 4A.
He received his bachelor's degree in Psychology from New Mexico in 2003 and is currently working on his master's degree in Counseling and Child Psychology.
