Ex-MTSU football star Dwone Hicks hired as Wilson Central assistant

Dwone Hicks brought considerable success to Middle Tennessee State as a player.

He’s hoping to enjoy similar results in the area as a football coach. Hicks was recently hired as an assistant coach at Wilson Central.

“I’ve moved around all my life,” the 35-year-old said. “My dad was in the military. This has always felt like home. This being so close to the university, I had an opportunity to land my family … land that plane. I could still go to the university, go to games. It was a simple move for me. It was a no-brainer.”

The former Alabama Class 6A Player of the Year rushed for more than 3,600 yards from 1999-2002 at MTSU and was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2001. The program’s third all-time leading rusher owns school records for career rushing touchdowns (53), single-season touchdowns (20 in 2001), single-game touchdowns (6 against Louisiana Tech in 2000) and single-game rushing yardage (311, also against Louisiana Tech), and he was a 2013 inductee into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame.

Hicks was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 by the Tennessee Titans and played in three games, making two tackles.

He’s most recently served in a variety of assistant coaching roles at three Georgia high schools — Dublin, Bleckley County and Duluth.

“I had been trying to get back to Tennessee for the last I don’t know how many years,” Hicks said.

Dennis Stallings, a former Oilers/Titans linebacker who is on the coaching staff at Wilson Central, told Hicks there was a spot for him there.

"He tried to get me a couple of years ago," Hicks said. "I contacted him (recently) and said, ‘I’m ready to move back.’ I liked he atmosphere. Coach (Brad) Dedman seemed like a good guy, so I said, ‘We’re moving.’”

Hicks, a special education teacher, will coach the Wildcats running backs and will help with the strength and conditioning program.

“We’re excited to have him and what he’s going to bring to the table,” Dedman said. “It’s going to be huge for us. He’s played at the highest level. He knows what it takes to get there. Our guys are going to listen to him because of that.”

Hicks joined the program on July 11.

“I’m definitely enjoying it,” Hicks said. “I like the atmosphere. Everything is nice and organized. The best thing is that we have some good kids to be able to coach. They say, ‘yes sir’ and ‘no sir’ and take coaching very well. That’s always key to have in your program.”

Hicks points out that he’s highly-communicative but in a constructive fashion rather than a critical means.

Senior running back Tyler Bowes could benefit from Hicks’ expertise more than any other Wildcat, especially with the team’s transition to a spread offense that will feature mostly one-back sets.

“I think we have a good stable of backs who have a bit of experience,” Hicks said. “We’re looking for a lot out of each of our backs.

“When we need a big play, Tyler is going to be one of the guys we expect to make that play.”

Bowes is a three-year starter with offers from Austin Peay and Morehead State. The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder rushed for more than 1,300 yards last season, helping the Wildcats reach the Class 6A quarterfinals.

Wilson Central has eight returning starters on offense, including senior quarterback Blake Meadors and senior wide receivers Devon High (a Navy commitment), Colton Dowell and Spencer Welch.

Reach Craig Harris at 615-259-8238 and on Twitter @CHTennessean.