Earnest J. Wilson III (born March 30, 1965) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach. He is the chief of staff for the

Temple Owls The Temple Owls are the college athletics, athletic teams that represent Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current athletic director is Arthur Johnson (athletic director), Arthur Johnson. The owl has been the symbol and masco ...

, a position he has held since 2024. He was the head football coach at Minnesota North College – Vermilion, a junior college in

Ely, Minnesota Ely ( ) is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,268 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Vermilion Range (Minnesota), Vermilion iron range, Ely once ha ...

. Wilson was previously the head coach for the Arkansas Attack of Major League Football. He served as the head football coach at

Savannah State University Savannah State University (SSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is the oldest historically black public university in the state. Th ...

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

from 2013 to 2015,

Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is a public historically Black university in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It enrolls nearly 2,500 students in 28 undergraduate programs and 4 graduate programs and is a member-school of the Thurgood Ma ...

Elizabeth City, North Carolina Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, Pasquotank county, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and most populous city of Pasqu ...

from 2016 to 2017, and Defiance College in

Defiance, Ohio Defiance is a city in Defiance County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 17,066 at the 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Auglaize and Maumee rivers about southwest of Toledo and northeast of For ...

for one season, in 2021.

Coaching career

Wilson began his coaching career 1990 at

Allegheny College Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college in Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1815, Allegheny is the oldest college in continuous existence under the same name west of the Allegheny Mountains. It is a member of the G ...

. The

1990 Allegheny Gators football team The 1990 Allegheny Gators football team was an American football team that represented Allegheny College in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) during the 1990 NCAA Division III football season. The Gators compiled a 13–0–1 record ...

won the NCAA Division III Football Championship In May 2022, Wilson stepped down as the head coach at Defiance College. Shortly after his departure from Defiance was reported, Wilson was confirmed to be a head coach for Major League Football in their 2022 season. In 2023, Wilson was hired as the head football coach at Minnesota North College – Vermilion. He led the Ironhawks to a 1–6 record during the 2023 season. On June 4, 2024, Wilson was hired as the chief of staff for the

Head coaching record

College

Junior college

References

External links

Hampton profile

Savannah State profile

Defiance profile

Minnesota North–Vermilion profile

Temple profile
1965 births Living people Alabama A&M Bulldogs football coaches Allegheny Gators football coaches Benedict Tigers football coaches Defiance Yellow Jackets football coaches Elizabeth City State Vikings football coaches Hampton Pirates football coaches Jackson State Tigers football coaches Maine Black Bears football coaches New Mexico State Aggies football coaches Oberlin Yeomen football coaches Penn State Nittany Lions football coaches Savannah State Tigers football coaches Temple Owls football coaches Texas Tech Red Raiders football players Junior college football coaches in the United States African-American coaches of American football 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen {{1990s-collegefootball-coach-stub