Ward new AD at Montgomery Academy

Wright Ward takes over as the new Montgomery Academy athletic director as of July 1. He replaces Robert Johnson, who stepped down in March. (Contributed)

By TIM GAYLE

Montgomery Academy announced on Tuesday the selection of Wright Ward as the school’s new athletic director, effective July 1.

Ward was the girls basketball coach at Randolph and had served as the school’s associate athletic director since 2017.

“My family and I couldn’t be more excited to be joining Montgomery Academy,” Ward said in a statement released by the school. “From the moment I set foot on campus, I could tell it was a special place and that feeling continued to grow as I met more and more of the MA community, including parents, faculty and staff, and most importantly, the students.”

Ward will replace Robert Johnson, who served in the dual role of athletic director and head football coach before stepping down at the end of March.

Previously, the athletic director position at Montgomery Academy was traditionally reserved for the head football coach, but the Eagles promoted Ethan McBride to his first head coaching position late last week and wanted to hire a separate person to serve as the athletic director. 

Ward broke into the coaching ranks in 2007-08 as the freshman boys team coach at Marist School before serving the next five years as the assistant head coach for boys basketball at the Westminister Schools in Atlanta, Ga. 

In 2013, he became the head coach of the girls basketball team at Randolph, serving for three years before moving over to boys, then taking the position again in 2019. In his first season as the girls’ coach (2013-14), Randolph edged Guntersville in a sub-regional game and advanced to the 4A regionals before losing to Anniston in the semifinals. The next two years, as a 5A program, Randolph never made it past the area tournament.

Wright’s last four years, again serving as the girls’ head coach, have resulted in four area tournament losses by an average margin of 32.5 points.

In addition to his coaching duties with the girls, Ward has served as a football assistant for the past seven years and was the middle school football head coach in 2019 and the middle school boys’ basketball head coach in 2018 and 2019. A history teacher at the school, he served as the chair of the middle school physical education department as well.  

“I am thrilled to welcome Wright Ward and his family to the MA community,” said MA head of school John McWilliams in the school’s release. “As a teacher, coach and as an athletic administrator, Wright has extensive experience in outstanding independent schools in Alabama and Georgia, and it is clear that he understands the vital role that interscholastic athletics play in supporting our mission as a school of developing leaders. I look forward to working with him as we continue our ‘pursuit of excellence’ at MA.”