John Wilson, Jr. was appointed as the Assistant Athletic Director for Logistics at Virginia State in September 2011.
Prior to joining the Trojans, Wilson was most recently the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. Wilson’s coaching experience spans over 30 years at the collegiate and high school level.
Wilson has had some success coaching and during his time at Lock Haven, there have been 26 Scholar Athlete Awards and 12 All-PSAC West Division Athletes. In 2003, Coach Wilson led his team to the school’s first playoff appearance since 1996 and was named PSAC-West Coach of the Year. “What I am especially proud of is our graduation rate and the number of former student-athletes in the coaching profession.”
While an assistant at Millersville University, Coach Wilson was part of 4 NCAA II tourney appearances including a trip to the Elite Eight and two PSAC titles as well as four PSAC-East titles. During his one-year stint at William Penn High School, his Cagers won the York County Title and a State Playoff appearance on their way to a 25-6 record.
Wilson has been active with community, campus, and NCAA activities and projects. He has volunteered his services for organizations such as the Keystone Central School District Reading Program, AAUW, and Communities that Care, and he was a panelist for the PSAC Minority Coaching Symposium and a mentor at the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Conference. Wilson served on the NCAA II Men’s Basketball National Committee from 2004-2007 and played a significant role in the birth of the NABC NCAA II All-Star game. He has also served on the NCAA II Softball National Committee 2016-2019. Wilson will continue his service with the NCAA after being selected to serve a four-year term on the NCAA II Football National Committee Fall 2023.
After graduating with an AA Degree from Malcolm X Community College in Chicago, Illinois, he earned his Bachelor’s in Recreation from Washburn University. While attending Washburn, Wilson worked with Special Olympics and served as an intern at the Youth Center of Topeka. Wilson began his career after college as a Physical Instructor for the Chicago Park District. He has also worked as a Recreation Specialist and Basketball Coach at the Indiana Reformatory, Program Coordinator at the Carver Community Center in Indiana, and in the same position at the Lititz Community Center Pennslyvania. Wilson earned his Master’s in Sport Management from California University of Pennsylvania.
Wilson is married (Jackie), and they have a family with four children and four grandchildren.
