Pioneer football adds a pair of coaches for the upcoming 2006 season
Smith hired to coordinate special teams and guide quarterbacks; Buckler picked to lead defensive line

June 27, 2006
MARIETTA, Ohio —  It was a very busy spring for the Marietta College football program. In late March, Curt Wiese was promoted to head coach following the resignation of Todd Glaser, who left to take over the helm of his alma mater Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Since Wiese took over the reigns, he has added a pair of assistant coaches to his staff for the 2006 season. Former Marshall quarterback Sean Smith was recently hired as the special teams coordinator. He will also coach the Pioneer quarterbacks. In addition, Chris Buckler, who spent the 2005 season as an intern on the Alabama coaching staff, was selected to lead the defensive line. Buckler will also assist Head Coach Derek Stanley and the Marietta track & field program. Both officially begin their duties July 1.

"We are grateful to have both coach Buckler and coach Smith joining the Pioneer football staff this season," said Wiese. "Their knowledge of the game and experience at the Division I level will go a long way toward helping our student-athletes grow as college football players."

Smith, who graduated from Marshall with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2000 and Masters of Science in athletic administration in 2002, spent the last two seasons as the quarterbacks coach at St. Marys High School in West Virginia. During that time, Smith also worked as a sales representative for Athlon Pharmaceuticals, where he was a three-time District Salesman of the Month. While at Marshall, Smith served as the backup to current N.Y. Jets quarterback Chad Pennington and played baseball with the Thundering Herd.

Buckler, a former football and track & field standout at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business with a concentration in marketing and a Bachelor of Science in Education with a concentration in physical education in 2001. In 2004, he also earned his Juris Doctor from Marquette University Law School and his Certificate in Sports Law from the National Sports Law Institute. Buckler added a Masters in Education with a concentration in sports management from the University of Alabama in 2006. While at Alabama, Buckler was the academic advisor for the football team, monitoring players’ grades, attendance and study hall. Before joining the Crimson Tide, Buckler also spent time as the strength and conditioning coordinator and the compliance intern at the Division I level.

Marietta College will be in search of its third straight non-losing season in 2006. The Pioneers, who finished 5-5 in 2005, open the season on the road against Emory & Henry (Va.) on September 2 at 1 p.m. The team, which includes 35 returning letterwinners, will return to campus to begin preseason camp on August 9.