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Andy Follett, who played three seasons under current WCU head coach Dennis Wagner at Wayne State College, joins the Catamount coaching staff as the wide receivers coach, and will also serve as Western's primary recruiting coordinator.
Follett spent the past four seasons as the wide receivers and running backs coach at Missouri State in Springfield, Mo. Last year, the Bears broke the school record for points scored with 399, which included averaging 50 points in home games.
While at MSU, Follett coached two players who gained 1,000-plus all-purpose yards in two separate seasons as kick returners and wide receivers. Steven Rush eclipsed the 1,000-yard plateau in 2004 helping MSU post its first winning record in three seasons, with Michael Sparks duplicating that feat a year later. Rush shared team MVP honors in '04, with Sparks garnering the award out right in '05.
Prior to his stint at Missouri State, Follett spent five years - including the final four as the receivers coach - at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The Fremont, Neb., native coached seven All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) selections during his tenure with three earning all-region honors. In addition, Trevor Weston (2000) and Richie Ross (2003) earned All-America honors with Ross also named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Year.
In five seasons, Follett's receivers helped break or tie 20 school records with four players ranking in Nebraska-Kearney's career top 10 in receptions and receiving yards. UNK ranked in the top 20 nationally in total offense in each of his five seasons including leading the nation in passing offense (338.6 yards per game) in 1999.
Follett began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at St. Cloud State in Minnesota for the 1998 and '99 seasons where he worked primarily with the tight ends, while also serving as the off-season strength and conditioning coach. He completed his Master's at Nebraska-Kearney.
At Wayne State College, Follett continues to rank fourth on the school's all-time career receptions chart with 146 catches from 1994-97. He posted his best season as a player in 1996, setting the WSC single-season record for receptions with 86 while also finishing second in the nation in receptions per game average at 8.6 per outing.
Follett was married in July of 2007 to Stephanie Guidi, a former assistant women's basketball coach at Missouri State.
