January 21, 2024 – Middle Tennessee head football coach Derek Mason announced today the hiring of Calvin Lowry as the program’s running back coach.
“Calvin Lowry is a very detail-oriented coach who comes from that James Franklin tree of football,” said Mason. “He is very intelligent, a great motivator and a relentless recruiter who understands the game inside and out. I think he makes our running back room outstanding because he understands where they have been, where they are going and what we need to do to get from where we are to where we want to be.”
Lowry, a three-year NFL veteran, spent the 2023 season at his alma mater, Penn State, as an offensive analyst for Head Coach James Franklin.
“I would like to thank Calvin Lowry for everything he has contributed to our program the last year,” said Franklin. “He is a tremendous person and brought a great amount of value to our organization. Coach Mason is making a great hire in Calvin, and he will make an immediate impact on their program with his ability to develop players, recruit student-athletes and be loyal to the staff. We wish Calvin and his family nothing but the best at Middle Tennessee.”
Prior to Penn State, Lowry coached receivers and special teams at Tulsa for eight years. He was promoted to Co-Passing Game Coordinator prior to the 2021 season.
He was a part of four bowl teams with the Hurricane, including the 2015 Camping World Independence Bowl, 2016 Miami Beach Bowl, 2020 Armed Forces Bowl and 2021 Myrtle Beach Bowl.
During his Tulsa tenure, Lowry had six Hurricane receivers surpass 1,000 yards in a single season. In his first three years, Lowry tutored three receivers – Keevan Lucas, Keyarris Garrett and Josh Atkinson – who completed their careers ranked among the top-7 receiving leaders in school history. Lucas and Garrett each surpassed 3,000 yards in their careers, while Atkinson had 2,600+ receiving yards.
In 2015, Garrett was the nation’s leading receiver with 1,588 yards for a 122.2-yard average per game, while Lucas and Atkinson each ranked among the top-35 nationally in 2016. Garrett (2015) and Lucas (2016) earned first-team American Athletic Conference honors.
Keylon Stokes became the fifth 1,000-yard receiver in a season under Lowry when he hauled in 62 passes for 1,040 yards in 2019. In the 2021 campaign, Josh Johnson surpassed 1,000 yards on the season with a team-bests of 1,114 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
Before his Tulsa stint, Lowry spent three seasons at Baylor University, including two years as an assistant director of operations and one as a graduate assistant coach. He worked with Baylor’s offense and special teams in that one season.
Previously, Lowry spent one season at St. Andrew’s Episcopal High School in Austin, Texas, where he coached wide receivers, secondary and special teams in 2011.
A former All-Big Ten safety, Lowry spent three full seasons in the NFL, where he played special teams and safety for the Tennessee Titans (2006 and 2007), Denver Broncos (2008) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2008). He also spent the 2009 training camp with the Detroit Lions. Lowry was a fourth-round draft pick of the Titans in 2006. He played in 43 games and totaled 86 tackles, 13 pass deflections and started 14 games in his NFL career. Lowry’s best season statistically came in the 2007 season when he collected 57 tackles, including 42 solos, and had two interceptions for Tennessee.
A four-year letterman and starter at Penn State, Lowry was a first-team All-Big Ten safety in 2005 as a senior after collecting 79 tackles and four interceptions. He totaled nine career interceptions and was PSU’s leading punt returner for three seasons. In 2002, Lowry became the first true freshman to start for legendary Head Coach Joe Paterno.
Lowry was a four-year standout at Douglas Byrd High School in Fayetteville, N.C., as a wide receiver and defensive back. A native of Fort Hood, Texas, Lowry called Fayetteville home from age three through college.
Lowry received his bachelor’s degree in Crime, Law and Justice from Penn State in 2007. He also completed his master’s degree in educational leadership from Penn State in 2020.
He and his wife, Annie, have two sons: Calvin Jr. and Klay.
