One of the finest Clarksville-area football players in the last 15 years is in his hometown, serving as an assistant football coach.
Marcus Gildersleeve, who starred at Northeast High School before playing his college football at Virginia Tech (1996-98), came to APSU in 2005 as cornerbacks coach after serving two seasons as wide receivers coach at Nebraska-Omaha. He returned to the offense in 2006, coaching APSU's receivers. His impact was evident as he helped develop a young receiving corps, including Lanis Frederick, who set APSU records for receptions and receiving yards.
In his initial season coaching receivers, the Govs finished with 199 catches , averaging 18.09 receptions per game, which stands second-best all time. The 2,293 receiving yards set in 2006 also are the second-most in school history.
He also played a large role in the development of senior wide receiver Devin Stark, who saw his reception totals leap from 19 in 2010 to 53 a year ago, including seven TD catches. Â
Gildersleeve also has proven to be an important factor working with APSU special teams, in particular the kick-blocking aspect.
Under Gildersleeve's guidance, special teams has become a key aspect of Austin Peay's battle for field position. In 2007, the Govs blocked a school record six kicks.
He also oversees the Governors walk-on program, which saw miliary veteran Isaac VanMeter get an opportunity to play last season for APSU.
After receiving his bachelor's in Family Child Development (2000), he began his coaching career as the wide receivers and specials teams coach at the University of the South, working with his former prep coach, Rick Butler. In fact, while at Sewanee in 2001 and 2002, his special teams set an NCAA Division III single-game record by returning three blocked punts for touchdowns.
Gildersleeve entered coaching after a solid career at Virginia Tech, mostly as a wide receiver. The Hokies played in five bowl games while he was there, including 2000 AllState Sugar Bowl, that season's BCS Championship game..
His best season came in 1997 when he caught 17 passes for 286 yards (16.8 ypc) and three TDs. As a junior, he was involved in two of Tech's three special teams TDs, recovering one blocked punt for a TD and blocking another for a score.
Gildersleeve earned his way to Virginia Tech after a terrific prep career. As a senior at Northeast, he rushed for 1063 yards and 21 TDs, including one game where he rushed seven times for 256 yards and five TDs.
He is married to the former Letisha Turner. They have four children, two daughters, Myla and Jalea, and two sons, Jaylin and Marcus Jr.
