Anthony Lavon Wright (born February 14, 1976) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
for the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
,
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
,
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
,
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
and
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at the
University of South Carolina.
Early years
Wright attended
West Craven High School, where he played as a
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. As a senior, he was named All-state, SuperPrep
All-American and Gatorade Player-of-the-Year. He finished his high school career with 4,890 passing yards, 44
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
s and 15
interception
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...
s.
College career
Wright accepted a football scholarship from the
University of South Carolina. As a
redshirt
Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi
* Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...
freshman, he was a backup behind
Steve Taneyhill
Steve Taneyhill (born July 21, 1973, in Altoona, Pennsylvania) is a former American football quarterback and the current co-owner of Group Therapy in Five Points (Columbia, South Carolina), Five Points, Columbia in South Carolina. He also formerly ...
, making 17 out of 27 completions for 207 yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception. As a sophomore, he became a starter after Taneyhill graduated, posting 1,850 passing yards, 8 passing touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 90 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.
As a junior, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
, missing the final two games of the season. He had 1,685 passing yards, a school record 18 passing touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 44 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
As a senior, head coach
Brad Scott platooned him with freshman Phil Petty, but still recorded 1,899 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 56 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. He left as the school's fifth all-time passer, leading the school to a 12-21 record over the three years he was the starter, including one winning campaign and a 1-10 record in his last season.
College statistics
Professional career
Pittsburgh Steelers
Wright was signed as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
by the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
after the
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17–18, 1999, at the Theater at M ...
. He made such a good impression in preseason that the team made the unusual move keeping him as the fourth-string quarterback, behind
Kordell Stewart
Kordell Stewart (born October 16, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "Slash", he played college football at Colorado ...
,
Mike Tomczak
Michael John Tomczak (born October 23, 1962) is a former American football player. Tomczak played quarterback for several NFL teams from 1985 through 1999, including the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, the Cleveland Browns, and the Pittsb ...
, and
Pete Gonzalez. On August 27, 2000, he was waived after being passed on the depth chart by rookie
Tee Martin
Tamaurice Nigel "Tee" Martin (born July 25, 1978) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach at th ...
.
Dallas Cowboys
On August 30, 2000, Wright was signed by the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
to their practice squad. Even though he hadn't played in an NFL regular season game, he was scouted in a preseason game between the Cowboys and the Steelers.
In November, he was promoted to the active roster after backup quarterback
Randall Cunningham
Randall Wade Cunningham Sr. (born March 27, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles and is also known for ...
was injured. On December 10, when
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman (born November 21, 1966) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. After transferring from Oklahoma, he played college football at UCLA, ...
suffered a concussion playing against the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
, Wright played the remaining three quarters in a 32–13 win. Although he had attempted only 5 passes (3 completions) in the previous game, he was given the start in the next game against the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, which resulted in a 17–13 loss. He would also start the final game of the season against the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, which resulted in a 31-0 loss after he had three critical turnovers in the third quarter.
In 2001, he became the backup quarterback after
Tony Banks was cut. When starter
Quincy Carter
LaVonya Quintelle "Quincy" Carter (born October 13, 1977) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Georgia and for the National Football League teams Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets. Outside the NFL, he also was a ...
injured his throwing thumb, Wright became his replacement and started on September 23 against the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
, but had two costly turnovers in a 21-32 loss. The next week he started in an 18-40 loss against the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
, in which he was ineffective. On October 7, he replaced an injured Carter but the team still lost 21-28 against the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
. The next week he started on
Monday Night Football
''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...
and contributed to a 9-7 win against
Tony Banks and the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
. Having a chronic right knee injury, he decided to have his knee scoped to repair the cartilage damage, forcing him to sit the rest of the season. The Cowboys would use a combination of
Clint Stoerner
Clinton Jacob Stoerner (born December 29, 1977) is a former American football quarterback, who played in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins. He also played in the Arena Football League and NFL Europe. He p ...
and
Ryan Leaf
Ryan David Leaf (born May 15, 1976) is a former American football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played for the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys between 1998 and 2001, and also p ...
as the starters until Carter recovered from a torn hamstring, starting a franchise-high four quarterbacks in a season.
Head coach
Dave Campo
David Cross Campo (born July 18, 1947) is an American football coach and former player. Campo served as the head coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) from 2000 to 2002, compiling a record of 15 wins and 33 losses. He ...
released Wright from the team on September 1, 2002, following the acquisition of
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
Chad Hutchinson
Chad Martin Hutchinson (born February 21, 1977) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. He also is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher for the St. Louis Cardina ...
during the offseason, while stating that Stoerner was better suited for the third-string quarterback role, in light of Wright's ambition to be a starter.
Baltimore Ravens
Wright was signed by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
to their
practice squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
in 2002. After first round draft choice
Kyle Boller
Kyle Bryan Boller (born June 17, 1981) is a former American football quarterback. After playing college football for California, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round (19th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played for the Rav ...
injured his thigh in a game against the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
, Wright was activated from the
practice squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
on October 15.
After the Ravens lost to the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
in his first start 6-9, Wright led a spectacular comeback against the
Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West, which they rejoined ...
; with the score tied at three in the final minute of the first half, the Seahawks scored two quick touchdowns, and stormed to a 41-24 lead with seven minutes remaining, but Wright erupted with four touchdown throws and 319 passing yards in a 44-41 overtime triumph. Ravens head coach
Brian Billick
Brian Harold Billick (born February 28, 1954) is an American former American football, football coach and commentator. He was the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings from 1994 to 1998; the team broke the National Football League, NF ...
gave the game ball to Wright's wife, for waiting until after the contest to induce labor.
The Ravens won five of their last six games with Wright posting a 5-2 record and having a critical role in the team reaching the playoffs, where they lost a close game against the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
with a score of 20-17, with the difference being a 46-yard field goal with 29 seconds left. He finished the season with 1,199 passing yards, 9 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
Wright missed the 2004 season after having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Following another injury to Boller during the first game of the 2005 season, he was named the starting quarterback, but was again demoted after having a 2-5 record.
Cincinnati Bengals
With the departure of
Carson Palmer
Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at ...
's former backup quarterback
Jon Kitna
Jon Kelly Kitna (born September 21, 1972) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Central Washington ...
to the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
, Wright signed a one-year deal with the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
on April 21, 2006, winning a competition with
Craig Krenzel
Craig Krenzel (born July 1, 1981) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Ohio State University. As the starting quarterback, he led the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team to a national championship. He p ...
and
Doug Johnson for the backup job.
New York Giants
On April 13, 2007, he signed as a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
with the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, throwing him into a four-quarterback scramble for roster spots with
Eli Manning
Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning football dynasty, he is the youngest son o ...
,
Tim Hasselbeck
Timothy Thomas Hasselbeck (born April 6, 1979) is an American sports journalist and former American football quarterback who currently works as an analyst for ESPN. He played eight seasons in the NFL with the New York Giants, Washington Redskin ...
, and
Jared Lorenzen
Jared Raymond Lorenzen (February 14, 1981 – July 3, 2019) was an American football quarterback and administrator who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons with the New York Giants. He played college football at Kentucky ...
. He was named the third-string quarterback in a season that saw the team win
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
, beating the previously undefeated
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
.
On August 18, 2008, Wright suffered a back injury in a preseason game against the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
and was eventually placed on the
injured reserve list
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
on August 30. He wasn't re-signed the next season and decided to announce his retirement.
NFL career statistics
Personal life
Wright has had two cousins play in the
NFL,
Jesse Campbell who played
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are ...
from 1991–1998, and
Justin Hardy
Justin Hardy (born December 18, 1991) is a gridiron football wide receiver for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college footba ...
who played
wide receiver from 2015–2021.
Wright was shot multiple times after an argument on July 1, 2019, in
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is the county seat and largest city in Cabarrus County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 105,186, with an estimated population in 2021 of 107,697. In terms of population, the cit ...
. He underwent emergency surgery to treat his injuries.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Anthony
1976 births
Living people
People from Craven County, North Carolina
Players of American football from North Carolina
American football quarterbacks
American shooting survivors
South Carolina Gamecocks football players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Baltimore Ravens players
Cincinnati Bengals players
Dallas Cowboys players
New York Giants players