Ernest Henry Wright (November 6, 1939 – March 20, 2007) was an American professional
football player who was an
offensive tackle for 13 seasons, from 1960 to 1969 in the
American Football League (AFL), and from 1970 to 1972 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 ...
(NFL).
Early life
Wright was born on November 6, 1939 in
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...
and attended
Scott High School. He played football for
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
and started on the Buckeyes' offensive line in 1958 and 1959.
NFL career
Wright was an original member of the
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
in 1960.
He was drafted in the 15th round (200th overall) of the 1961
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
by the
Los Angeles Rams, but he remained with the Chargers.
Wright was a starter for the Chargers in their 51-10 victory over the
Boston Patriots in the
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...
AFL Championship
For its first nine seasons, 1960 through 1968, the American Football League determined its champion via a single playoff game between the winners of its two divisions (although ties in the standings in 1963 (Eastern) and 1968 (Western) necessitat ...
game.
He was an
AFL All-Star in
1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 (K ...
,
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...
and
1965. Chargers Hall of Fame coach
Sid Gillman
Sidney Gillman (October 26, 1911 – January 3, 2003) was an American football player, coach and executive. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or w ...
called the tandem of Wright and Hall-of-Famer
Ron Mix
Ronald Jack Mix (born March 10, 1938) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle. He is a member of the American Football League (AFL) All-Time Team, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 19 ...
''"''The best pair of offensive tackles in pro football''."
He played eight seasons for the Chargers, through the 1967 season. He played the next four seasons with the
Cincinnati Bengals, including in their inaugural season of 1968. In 1968 and 1969, the Bengals were in the AFL; in 1970, they moved to the NFL as the two leagues merged. He returned to the Chargers to finish his career in 1972.
Wright was one of only 20 men who played all 10 years of the AFL's existence.
Personal life
In 1994, Wright founded The Pro Kids Golf Academy and Learning Center, a nonprofit organization for inner-city youth in San Diego. Wright was the first winner of the Ernie H. Wright Humanitarian Award, which the San Diego Hall of Champions had established in his honor. The award was presented to Wright during the hall's awards banquet in 2007.
He became a sports talent agent and later became the western regional chief for the NFL Players Association. He later operated a series of installations for people convicted of misdemeanors.
Wright died of cancer in 2007.
See also
*
List of American Football League players
The following is a list of men who played for the American Football League (AFL, 1960–1969).
Players
A
B
C
D
Elbert Dubenion
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
Z
Notes
Player notes
1,398 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Ernie
1939 births
2007 deaths
American football offensive tackles
Cincinnati Bengals players
Los Angeles Chargers players
Ohio State Buckeyes football players
San Diego Chargers players
American Football League All-Star players
Sportspeople from Toledo, Ohio
Players of American football from Ohio
Deaths from cancer in California
American Football League players