Rodney Bernard Wright, Jr. (born November 28, 1979) 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 wi ...

wide receiver. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

. He is the father of both college wideouts Rodney Wright III (Fresno State) and Jalen McMillan (Washington) Wright has been a member of the

San Jose SaberCats The San Jose SaberCats were a professional arena football team based in San Jose, California. The SaberCats had been members of the Arena Football League (AFL) since 1995 (the year in which the team was founded); and until 2015, they belonged to ...

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

Tulsa Talons Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, Chicago Rush and

Pittsburgh Power The Pittsburgh Power were a professional arena football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The team belonged to the East Division of the American Conference (AC) in the Arena Football League (AFL). Founded in 2011, the Power ...

Early years

Wright attended

Bakersfield High School Bakersfield High School (BHS) is a public four-year high school located in Bakersfield, California, United States. Opened in 1893, Bakersfield High School serves grades ninth through twelfth within the Kern High School District. Notable alumni ...

, where he also

lettered Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

. He was a First-team All-Area selection by the ''

Bakersfield Californian ''The Bakersfield Californian'' is a daily newspaper serving Bakersfield, California and surrounding Kern County in the state's San Joaquin Valley. History ''The Bakersfield Californian'' is the direct descendant of Kern County's first newspap ...

'' as a senior after scoring 14

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 Amer ...

s. He was also named the Southeast Yosemite League's Offensive Player of the Year and the Bakersfield Californian Player of the Year. He helped lead

Kern County Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield. Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county sp ...

with 58 receptions for 883 yards and 14 touchdowns to help his team to an 11-1 record.

College career

Wright attended

, where he was teammates with future first overall selection

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 ...

David Carr. During his four seasons at Fresno State, Wright was regarded as one of the most explosive players in the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas. Due to mos ...

(WAC). Along with playing wide receiver, he also returned

kickoff Kickoff or kick-off may refer to * Kick-off (association football) * Kickoff (gridiron football) * ''Kick Off'' (series), a series of computer association football games * ''Kick Off'' (album), a 1985 album by Onyanko Club * ''Kick Off'' (mag ...

s and punts, and rushed the ball on sweeps and reverses. In

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

as a true freshman, Wright played in four games, including a start on the road against

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, in which he recorded six receptions for 116 yards, 19.3 yards per catch. He recorded three receptions for 68 yards and two touchdowns against

BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

. He missed the final five games of the season due to an injury. As a sophomore, in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, Wright was a First-team All-WAC selection, after recording 74 receptions for 1,062 yards, which both rank fourth-best in school history, and seven touchdowns, 11 carries for 70 yards. For most of the season he was nationally ranked in kickoff returns with 27 for 584 yards. He ranked 30th in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

in all-purpose yards, with 135.33, and receptions, with 5.67, and 31st in receiving yards, with 83.92, per game. He also recorded his season-long reception with an 83-yard touchdown against SMU. He also had a career-high seven receptions for 156 yards against

UTEP The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stu ...

. He also had three 100-yard games. As a junior in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, recorded 38 receptions, second on the team, for 466 yards, with a season-long of 51 yards, and two touchdowns. Wright played in seven games, with six starts. He was forced too sit out from October 14 – November 11 with a strained

calf Calf most often refers to: * Calf (animal), the young of domestic cattle. * Calf (leg), in humans (and other primates), the back portion of the lower leg Calf or calves may also refer to: Biology and animal byproducts * Veal, meat from calves * ...

. He ranked near the top of the WAC in receiving yards and receptions per game before the injury. He returned to play against SMU, however it was for just one play. However, he would return to full strength in time to play against

San Jose State San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

, recording three receptions for 92 yards, including a season-long 51-yard reception. He also had a solid performance in the Silicon Valley Football Classic recording five receptions for 77 yards. He also had a strong performance in Fresno States win over Cal, recording 13 receptions for 174 yards and both of Fresno State's touchdowns. As a senior in 2001, Wright played in all 14 regular season games, starting 11, and recording 104 receptions for 1,630 yards and 12 touchdowns. He became just the second receiver in school history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season twice in their career, the other being

Larry Willis Lawrence Elliott Willis (December 20, 1942 – September 29, 2019) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He performed in a wide range of styles, including jazz fusion, Afro-Cuban jazz, bebop, and avant-garde. Willis was born in New York Ci ...

whom achieved the feat in both 1983 and 1984. Wright also set a school single-season records for most receptions and yards. He had five 100-yard receiving games, including four in a row at one point. He was also a Second-team All-WAC selection. Wright had one of the best performances in bowl game history against

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

in the Silicon Valley Football Classic, in which he recorded 13 receptions for 299 yards and two touchdowns, including one of 79 yards. He scored a rushing touchdown against

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, giving him a touchdown as, a receiver, rusher, on a blocked punt, and passed for a touchdown, in his career. He had one of the best single-game performances in school history against Boise State, recording 14 receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown. He recorded 182 yards and two touchdowns in a win over

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

. He also recorded two touchdowns against

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

and SMU. He returned a blocked punt for a touchdown against

Utah State Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...

, the second one in his career. In his career, Wright started 19 of 38 career games he played in. He also ended his career as the schools career leader in receptions with 222. He is also second on the school's career list in receiving yards. He also set school single-season records with 104 receptions and 1,630 yards as a senior. He is also one-of-two receivers in school history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season twice. For his career, Wright has 222 receptions, 3,274 receiving yards, 23 receiving touchdowns, 42 carries for 245 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown. He also recorded, for his career 40 kick returns for 863 yards.

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

Wright was selected in the seventh round (249th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, using one of four seventh round draft choices they had that year. He spent most of the 2002 and 2003 seasons on the teams practice squad.

San Jose SaberCats

After not being able to make it onto an active roster 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 ...

, Wright signed with the San Jose SaberCats of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

on November 3, 2004. In 2005, Wright played in 12 games as a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

. He finished the season third on the team in receptions with 59, receiving yards with 678, touchdowns with eight, and all-purpose yards with 1,293. He was also the team's second leading kickoff returner with 22 returns for 476 yards, along with two missed field goal attempts returned for 94 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown return, the sixth missed field goal attempt return touchdown in franchise history. He finished second on the team with 48.5 tackles (42 solo) along with two fumble recoveries. He was named the league's Ironman of the Week in back-to-back weeks (Weeks 12 and 13), becoming the first player in franchise history to win the award in consecutive weeks. He was also named the league's Ironman of the Month for April 2005. He was also named the team Ironman ''and'' Rookie of the Year by his teammates. Wright made his AFL debut as a starting

Offensive Specialist In arena football, a specialist was a player, other than a quarterback or placekicker, who was exempt from the league's one-platoon system ("Iron Man"). Under the original Arena football system, six of the eight players on each team were required ...

(OS) recording two rushing touchdowns on the road against the

Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm were a professional arena football team based in Tampa, Florida, US. It played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally the team was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and operated as the Pittsburgh Gladiators. The f ...

on January 30. He recorded his first career touchdown reception and his first career fumble recovery against the

Grand Rapids Rampage The Grand Rapids Rampage was an arena football team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The team began play in 1998 in the Arena Football League as an expansion team. They were last coached by Steve Thonn. Their home arena was the Van Andel Arena. ...

on March 18. He started at WR / DB and played the entire second half recording a career-high two touchdown reception on the road against the Chicago Rush. He was named Ironman of the Game for the first time in his career after recording 227 all-purpose yards and 8.5 tackles against the

Dallas Desperados The Dallas Desperados were a professional arena football team based in Dallas, Texas. The Desperados played in the Eastern Division of the Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008. The franchise began play in as an expansion team, and have post ...

. He was also the Ironman of the Game second consecutive week after recording his first career

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 ...

, pass break up and seven tackles and three receptions for 81 yards, including a career-long 45-yard touchdown, and returned a missed field goal attempt 54-yards for a touchdown, which was the franchise's first missed field goal attempt return touchdown since 2002. He also had a career-high 10 receptions for 134 receiving yards and a touchdown and recorded 247 all-purpose yards against the

Nashville Kats The Nashville Kats were an Arena Football League team, located in Nashville, Tennessee. They were last coached by Pat Sperduto, who coached the team's original incarnation to two ArenaBowl appearances prior to the original franchise's move to A ...

. He also made nine receptions, including one touchdown, in his first career playoff game, a road game against the

Colorado Crush The Colorado Crush were an arena football team based in Denver, Colorado. They began play as a 2003 Arena Football League expansion team. The Crush played in the Central Division of the American Conference until the Arena Football League suspen ...

. In 2006, Wright only played in two games. He was scheduled to be the starting Offensive Specialist but injured his foot early in the season opening game against the

Utah Blaze The Utah Blaze was a professional arena football team based in Salt Lake City, Utah and competed in the West Division of the Arena Football League. Home games were played at the EnergySolutions Arena. In 2013, the team did not submit proper ...

. He was placed on Injured reserve on February 3, and missed the next eight games. In week nine, he played for first time since opening night, playing against the Arizona Rattlers and recorded three

returns for 51 yards, two receptions for 22 yards and 2.5 tackles with a pass broken up, before re-injuring his foot in the same game. He was placed back on injured reserve on April 6, and missed rest of the season and the playoffs. In 2007, Wright returned from an injury-shortened season, and had his best all-round season as a wide receiver and as a kick returner starting all 11 games he played in. He missed five games while on injured reserve with a

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupe ...

injury. He finished as the team's third leading receiver with a career-high 98 receptions for 1,076 yards. He finished second in the league in kickoff return average with 23.2 and tied for fifth in kickoff return touchdowns, with three. He tied a team single-game record with two kickoff return touchdowns and became the first player to take consecutive kickoff returns for touchdowns. He led the team with 1,794 all-purpose yards. He recorded his 150th career reception and passed 1,500 career receiving yards. Wright also had a career-high five rushing attempts for eight yards and two touchdowns, he caught seven passes for 53 yards and a touchdown and had 79 yards on three kickoff returns with two special teams tackles in his first game since April 2, 2006 at the

Los Angeles Avengers The Los Angeles Avengers were an Arena Football League team based in Los Angeles, California, from 2000 through 2008. They folded on April 19, 2009. History The Los Angeles Avengers played their home games at the Staples Center, which is also th ...

. He recorded a career-high 13 receptions for 119 yards and his 10th career touchdown reception on the road against Chicago. He returned a kickoff 54-yards for his first career kickoff return touchdown and recorded a career-high 259 all-purpose yards on the road against the

Georgia Force The Georgia Force was an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States (part of suburban Atlanta) that played in the South Division of the American Conference. The team was owned by Doug MacGregor and Donn Je ...

. He passed the 1,000 career receiving yard mark and recorded his 100th career reception while reaching the 2,000 career all-purpose yard mark against the Storm. He recorded 10 reception for 116 yards and a touchdown with two solo

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackles to earn Ironman of the Game against the Crush. He recorded 12 receptions for 130 yards, his fifth straight 100-yard game, but was recorded just two kickoff returns after injuring his hamstring in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. He returned to the field and recorded nine receptions for 113 yards, his sixth straight 100-yard game and eighth career, in Nashville. He reached the 1,500 career receiving yards mark against the

Orlando Predators The Orlando Predators were a professional arena football team based in Orlando, Florida and member of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was most recently owned by Orlando Predators LLC, a company owned by David A. Siegel, and played its ...

. He also recorded the 150th reception of his career against the Rattlers. He also tied a team record with two kickoff return touchdowns, and the first to return consecutive kickoff returns for touchdowns, while recording 203 all-purpose yards with one solo special teams tackle to earn Ironman of the Game on the road against the

Las Vegas Gladiators {{Cat main, Thomas & Mack Center Paradise, Nevada University of Nevada, Las Vegas Wikipedia categories named after buildings and structures in the United States Wikipedia categories named after sports venues ...

. He was also a starter in all three playoff games. He was the league's playoff leader with 523 all-purpose yards. He recorded 145 yards on five kickoff returns and 227 all-purpose yards, the fourth highest team playoff total, against the Crush. He also had a playoff career single-game high and team ArenaBowl record 10 receptions in an

ArenaBowl XXI ArenaBowl XXI was the 2007 championship game of the Arena Football League and was played at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sunday, July 29, 2007. It was the third-ever neutral site title game in league's history and the first ...

win over the

Columbus Destroyers The Columbus Destroyers were an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Columbus, Ohio, with home games in Nationwide Arena. The team was founded in as the Buffalo Destroyers, based in Buffalo, New York, and relocated to Columbus in . They fol ...

. After the season, on November 16, 2007, he re-signed with the SaberCats. Wright entered the 2008 season ranked 10th in career receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions. He played in 13 games on the season and finished with career highs in receptions with 124, receiving yards with 1,453 and receiving touchdowns with 24, having played in only 13 games. He also carried the ball seven times for 13 yards and one touchdown. He also recorded three tackles, and 58 kick returns for 1,186 yards and one touchdown. Wright had a season-high 14 receptions for 165 yards, scored his only rushing touchdown of the season, a nine-yard carry, in Week 5 against the

Kansas City Brigade Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the we ...

. He also had a season-high four receiving touchdowns Week 11 against the Rattlers, and a season-high two carries for three yards against the Avengers in Week 14. In the playoffs, he recorded 28 receptions for 330 yards and four touchdowns, while carrying the ball once for minus one yard. In the SaberCats

ArenaBowl XXII ArenaBowl XXII was played on July 27, 2008 at New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana (the host of ArenaBowl XXI). It was the 22nd and final championship game in the history of the original Arena Football League. This was the fourth neutral s ...

loss to the

Philadelphia Soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featu ...

, he recorded a playoff single-game high 13 receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

Kansas City Chiefs

Wright signed with the

on April 7, 2009. He was waived on September 5 and signed to the practice squad. He was then released on September 16.

San Francisco 49ers

Wright was signed to the

practice squad on December 1, 2009.

Second stint with SaberCats

Wright was re-signed by the SaberCats on February 18, 2011. He was released on March 28, 2011. In three games with the SaberCats, he had 38 catches for 399 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Tulsa Talons

On March 29, 2011, the Talons signed Wright. He spent his entire tenure with the Talons on the Refuse to Report list.

Third stint with SaberCats

Wright was traded back to the SaberCats on May 11, 2011. He was placed on Injured Reserve on May 25 and then League Suspension on July 15. He was re-signed on June 21, 2012. He played in two games, recording 9 receptions for 91 yards and 1 touchdown.

Chicago Rush

The Rush signed Wright on February 12, 2013. He played in 8 games, catching 48 passes for 552 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Pittsburgh Power

The Power was assigned Wright on April 16, 2014. The Power folded in November 2014.

References

External links

Fresno State Bulldogs bioKansas City Chiefs bioSan Jose SaberCats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Rodney 1979 births Living people Players of American football from Bakersfield, California American football wide receivers Fresno State Bulldogs football players Buffalo Bills players San Jose SaberCats players Kansas City Chiefs players San Francisco 49ers players Tulsa Talons players Chicago Rush players Pittsburgh Power players