Nate Wright
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Nathaniel Wright (born December 21, 1947) 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 ...
cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...
who played in the
NFL 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 major ...
from 1969–1980.


High school career

He attended Monterey High School in
Monterey, California Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...
where he was a standout football and basketball player.


College career

He was an All-Conference player from two years at
San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
after transferring from
Monterey Peninsula College Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) is a public community college in Monterey, California. Established in 1947, it is a part of the California Community Colleges system. There are two additional MPC campuses located in Marina, CA, and Seaside, ...
before turning pro.


Professional career

Wright was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1969. He played three games and recorded one fumble before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. In ten games, he recorded two interceptions. The next year saw him record just one interception before he moved over to the Minnesota Vikings in 1971. That year, he played in three games and recorded no interceptions. He recorded ten combined interceptions in the next three seasons, which included six in 1974. In the 1973 playoffs, he recorded an interception in the Divisional Round matchup against Washington off
Billy Kilmer William Orland Kilmer Jr. (born September 5, 1939) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Washington Redskins. He w ...
on their way to a victory (coincidentally, Wright's next interception in the playoffs was also against Kilmer). Wright didn't record a further interception as the Vikings lost in
Super Bowl VIII Super Bowl VIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...
. In the 1974 postseason, Wright recovered a fumble at the 20-yard line and ran it in for a touchdown that the Vikings won 30-14 over St. Louis. It was his first ever touchdown and only the first of two he ever scored in his career. Wright was the defensive player who was covering Drew Pearson during the 1975 NFC Playoffs on the infamous
Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catho ...
in the 1975 NFC Divisional Playoff Game between 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 ...
and Minnesota Vikings, played on December 28, 1975. Some observers and Viking players believed that Pearson pushed off on Wright, causing him to fall down and thus allowing Pearson to catch the pass from
Roger Staubach Roger Thomas Staubach (, -; , -; born February 5, 1942), nicknamed "Roger the Dodger", "Captain America", and "Captain Comeback", is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for ...
and score the winning touchdown. However no penalty was called on Pearson. He had his highest total in 1976 with seven. He recorded twelve combined interceptions over the next three years; Wright recorded his third and final interception in the playoffs in the 1978 NFC Championship, doing so off
Roger Staubach Roger Thomas Staubach (, -; , -; born February 5, 1942), nicknamed "Roger the Dodger", "Captain America", and "Captain Comeback", is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for ...
in the 23-6 loss to 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 ...
. Wright's career eneded in 1980, and he did so after picking off two passes in sixteen games (four starts). He totaled 34 interceptions and three fumble recoveries in 156 professional games. He was never selected to a Pro-Bowl or given All-Pro honors.


See also

* The Hail Mary (American football game)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Nate 1947 births Living people People from Madison, Florida Sportspeople from Monterey, California American football cornerbacks San Diego State Aztecs football players Atlanta Falcons players Arizona Cardinals players Minnesota Vikings players Monterey Peninsula Lobos football players Players of American football from Monterey County, California Monterey High School (Monterey, California) alumni