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Anthony Wright (American football)

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For other people named Anthony Wright, see Anthony Wright (disambiguation).

Anthony Wright
refer to caption
Wright with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006
No. 2
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1976-02-14) February 14, 1976 (age 48)
Vanceboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:211 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school:West Craven (Vanceboro)
College:South Carolina
Undrafted:1999
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:31
TD–INT:20–25
Passing yards:3,590
Passer rating:66.3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Anthony Lavon Wright (born February 14, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Early life

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Wright attended West Craven High School, where he played as a quarterback. 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 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

College career

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Wright accepted a football scholarship from the University of South Carolina. As a redshirt freshman, he was a backup behind Steve Taneyhill, 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, missing the final two games of the season.[1] 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

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Season Team Games Passing
GP GS Cmp Att Yds TD Int Rtg
1996 South Carolina 11 11 131 244 1,850 8 6 123.3
1997 South Carolina 11 11 139 252 1,685 18 5 130.9
1998 South Carolina 11 11 145 273 1,899 10 10 116.3
Career 33 33 415 769 5,434 36 21 123.3

Professional career

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Pittsburgh Steelers

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Wright was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers after the 1999 NFL draft. 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, Mike Tomczak, and Pete Gonzalez. On August 27, 2000, he was waived after being passed on the depth chart by rookie Tee Martin.[2]

Dallas Cowboys

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On August 30, 2000, Wright was signed by the Dallas Cowboys 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 was injured.[3] On December 10, when Troy Aikman suffered a concussion playing against the Washington Redskins, 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, which resulted in a 17–13 loss.[4] He would also start the final game of the season against the Tennessee Titans, which resulted in a 31–0 loss after he had three critical turnovers in the third quarter.[5]

In 2001, he became the backup quarterback after Tony Banks was cut. When starter Quincy Carter injured his throwing thumb, Wright became his replacement and started on September 23 against the San Diego Chargers, but had two costly turnovers in a 21–32 loss.[6] The next week he started in an 18–40 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, in which he was ineffective.[7] On October 7, he replaced an injured Carter but the team still lost 21–28 against the Oakland Raiders.[8] The next week he started on Monday Night Football and contributed to a 9–7 win against Tony Banks and the Washington Redskins.[9] 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 and Ryan Leaf as the starters until Carter recovered from a torn hamstring, starting a franchise-high four quarterbacks in a season.[10]

Head coach Dave Campo released Wright from the team on September 1, 2002, following the acquisition of quarterback Chad Hutchinson 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.[11]

Baltimore Ravens

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Wright was signed by the Baltimore Ravens to their practice squad in 2002. After first round draft choice Kyle Boller injured his thigh in a game against the St. Louis Rams, Wright was activated from the practice squad on October 15.[12]

After the Ravens lost to the Miami Dolphins in his first start 6–9, Wright led a spectacular comeback against the Seahawks; 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 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 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

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With the departure of Carson Palmer's former backup quarterback Jon Kitna to the Detroit Lions, Wright signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals on April 21, 2006, winning a competition with Craig Krenzel and Doug Johnson for the backup job.

New York Giants

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On April 13, 2007, he signed as a free agent with the New York Giants, throwing him into a four-quarterback scramble for roster spots with Eli Manning, Tim Hasselbeck, and Jared Lorenzen. He was named the third-string quarterback in a season that saw the team win Super Bowl XLII, beating the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

On August 18, 2008, Wright suffered a back injury in a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns and was eventually placed on the injured reserve list on August 30. He wasn't re-signed the next season and decided to announce his retirement.

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Passing
GP GS Cmp Att Yds TD Int
1999 PIT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2000 DAL 4 2 22 53 237 0 3
2001 DAL 4 3 48 98 529 5 5
2002 BAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2003 BAL 7 7 94 178 1,199 9 8
2004 BAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2005 BAL 9 7 164 266 1,582 6 9
2006 CIN 4 0 3 3 31 0 0
2007 NYG 3 0 1 7 12 0 0
2008 NYG 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 31 19 332 605 3,590 20 25

Personal life

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Wright has had two cousins play in the NFL, Jesse Campbell who played safety from 1991 to 1998, and Justin Hardy who played wide receiver from 2015 to 2021.

Wright was shot multiple times after an argument on July 1, 2019, in Concord, North Carolina. He underwent emergency surgery to treat his injuries.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "South Carolina Turns To Freshman Quarterback". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  2. ^ "Farmer among 13 waived by the Steelers". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  3. ^ "'Pactice Dummy' Takes Dallas Quarterback Role". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  4. ^ "Foul play against Giants produced foul odor". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  5. ^ "Titans rip Cowboys with big third-quarter spurt". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  6. ^ "Wright ready to start for Dallas Cowboys". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  7. ^ "Eagles Soar Past Cowboys". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  8. ^ "Raiders keep Cowboys on skids, 28-21". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  9. ^ "Cowboys, Redskins rivalry fell a bit short on Monday". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  10. ^ "Colts finish in a flurry". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  11. ^ "Cowboys release Seder, 17 others". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  12. ^ "Transactions". October 16, 2002. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  13. ^ Honeycutt, Jordan (July 1, 2019). "Former West Craven football star Anthony Wright shot". Sun Journal. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
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