Louis Wright (American football) facts for kids
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||
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| Born: | January 31, 1953 Gilmer, Texas, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||
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| High school: | Bakersfield (CA) | ||||||||
| College: | San Jose State | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1975 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17 | ||||||||
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Louis Donnel Wright (born January 31, 1953) is a former American football player. He was a talented cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). Louis Wright played his entire 12-year career with the Denver Broncos. He was with the team from 1975 to 1986. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl five times during his career.
College Football Career
Louis Wright started his college football journey at Arizona State University. He later moved to San José State. At San José State, he was a starting cornerback for two years. He recorded 3 interceptions during his time there.
Wright was also a great athlete in track and field. He earned two letters for his achievements. He had an impressive long jump of 25 feet, 7 inches. This jump is still one of the top five in his school's history. He also ran the 100-meter dash in just 9.6 seconds. After his senior year, Wright played in two important college games. These were the 1974 East-West Shrine Game and the 1974 Senior Bowl. He was later honored by being inducted into the San José State University Hall of Fame.
NFL Career Highlights
Louis Wright was picked by the Denver Broncos in the 1975 NFL draft. He was the 17th player chosen overall. He quickly became an important player for the team. As a rookie, he started 11 games. He intercepted 2 passes and recovered a fumble.
His "breakout season" was in 1977. He intercepted 3 passes and ran one back for a touchdown. He helped the Broncos reach Super Bowl XII that year. He was named a First-team All-Pro in both 1978 and 1979. During the 1979 season, he returned a fumble 82 yards for a touchdown. Wright was also known for being excellent at stopping running plays. He earned the nickname "Lou-dini" because he was so good at covering receivers and defending against the run.
In 1983, Wright had one of his best seasons. He intercepted a career-high 6 passes. He was again named First-team All-Pro. In 1984, he scored another touchdown by returning a fumble. He was named First-team All-Pro by two different sports publications.
In 1985, he intercepted 5 passes. He was named First-team All-Conference. In a game against the San Diego Chargers, Wright scored his fourth and final touchdown. He returned a blocked field goal 60 yards in overtime. This play helped the Broncos win the game 30-24. In 1986, his final NFL season, he intercepted 3 passes. He helped the Broncos reach Super Bowl XXI.
Throughout his NFL career, Louis Wright had 26 interceptions. He gained 360 yards from these interceptions and scored 1 touchdown. He also recovered 11 fumbles, returning two of them for touchdowns. In 1993, he was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. He was also named to the National Football League 1970s All-Decade Team. He is one of only a few defensive players from that team who has not been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Louis Wright became a teacher. He is also an assistant football coach. He works at Gateway High School in Aurora, Colorado.
