Manuel Wright facts for kids

Manuel Wright, born on April 13, 1984, is a former American professional football player. He played as a defensive tackle, which is a strong player on the defensive line. The Miami Dolphins picked him in a special draft in 2005. Manuel also played for the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants. With the Giants, he won a Super Bowl ring in Super Bowl XLII, which is a huge championship in football!

Early Life and High School Football

Manuel Wright grew up in Long Beach, California. He went to Long Beach Polytechnic High School. There, he was a star player on the football team. He earned many awards from his team, local groups, and even national ones.

When he was a junior in 2000, Manuel made 95 tackles. A tackle is when a defensive player stops the player with the ball. He also had 25 sacks, which means he tackled the opposing team's quarterback 25 times.

In his senior year, Manuel was named the best defensive player on his team. He made an amazing 142 tackles and 16 sacks. He also recovered four fumbles and forced three others. These are all big plays in football!

College Football Journey

Manuel first planned to play for the University of Southern California (USC) in 2002. However, he did not meet the requirements to get into the school right away. So, he went to Long Beach City College for a short time. He did not play football there.

Playing for USC

In 2003, Manuel joined the USC football team. He was a backup player for two other strong defensive tackles. He played in nine games that season. He made eight tackles and helped stop passes three times. He got his first sack against Michigan in the famous Rose Bowl.

Manuel continued as a backup player in 2004. He played in 11 games and even started two of them. This happened when another player moved to a different position. He made 23 tackles and recovered two fumbles. For his great effort, he received an honorable mention award from the Pac-10 conference.

Leaving College Early

In 2005, Manuel was expected to be a starting player for USC. But he had to miss spring practices to focus on his schoolwork. He needed to make sure he could stay eligible to play.

Unfortunately, he was not able to meet the academic requirements. This meant he had two choices. He could stay in school and not play football, or he could enter a special draft for the NFL. This draft is called the supplemental draft. Manuel chose to enter the NFL supplemental draft.

Professional Football Career

Many NFL teams were interested in Manuel before the supplemental draft. They visited him, watched him practice, and interviewed him.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins chose Manuel in the fifth round of the supplemental draft. This meant they gave up their fifth-round pick in the next year's regular draft. On July 22, Manuel signed a four-year contract with the Dolphins. He received a signing bonus of $190,000.

Manuel faced some challenges during his first training camp. He had some injuries and struggled with his weight. He also had a tough moment during practice when his coach, Nick Saban, scolded him.

As a rookie in 2005, Manuel played in three games. He made his NFL debut on December 4 against the Buffalo Bills. He recorded two tackles and one sack in that game. He finished the season with four tackles, one sack, and one pass deflected.

In 2006, Manuel took a break from the team. He later returned to the Dolphins in 2007 under a new coach. However, he was released by the team on May 1.

Buffalo Bills

On May 3, the Buffalo Bills picked up Manuel. But less than a week later, they let him go. He had gained some weight, and the team wanted him to lose 30 pounds. He was cut by the Bills on May 10 after showing up to minicamp overweight.

New York Giants

Manuel signed with the New York Giants on August 15, 2007. He played in six games during the regular season. He made two tackles for the Giants.

Most importantly, he was a member of the Giants team that won Super Bowl XLII. This is a huge achievement for any football player! On April 10, 2008, the Giants waived Manuel.

Arena Football League (af2)

In 2008, Manuel joined the af2, which is a different football league. On December 22, he was assigned to the Stockton Lightning team.

See also

• List of University of Southern California people
• List of New York Giants players
• List of Miami Dolphins players
• List of National Football League and Arena football players